‘We are equal, but I am the leader’: leadership enactment in early childhood education in Norway

Figures & data

Table 1. Sample overview – ECEC centers and the informants

ECEC centers				Informants
Fictive names	Units	Location	Ownership	Work position	Age	Fictive names	Gender	Work experience	Education
Solbakken	Five	Urban	Private	Pedagogical leaders (PL)	25–45	Otto	Two male	6–22 years	Teacher education
						Grete	Three female		Four have additional education.
						Stig
						Siw
						Maja
				Kindergarten manager (KM)	38	Knut	Male	9	Teacher Education, additional education
Nordlys	Five	Urban	Private	Pedagogical leaders (PL)	34–43	Per	Three male	3–12 years	Teacher education Three have additional education.
						Silje	Two female
						Endre
						Karin
						Ingrid
				Kindergarten manager (KM)	48	Kenneth	Male	18 years	Teacher education, Additional education
Fjellgard	Two	Rural	Municipal	Pedagogical leaders (PL)	43–52	June	Four female	12–20 years	All have additional education.
						Monica
						Sigrid
						Maja
				Kindergarten manager (KM)	58	Sissel	Female	21 years	Teacher education Additional education
Parken	Six	Rural	Municipal	Pedagogical leaders (PL)	27–48	Lise	Six female	5–25 years	Teacher education One has additional education.
						Eva
						Christine
						Jeannett
						Oline
						Marie
				Kindergarten manager (KM)	59	Mona	Female	20 years	Teacher education.

Figure 1. Analysis and development of the leadership enactment

Table 2. Tasks and nature of leadership actions

Categories	Task	Nature of leadership actions
Planning and organizing	A week and monthly plan Reviewing the day schedule Resource-allocation rosters Pedagogical work (planning, evaluating, and documentation)	Positional
Information and communication	Informal: spontaneous during the day Giving and rescuing Small talk	Distributive
	Formal: meetings and set times for information Delegation of tasks Instructions Solicitations	Positional
Guidance and support	Directing and encouraging staff Evaluating and assessing staff pedagogical work Leading knowledge-development processes Creating a work environment of trust and openness	Positional
Nurture and care	Preparing for and tidying after play Checking messages in the app Preparing and cleaning after meals Dressing children Preparing children for sleep	Distributive

Table 3. Leadership constructions and nature of actions

		Nature of leadership action		Values
	Excerpts from informants’ statements	Distributive	Positional	Collective	Individual
Planning and organizing	Ownership and relationship with plans and things like that, and what we should work on, and that we (the pedagogical leaders) are the ones in control of the daily plans and activities and routines. Besides, you are also responsible for the unit, and you should ensure that framework plans and annual plans are followed. (Otto, PL, Solbakken)		Control and structure		Authority Responsibilities Openness
Information and communication	A good leader should be open, be engaged, listen, and motivate, and be generous and trust his or her colleagues. (Ingrid, PL,Nordlys) It is vital to communicate to avoid misunderstandings to ensure both safety and a good work culture. (Endre, PL, Nordlys)	Cooperation Common tasks Joint decisions		Equality ‘Niceness’ Inclusion Support Trust Involvement
Guidance and support	You must at getting a coordinated team where you manage to see all, give support to them, and make them keep going, just a little bit more. (Siw, Solbakken) To make a change and contribute to knowledge development, both team as a whole and of each of them [the assistants], you must have patience and try to see issues from the perspectives of the assistants.” (June, PL, Fjellgard)		Knowledge-development Solicitations Support		Authority Responsibilities Engagement Openness
Nurture and care	I think that care and nurture may be the highest priority of all the staff, and not only of me as a pedagogical leader. Parents should be confident that their children are safe and cared for in ECEC (Per, Nordlys). We all do the same tasks to care for the children. We must all have the same goal for and understanding of the work and do the same tasks despite different work positions. (Eva, Parken, rural and municipal)	Cooperation Common tasks Joint decisions		Equality ‘Niceness’ Inclusion Support Trust Involvement Agreement