Creating a shared vision focused on outcomes

The members of communities of practice that are characterised by interactive professionalism create shared visions that shape their culture and the ways in which they work. Fullan and Hargreaves (1996) argue that it is essential that this vision building is carried out collaboratively and not simply imposed by educational leaders. Robinson (2004) emphasises that a community’s vision should be more than a set of statements on paper; rather, educators need to achieve “shared understandings of overarching purposes and of how those purposes are pursued through particular teaching and management practices” (page 42). Fullan (2001a) warns, however, that there are risks in building strong collaborative relationships if they are not also focused on the “right things”.

In a wonderfully insightful observation, McLaughlin and Talbert make the point that strong teacher communities can be effective or not depending on whether they reinforce methods that, as it turns out, do not achieve results. In other words, weak collaboration is always ineffective, but strong communities can make matters worse if, in their collaboration, teachers (however unwittingly) reinforce each other’s bad or ineffective practice. This is why close relationships are not ends in themselves. Collaborative cultures, which by definition have closer relationships, are indeed powerful, but unless they are focusing on the right things they may end up being powerfully wrong … The role of the leader is to ensure that the organization develops relationships that help produce desirable results.

pages 67–68

Powerful visions are focused on the “right things” – shared goals for student and professional learning – and incorporate a clear set of learning outcomes that can provide a measure of the community’s progress towards those goals.

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