Grovedale College engaged Leading Teams because we were interested in taking our approach to performance improvement and planning to another level – a higher level where staff worked closely together in teams to improve their individual and collective performance.

After discussions with Leading Teams personnel we believed that they had developed an innovative yet demanding approach to performance improvement that would work successfully in a school setting. It was in some ways consistent with our existing approach but much more demanding, accountable, straight forward and importantly fully involved the two major stakeholder groups in our organisation – staff and students.

There was not one specific issue that needed to be addressed, but instead the creation of a vehicle on which performance improvement could be explored in an effective, meaningful and most importantly – sustainable way.

Leading Teams began their work at Grovedale College with the Leadership Team, followed by senior school students and staff. Improvement is evident in each of the three groups. The most immediate and marked improvement was evident in the Leadership Team which in turn has impacted across the whole school.

Leading Teams has helped our College by developing and providing a straight forward unambiguous vehicle for staff and students to improve their performance and achievement levels. We now have a common language, understanding, and approach across the College around what are acceptable behaviours and expectations. As a result our learning and work environment is more open, honest and characterised by higher expectations of performance and achievement.

Leading Teams are unique in an education setting because they:

• operate from a real world perspective devoid of education jargon
• are refreshingly simple in their approach
• confront stereo types
• are demanding yet supportive
• react to changed circumstances

The Leading Teams approach to improvement is simple, straight forward involving the development of a common language relating to agreed behaviours for workplace teams. Both the language and behaviours is peer derived and assessed. As a result there is strong ownership amongst and across teams I would certainly recommend Leading Teams to other organisations wishing to improve performance across the their work place.