In many countries we see that the public sectors are being governed according to New Public Management (NPM) principles of decentralisation, autonomy and accountability (Pont et al., 2008) followed by other changes in public governance. That has brought new structures and relations to the educational systems. The states are – with inspiration from many sources, amongst them the trans- and supranational agencies - being developed into hyper- complex and polycentric states with no single centre of power but with numerous means of influence and networks, where power is distributed and decisions are negotiated. There are isomorphic tendencies in governance at several levels in the ways hard governance (legally binding regulations) is being substituted or supplemented by soft governance (advisory, persuasive and sense- making methods). Many new forms of influences are thus being designed at state, local and organizational levels with strong tendencies towards replacing hard governance with soft governance in the management of schools and in many cases also in the management in schools. Examples could be management by discourses, social technologies, networking and evaluation. In schools we see that school leaders are also subject to and employing new 'soft' forms of governance, when they lead and manage the direction, the staff and the organisation in networks (or webs). We see many forms of distributed leadership.