ABSTRACT
Leaders who are focused on building trust understand the need to acknowledge and facilitate interdependence among individuals within the school. In fact, researchers have consistently found that the stronger the interdependence among individuals, the greater the perception that a group is unified and bonded together. In addition, interdependence creates a feeling of group responsibility as individuals work together to encourage one another and facilitate efforts to accomplish similar goals. The strength of interdependence among faculty members is limited by the trust level of the relationships. It is rare that one individual or department member can successfully contribute to another's knowledge base without building trusting relationships. Consider a student who is struggling. Identifying the nature of the struggle occurs when teachers engage in communicating with others about the needs of the student. Leaders must acknowledge and encourage the developing, nurturing, and maintaining of positive interdependence that strengthens relationships among themselves and others in the school.
