Turning Hierarchies into Strength

“We are thrilled to announce that we have joined the ... international school family's global network.”

This proud announcement that marks a new chapter for a school is certainly familiar, and beneath the headlines, there is frequently a range of feelings, including anticipation for new possibilities and apprehension about what may happen next. Joining a larger school group presents questions and offers the possibility of collaboration and sharing expertise.

What’s going to change? Will our autonomy be eroded? Will decisions now be top-down? Will there just be more layers to navigate?

These are real concerns, and they are heard in every acquisition and transition regardless of  location and industry. Hierarchies can feel heavy at first. But they don’t have to be. With the right mindset, they can become scaffolding, promote development, build consistency, and help schools focus on students and learning.

From “Top-Down” to “Extended Arm”

The challenges  of feeling controlled, losing independence, and transitioning from standalone school to 'family member' are undeniable. Someone “above” making the decisions “for” the school without fully understanding its context can feel unsettling, especially when there seems to be no avenue to speak up and to be heard. New lenses are needed. Instead of seeing hierarchy as a loss of autonomy, consider the values of group structures extending leadership capacity, not replacing it.

When it’s executed well, the additional layer becomes an extended arm of the school’s leadership, bringing in expertise and resources to empower and expand what schools can achieve with the right support behind them, elevating each individual school to a higher level. 

The power of scale relieves schools from reinventing the wheel, turning the group scale into a resource hub, freeing up energy for innovation and allowing focus on people, career progression, professional development, and, even fun!

Access to Brains, Not Just Bosses

Many people think of hierarchies as ladders. However, they function more like connectors in a robust network. Access to cross-border shared intelligence can be made available through hierarchies. It is about "sharing good practice," not "reporting up." Similar issues are being faced by other schools and their leadership. Make connections with them, embrace the learning, and tap into their knowledge and journeys to solve the puzzles.

Making Hierarchies Work: The Regional Office Advantage

Regional offices play a pivotal role in making this ecosystem thrive. The best ones operate less as compliance monitors and more as catalysts of collaboration. Several tactics (or fixes) make this possible:

• Focusing on clarity of purpose. Regional teams should repeatedly articulate their “why”—not just what they oversee, but how their work helps schools succeed. Anchoring every initiative in the student experience builds trust and relevance.

• Bringing in bridge-builders. Appoint regional leaders who are translators between strategy and school life—people who understand cultural nuances, local constraints, and the day-to-day rhythm of teaching and learning. This should form a core part of your recruitment approach at this regional level. 

• Creating two-way communication loops. Regular listening sessions, virtual coffee chats, and feedback platforms ensure information flows up as well as down. Hierarchies thrive on dialogue, not directives. Again, recruit for and hone these skills in the regional teams. 

• Enabling distributed leadership. Give school leaders ownership over initiatives, with regional guidance serving as coaching and alignment rather than instruction. This makes hierarchy feel supportive, not supervisory.

• Making wins visible. Celebrate collaboration that crosses levels or borders—when a curriculum innovation spreads or a PD programme grows regionally, it strengthens both confidence and cohesion. Showcasing wins should feel good - this work is not easy after all. 

Pyramid to Ecosystem

Hierarchies are not going away, but they can evolve. When seen as ecosystems, not pyramids, they create space for collaboration, safety, and shared growth. When they work well, they bridge the gap between schools, unleash knowledge, and empower leaders to take risks knowing that they have a plan in place. In a good hierarchy, each layer reinforces the others.