Maximising leadership influence in schools is a collective responsibility. This challenge, which was discussed briefly in chapter 2, is well recognised in the literature on educational leadership, as well as by many influential educational policy makers and practitioners (e.g., Duignan & Cannon, 2011; Walker, 2011; Sharratt & Fullan, 2009; Hargreaves & Fink, 2006; Caldwell, 2006; Davies, 2006). An emerging view from research and literature on school leadership is that school principals will have to broaden their perspectives on what it means to be a principal and on what they should do to be effective educational leaders in the future.

A number of studies and commentaries have suggested that the time is right for rethinking the way the principalship, as the primary focus for school leadership, is conceptualised and practised because it is no longer meeting the needs of schools, individuals in the principal's role or aspirants to the role (e.g., Duignan & Cannon, 2011; Pont et al., 2008b; Boris-Schacter & Langer, 2006; d'Arbon, Duignan, & Duncan, 2002). Many of these studies have recommended that rethinking or redesigning the principalship may be necessary in order to attract quality applicants to, as well as retain those already in, the principalship.

There is a growing belief that single-person leadership, such as that of the principal, is insufficient when it comes to leading learning and teaching in a complex organisation such as a school, especially in today's challenging educational environments (Boris-Schacter & Langer, 2006).