Abstract:

As digital transformation accelerates across schooling, there is growing demand for leaders who can bridge technology, pedagogy, and systems change. Education technology (EdTech) professionals in K–12 settings sit at this intersection, yet little research has examined the leadership orientations of those preparing to enter technology-focused roles in schools. Even less is known about how these dispositions manifest in collaborative, often distributed leadership contexts, or how they mix within team and organizational environments in ways that influence the effectiveness of technology implementation and integration. This study extends prior work on leadership orientations by exploring emerging EdTech professionals as future members of school leadership teams who increasingly influence instructional, operational, and compliance-related decisions.

Grounded in organizational behavior, boundary-spanning theory, and a simplified model of distributed leadership, the study considers how EdTech professionals may contribute to a widening base of decision-makers in schools and how their dispositions shape their capacity to work collaboratively within narrowing “zones of acceptance.” Within school leadership teams, the influence of educational technology professionals depends as much on collaboration, negotiation, and trust-building as on technical expertise.

This study examines the dispositional and leadership characteristics of educational professionals at two stages of preparation: emerging educational administrators represented in an existing data set and early-stage EdTech professionals enrolled in an educational technology program. It focuses on distinctions across these preparation pathways and anticipated implications for collaborative decision-making in K–12 schools.

Using a comparative quantitative design with these two groups, the study examines dispositional and leadership characteristics across preparation pathways relevant to K–12 technology-related decision-making. All participants complete the Indigo assessment, and the resulting scale scores are analyzed to identify behavioral styles, motivators, and skills within and across groups. Descriptive statistics, comparative analyses, and cluster analyses are used to detect dispositional patterns that may signal readiness for participation in collaborative decision-making and technology leadership within K–12 systems.

Findings from this study aim to illuminate how emerging EdTech professionals differ from established educational leaders and to provide insight for preparation programmes seeking to cultivate technology leaders capable of advancing collaborative, credible, and workable technology decisions in complex schooling environments. By examining behavioral styles, motivators, and skills at different stages of preparation, the study aims to generate evidence that can guide programs in strengthening the leadership capacities required for effective technology decision-making and integration. These insights can support the development of preparation curricula and professional learning initiatives that better equip future administrators and EdTech professionals to operate within complex school environments, respond to evolving organizational demands, and contribute to coordinated, system-level technology efforts.

Keywords:

Educational technology professionals, Dispositions, Distributed leadership, Leadership orientations, Technology leadership teams.