Principals leading successful organisational change: Building social capital through disciplined professional collaboration

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the way in which principals in different countries are securing successful organisational change through systematically building social capital. It argues that how a school works as a cohesive unit and how people collaborates will ultimately define organisational performance. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws upon the international literature to explore how principals are building the social capital for organisational improvement but is not a review of the literature. It adopts a cross-cultural perspective and explores collective capacity building for organisational improvement. Findings – This paper concludes that “disciplined” professional collaboration is an important way in which principals can create and sustain the social capital for organisational change. Originality/value – The paper is a conceptual piece that proposes that creating social capital, rather than individual or professional capital, is now an essential task for principals seeking successful organisational change and improved outcomes. It explores the idea of “disciplined collaboration” as a methodology for building social capital in a rigorous, effective and sustainable way.