Collaboration & Mutuality

Collaboration and Mutuality Definition:

Emphasis is placed on leveling the power differential through collaboration. Each member of the organization has a role to play and relationships are essential to healing.

Guiding Questions:

  1. How do you know if "true collaboration" is happening at your site?

  2. Are the roles, responsibilities, and interactions between staff and leadership equitable?

To Build Collaboration and Mutuality, Leaders Need to:

Create a Culture of Acceptance and Respect

    • Identify areas of concern and strengths within your building using the school culture typology found on the resources page.

    • Staff identifies unhealthy patterns of engagement and makes an effort to adopt healthy engagement practices.

    • Lead by Example - leveling of the power differential helps to build safety.

      • Leadership is participating in school-wide duties/activities (arrival, dismissal, lunch duty, hall duty)

      • Equity among staff members - (no special parking spaces, planning times, funds distribution)

Collaboration

    • True Collaboration: all members working together to create something better than the individual effort.

    • Opportunities exist to provide input

    • Shared decision-making

Mutuality

      • Staff supports each other as allies

      • Unified vision and goal

      • Provide opportunities for staff members to excel

Maintaining Collaboration and Mutuality

Leaders should encourage staff to:

Be Active Listeners (listen more, speak less)

  • Collect ongoing feedback from staff about their experiences regarding collaboration

  • Listen with empathy

Provide and Accept Feedback

  • Diving Deeper in Inquiry

  • Identify and remove barriers to collaboration and participation

  • Formal processes are developed for continuous monitoring


Collaboration and Mutuality Wrap-Up

Take a minute to write down your initial thoughts about building and maintaining peer support at your site.

  • List what ways your site is hindering collaboration and mutuality.

  • What ways can your site increase collaboration?

  • How can you increase mutuality?