IN-PERSON MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY. SECTION B

Abstract

This study examines how social structures and informal meeting points influence early team development in a continuing education programme for school principals. The analysis is grounded in participants’ experiences and draws on an established model of team learning and team performance. The data consist of qualitative reflections from three cohorts collected during the initial gatherings in the principal education programme at Nord University. Participants describe how socialisation—through shared meals, informal conversations, and being together outside their ordinary work context—creates an early foundation for openness and relational safety. The analysis shows that socialisation acts as a catalyst in the model’s initial phase: it strengthens the impact of structural conditions such as clear programme leadership, academic framing, and physical arrangements. These elements form the basis for strong psychological safety and collective efficacy, which in turn promote learning-oriented behaviours characterised by knowledge sharing, reflection, critical inquiry, and a willingness to challenge one’s own practice in interaction with others. Participants’ accounts indicate that this dynamic emerges very early and becomes self-reinforcing: increased safety fosters greater engagement, which further enhances both academic depth and social belonging. The findings demonstrate that relational processes are not a by-product of academic activities but a fundamental pedagogical mechanism shaping the quality of the learning community and the overall outcomes of leadership education. The study thus provides a deeper understanding of how the strategic design of social spaces can support professional development and argues that social interaction should be integrated into the learning design of leadership programmes rather than treated as an auxiliary element.