Ontologies of Distributed Leadership: a heideggerian reinterpretation of educational management as dwelling-in-practice

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Department of Educational Administration, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22034/jpiut.2025.70233.4333

Abstract

Distributed leadership (DL) is a key framework in contemporary educational theory that moves beyond heroic, individual-centered models of leadership by emphasizing collective, relational practices. While DL effectively captures how leadership emerges through interactions among educators, administrators, and context, it often remains at an ontic level, focusing on observable tasks and role distributions while overlooking deeper ontological questions about educational being. This paper offers a philosophical reconfiguration of DL through Martin Heidegger’s existential phenomenology, drawing on the concepts of Being-in-the-world, dwelling, and care. It reconceptualizes DL as dwelling-in-practice, wherein educational actors are understood not as isolated agents but as primordially involved beings who co-constitute their shared world through attuned everyday engagement. From this perspective, the school appears not as a neutral container but as a meaningful place sustained by collective care. This ontological reframing highlights how leadership emerges from being-with-others (Mitsein) and shared involvement, rather than from functional distributions alone. It also illuminates existential dimensions often neglected in DL, such as disruption, unhomeliness, and interpretive responsiveness. Grounded in recent empirical studies, this approach advocates leadership development oriented toward ontological attunement, trust, and dialogue, and proposes evaluation criteria that privilege world-building over instrumental outcomes. Ultimately, viewing DL as dwelling-in-practice offers a more humane and sustainable vision of educational leadership focused on human flourishing.

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References

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Journal of Philosophical Investigations
Volume 19, Issue 53 - Serial Number 53
Articles
Issue 53, Winter 2026
December 2025
Pages 575-590

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