by Ola ElKhatib
Understanding Team Dynamics in Schools
While completing my Oxford Executive Leadership Programme at Said Business School, University of Oxford, I discovered fascinating insights about team dynamics that are particularly relevant to our educational contexts. It struck me that while corporate environments tend to invest in and organize around teams to achieve their objectives, schools often take a more informal approach.
Teachers come together in a school to fulfill a common vision of empowering students to reach their full potential, but the spirit of teamwork around that vision is not often translated into a formal strategy or organizational design. The tendency of many teachers to retreat to their classrooms presents a unique opportunity and challenges for taking a meaningful approach to building high-performance teams in schools. At the end of the day, teachers need to understand what is in it for them and how it will impact their effectiveness in the classroom.
Just as we strive to create collaborative learning environments for our students, the same principles apply to how we work together as educators. Schools who have adopted corporate-style departmental structures, know that this is not just the flip of a switch. There is much to consider in the successful implementation of teams including preparing staff for the culture that goes along with it and challenges that naturally arise in building effective teams.
Research indicates that workplace success increasingly depends on our ability to collaborate (Korteling et al., 2021). This makes teamwork skills essential in educational institutions, where we’re preparing both ourselves and our students for this future.
Katzenbach and Smith’s research (cited in University of Oxford Module 5 Unit 2, 2023) identifies five levels of collaboration that we see playing out in educational settings.
As you read through the levels consider where your team or school may be at!
- Working Group: This is where many school departments begin – teachers share information and resources but work independently without a shared vision or mutual accountability.
- Pseudo Team: Often seen in schools that have adopted departmental structures without proper foundation – teams exist on paper but lack true collaboration or shared purpose.
- Potential Team: These departments have identified common goals (like improving student outcomes) and are actively working toward them, beginning to share accountability for results.
- Real Team: These departments demonstrate what we aim for in our classrooms – complementary skills, clear action plans, and strong mutual trust and accountability.
- High-Performance Team: These exceptional departments mirror our ideal classroom communities – deeply committed to both shared vision and team members, producing extraordinary results through trust and mutual support.
For schools who currently operate at the working group or pseudo team level, they are dealing with traditional teacher training and organisational structures. However, with intentional focus on these strategies, any school can begin moving toward higher levels of collaboration and performance.
From Theory to Practice: Building High Performing Teams in Schools
In reading through these levels, it is both motivating and energizing to imagine what is possible when we come together as a high functioning team. But where do we start?
Just as we differentiate instruction for our students, building high-performing teams requires meeting departments where they are and providing practical steps forward. Here are proven strategies that work in educational settings:
1. Recognise Your Sphere of Influence
Every educator has the power to positively impact team dynamics, regardless of formal position. Just as we encourage student leadership in our classrooms, we can model this in our professional relationships. I’ve witnessed individual teachers transform entire departments through their influence, even without formal authority.
Your ability to influence positive change exists independently of your formal role. Focus on what you can control and how you can contribute to building a collaborative culture, just as we encourage our students to do.
2. Foster Understanding Through Communication
Just as we teach students to resolve conflicts through understanding and dialogue, we must apply these principles in our professional relationships. Here’s a practical approach I’ve used successfully:
- Look beneath surface behaviors to understand underlying concerns
- Maintain clear, proactive communication about expectations and plans
- Document and share progress while keeping leadership informed
- Create safe spaces for honest dialogue about challenges and solutions
Building high-performing teams starts with creating the same supportive, understanding environment we strive to create for our students.
3. Practice What We Preach
The most powerful way to build high-performing teams is to apply the collaborative learning principles we use with students to our professional relationships:
- Foster psychological safety in team meetings
- Celebrate diverse perspectives and approaches
- Provide regular opportunities for reflection and feedback
- Support both individual growth and team development
The Path Forward
For school leaders, imagine a school where departments function like our ideal classrooms – places of collaboration, growth, and shared purpose. True regenerative education becomes possible when we unlock our teams’ potential through these principles.
Join Us to Learn More
We’re excited to announce an upcoming professional development opportunity focused specifically on building high-performing teams in educational settings. Please register here or on the form below. See you there!