Jameson, Jill. "Distributed leadership, trust and online communities." Online Communities and Social Computing: Third International Conference, OCSC 2009, Held as Part of HCI International 2009, San Diego, CA, USA, July 19-24, 2009. Proceedings 3. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2009.

This paper explores the role of distributed leadership and trust in online communities, highlighting the need for a unique leadership approach different from formal hierarchical structures. Online collaboration necessitates leaders who are flexible, capable of managing ambiguity, and adept at delegating power and tasks while being partially invisible. However, expert leaders also play a vital role in facilitating online communities through high visibility and subtle control. Through analysis of online community discussions, the study reveals a paradox: leaders must balance being highly visible and invisible as needed. Both leader visibility and invisibility contribute to fostering trusting collaboration and positive group interaction, ultimately enhancing decision-making in online communities.