Informal distributed leadership in technology adoption

Patient Rambe and Dennis Yao Dzansi

African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 2016, vol. 8, issue 2, 155-165

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.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1080/20421338.2016.1147200

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