At our school, we’ve long recognised that effective school improvement depends not only on structural frameworks or formal leadership hierarchies, but also on the strength of professional relationships.
That’s why, drawing on , we have explored how social capital - trust-based networks among staff - could serve as a strategic lever for meaningful, sustainable change.
From this work, two initiatives in particular have had an unexpected impact: embedding collaboration into our performance reviews and mapping professional networks to reveal hidden influencers.
Here’s how we did it, and what we learned along the way.
Recognising professional networks
A few years ago, our performance review framework was mostly focused on individual targets and results.
But as our school culture evolved, it became clear that this system failed to recognise or reward the collaborative work driving much of our growth.
In 2022 we revised the framework to reflect the ethos of shared improvement. Now staff are recognised for contributions to team learning, cross-departmental projects and peer mentorship.
For example, initiating professional learning communities or leading CPD workshops for colleagues is highlighted as a valuable form of leadership. This shift, grounded in relational leadership principles, helped to normalise the idea that professional growth is a collective effort, not just an individual pursuit.
Appraisals were redesigned around clear descriptors that evaluate staff participation in communities of practice, contributions to shared goals and evidence of distributed leadership. This includes staff co-planning lessons, offering peer feedback or facilitating curriculum innovation.
When we first introduced these changes, some staff were, understandably, cautious. Would collaborative work really be valued? Would it be fairly evaluated?
To address these concerns, we held briefings explaining the revised framework and its alignment with our school’s strategic plan and the . The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
Teachers felt validated for the informal leadership they had already been practising - and motivated to engage more deliberately with colleagues across departments.
Within a year we began to see tangible results. For example, teachers from English and science co-designed interdisciplinary inquiry projects, while colleagues from early years and primary began holding joint moderation sessions to ensure smoother progression of learning.
Informal mentoring also grew organically, with staff proactively observing one another’s lessons without needing formal prompts.”
Mapping staff connections
The second initiative emerged from a deceptively simple question: who do our teachers turn to for support?
We launched a professional network mapping survey, asking staff to name colleagues they go to for advice, lesson observation or collaborative planning:
- If you encounter professional difficulties, which of your colleagues do you turn to for advice or support?
- Which colleagues’ lessons do you currently observe for the purpose of professional exchange?
Responses were used to construct a visual map of our actual professional connections. We also asked aspirational questions:
- Who would you like to work with?
- Whom among your colleagues would you like to include in a newly formed task force aimed at addressing challenges or promoting innovation in teaching and learning?
- Which of your colleagues do you think would be valuable observers of your lessons, in terms of offering useful feedback?
The results were eye-opening. While many staff were well connected, a few were isolated.
Others were revealed to be informal leaders, consistently nominated by peers but not occupying formal leadership roles. We identified strong triadic clusters indicating trust-based teams, as well as bridging individuals who linked otherwise disconnected groups.
These insights informed targeted interventions. We created new mentoring pairs, facilitated cross-department collaboration and invited informal influencers to lead CPD sessions.
The impact was immediate. Isolated staff became more engaged, and previously untapped talent began contributing to school development initiatives.
This network-informed strategy also deepened our commitment to distributed leadership. Rather than relying on top-down structures, we were able to decentralise influence and build a more resilient, responsive culture.
Turning insight into action
To sustain these gains, we embedded this approach into our committee system. Committees are aligned with the school’s improvement plan and CPD programme, providing middle leaders to drive innovation while building real leadership capacity.
Committee members are appointed using network data to support inclusive planning, ensuring diverse voices are represented and emerging leaders are empowered.
Each committee develops a SMART year plan with KPIs and measurable impact indicators. The projects they lead - ranging from climate education to service learning - are tied directly to school priorities, with progress reviewed monthly.
Peer mentorship, professional learning communities and co-teaching models have all emerged from these efforts.
Importantly, performance appraisals now account for these committee contributions, reinforcing the cultural shift towards shared responsibility. Staff feel increasingly confident that their collaborative efforts matter, and that their professional capital is recognised and nurtured.
Ildar Iliazov is principal of Light International School Mombasa in Kenya
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