Hough, M. & Paine, J. (1997). Collaborative decision making with teams. (pp. 110-127). In Creating quality learning communities. South Melbourne: Macmillan.

Did not find this reading nearly as exciting as the last one!

This reading develops the idea of 'collaborative decision making' which is an open system where knowledge and power is shared. The decision making is undertaken by a team which is genuinely representative of all stakeholders.

The authors name a 'lead learning team', which writes the strategic plan for the school and projects outcomes in line with the shared vision and beliefs of the school. They then go on to write the annual management plan, detailing particular outcomes and strategies.

A 'task learning team', in contrast, is established to address a particular system within the school, and make recommendations to the principal in regard to implementation of their decisions. This approach leads to 'roving leadership', where any member of the school community is empowered to play a leadership role.