| Housing professionals strive to meet the physical, social, developmental, and learning needs of their students. Currently there exist a variety of challenges which stand to impede residence life practitioners ability to reach these goals. Some of these challenges include a rise in the number of residence hall students who have mental health conditions and need services and support, overcrowding due to Tidal Wave II, and budget reductions. Up to this point in time, no research has been done on how housing staff can best address these challenges and at the same time meet its' unique educational and business outcomes.;This qualitative research explores how individual's knowledge, skills, and abilities are and are not utilized in their work at three perceived innovative residence life programs. By utilizing the theoretical underpinning of distributive leadership, this study examined how leadership is shared at each of these sites. At each institution, professional housing staff participated in individual interviews and a series of focus groups.;This study identified the differences in how leadership is shared within each of the perceived innovative housing programs. Further, it helped to describe factors that seem to affect the distribution of leadership responsibilities. The results of this study helped to lay the ground work for a series of recommendations for practitioners who want to infuse greater levels of shared leadership in their organization. |
