Informal distributed leadership in technology adoption

Abstract

This study investigated the role of informal distributed leadership in dealing with the complexities of adopting technology innovation in Higher Education contexts. In the study, in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were held with a group of informal leaders in a South African university. The findings suggest that informal distributed leadership works best in promoting technology adoption when there is a clear understanding of: (1) the locus of control of technology adopters; (2) power contestations between academics and students; (3) alignment of technology with pedagogical goals; and (4) shared intentionality between the core group of informal leaders. In practical terms, the study offers a middle-of-the-road approach to diffusion of technology innovation as an alternative to the ineffective top-down and individual innovative leader (bottom-up) approaches. For originality/novelty, the study introduces the distributed leadership theory into the technology adoption discourse.