Distributed leadership typologies in destination management organisations

This paper investigates processes and practices related to the enactment of Distributed Leadership (DL) within Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) through a cross-disciplinary approach by adapting a framework developed by Hoppe and Reinelt (2010) for evaluating leadership development in networks in situ and the visual strand of Social Network Analysis (SNA). The paper unfolds the case of Milton Keynes – an emerging destination in England and its local destination management structure – Destination Milton Keynes. Six leadership typologies within a network of DMO member organisations are identified, which demonstrate different, yet complementary DL behaviours. The study contributes to an understanding of how traditional DMOs shift their predominant organisational models through the development of different leadership behaviours of their member organisations in line with changes in their operational environment. The identification of different leadership behaviours serves as the basis of the development of DL typologies to support DMO policy and practice.