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Victor Ochieng’ argues that effective school leadership depends on the principal’s ability to foster teamwork among diverse stakeholders, including teachers, parents, boards, and education authorities, all of whom contribute to a shared institutional mission.
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Drawing on theories of team dynamics, he distinguishes between “teams” and “teamwork,” emphasizing that while teams are formed around common goals, teamwork is the active behaviour that enables collaboration and success.
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He further outlines how principals can build teamwork through clear communication, trust, role clarity, and shared vision, while stakeholders must demonstrate cooperation, openness, and mutual support.
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Ultimately, he concludes that strong teamwork enhances efficiency, innovation, and institutional success in schools.
There are several stakeholders in a school. Some of them include: Principal, teachers, board of management (BoM), parents, non-teaching staff (NTS), sponsor or church, service-providers, alumni, county education board (CEB), teachers service commission (TSC), Ministry of Education (MoE), friends of goodwill, et cetera. The onus is on the principal to foster teamwork as the other stakeholders demonstrate it.
Teams and teamwork are close concepts. Sharon Boller writes about it in an elaborate training manual I treasure on my shelf of self-help books. Too true, a team is a group of people united to achieve a common goal that is too large in scope to be achieved by one person.
Within a team, each member has a crucial role. The roles are inter-dependent. Largely, what makes a group a team is the focus on a common task or goal. The bottom line is, where there is no task, there is no team at all. John C. Maxwell in his wonderful writs admits that TEAM is an acrostic for Together Everyone Achieves More.
Teamwork, on the other hand, encompasses the behaviours that help teams to execute tasks successfully. Again, John C. Maxwell aptly argues in The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork that for the dream to work, there must be teamwork. Teamwork is an action. It is something people do. It can be demonstrated either in a group or team. Like teams, it requires a common focus or goal. People do not demonstrate teamwork easily. Joint effort is required. People work as a team only when they have a shared goal, mission, or vision.
The definition of a team can be expanded to include three different categories (Larson and LaFasto, 1989): Creative, Problem-resolution and Tactical Teams. Creative teams basically focus on designing something new.
The key team-building elements are idea-sharing, idea-support and idea-expansion. Problem-solving teams figure out causes of a problem and identify solutions. The key team-building elements focus on trust and co-operation. Tactical teams execute plans to produce something.
The key team-building elements carefully capture clarification of team goals, clarification of member goals and responsibilities.
In an institution, team members need competency in demonstrating teamwork. Whereas a team leader needs competency in fostering teamwork. Teams that lack teamwork find it hard to access success in any sphere.
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For teams to survive and thrive, team leaders must know how to form formidable team spirit. By the same token, team members must learn how to practise teamwork. Teamwork behaviours must be promoted throughout the group. This can only be achieved only when the institution pays homage to the US age-old motto: E Pluribus Unum, Out of Many, One.
Maybe, Euclid’s Axioms and Postulates can help us understand the concept of working and walking together. For the idea of teams and teamwork focus on oneness; working as a unit. In his ground-breaking work titled The Elements, the ancient Greek Mathematician, Euclid, established the foundation of Geometry using a system of universally accepted truths and logical assumptions. He did divide the foundational rules into two main categories: One, Axioms, which are the general Mathematical principles. Two, Postulates, which are the Geometric-specific rules.
On Axioms, there are 5 rules: One, things which are equal to the same things are also equal to one another. Two, if equals be added to equals, the wholes are equal. Three, if equals be subtracted from equals, the remainders are equal.
Four, things which coincide with one another are equal to one another. And five, the whole is greater than the part. I dote on the fifth rule: the whole is greater than the parts. It is slightly different from Gestalt Theory, which is a psychological notion stating that humans perceive objects and patterns as complete; organised wholes rather than as the sum of their individual patterns.
Additionally, an attitude of team members can make the difference in institution. Both inside and outside of formalised team textures. The starting point for cultivating teamwork within an institution is to distinguish between two competencies: Fostering Teamwork and Demonstrating Teamwork. Actually, people who spear-head teams or groups, must purpose to foster teamwork. Likewise, people who are members of the team must demonstrate it.
Fostering Teamwork
Actually, principals in schools should encourage, and enable stakeholders to work cooperatively and collaboratively towards a goal. How? By promoting a common mission and vision. The heads must reinforce the team mission or goal on an ongoing basis.
Clarify roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities. Promote co-operation with other work groups or unit. Establish and implement a communication framework. Create an environment that reinforces teamwork. Structure rewards and incentives to reinforce collaboration. Create an atmosphere that encourages collaboration instead of competition.
Provide opportunities for people to learn how to work and walk together. Cultivate trust among team members. Identify and remove roadblocks that cannot be handled at the team level. Recognise the behaviours that contribute to teamwork. Coach the team and individuals within the team on behaviours that can weld them together. Establish and implement team decision-making and problem-solving processes.
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Demonstrating Teamwork
Moreover, people in a team must co-operate and collaborate. How? When they learn to listen and respond constructively to other groups or team members’ ideas. Share their own ideas with the group. Openly express any concerns to other team or group members. Acknowledge when conflicts exist and express disagreement constructively.
Assist other team members, group members, or work units when needed. Work towards solutions that all members of the team or group can support; team or group decisions. Share professional expertise with others.
Actions of Teamwork
Furthermore, Actions that are labelled as teamwork include: Providing assistance to others when they need it. Acknowledging the effort of others. Sharing expertise with others. Providing information, assistance, or various types of support to others in an effort to build relationships and enhance communication.
Providing positive, constructive feedback to others in an effort to improve processes or outcomes. Listening to feedback offered by others and adjusting behaviour accordingly. Working towards solutions that the entire group or team can support rather than focusing on solutions that offer the greatest personal benefit. Sharing ideas. Listening in a non-judgmental way to ideas of others. Demonstrating trust in others’ abilities and ideas.
Results of Teamwork
Finally, when leaders effectively foster teamwork and employees consistently demonstrate teamwork, a lot of good things can happen in an organisation. Teamwork enhances flow of communication. Increased efficiency in team efforts, work processes, and work outputs.
Teamwork enhances creativity, which can lead to innovations; that improves processes, products, and services. Where there is teamwork, there are fewer internal and external customer complaints. Employees and clients are also sated. More importantly, teamwork leads to victory. For it is what was carefully-captured by Michael Jordan: “Talent win games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”
By Victor Ochieng’
Victor Ochieng’ rolls out talks and training services. vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
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