Abstract
Purpose
Distributed leadership is known as a type of leadership where authority is distributed across different actors in the organisation depending on their expertise in a given field. Though it is associated with many positive outcomes, such as improved collaboration and knowledge sharing, as well as greater organisational flexibility, there may be some challenges in the modern knowledge environment due to the expertise shared by different actors in the organisation. In this regard, there may be conflicts regarding authority due to the distributed leadership approach. In this research, the concept of expertise contestation is proposed as a phenomenon where distributed leadership results in conflicts regarding authority due to the expertise shared by different actors in the organisation. The purpose of this research is to conceptualise how distributed leadership can affect organisational coordination by examining the concept of expertise contestation.
Design/methodology/approach
This research proposes a qualitative approach with an interpretivist perspective. It also proposes an inductive approach in exploring the concept of distributed leadership with expertise contestation. In this regard, it proposes the use of semi-structured interviews as a research approach in exploring how different actors in the organisation perceive authority with regard to distributed leadership.
Findings
The proposed research suggests that distributed leadership can affect organisational coordination by creating conflicts due to the expertise shared by different actors in the organisation. In this regard, expertise contestation can affect distributed leadership by creating conflicts regarding authority.
Originality/value
The proposed research introduces the concept of expertise contestation as a phenomenon where distributed leadership can affect the organisation. In this regard, it contributes to the existing body of knowledge regarding distributed leadership by proposing a framework for exploring how distributed leadership can affect the organisation. The proposed framework can be used as a basis for further research regarding distributed leadership with expertise contestation.