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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to use a case study approach to examine and analyze the actions of a group of teachers as they responded to change mandated from the district level in order to gain insight at a detailed enough level to develop hypotheses about the process of change.
The participants in the case study were five members of an interdisciplinary teaching team in a junior high school where the staff was involved in planning and implementing a change from a 7-9 junior high to a 6-8 middle school. The teaching team was assigned the task of developing a plan for teaching reading during their core curriculum block of teaching time. Data concerning the actions of the team members and the context in which the actions occurred were collected using direct observation and audio taping of team meetings, interviews, and examination of documents.
The teaching team responded to the mandate to change reading by developing a plan that made a minimal change from the way reading was currently being taught. Four theories of organizational change were used to provide a framework for examining the actions of the team members and explaining the response of the team. The theoretical perspectives used in the analysis included those of Kurt Lewin, Paul Hersey and Kenneth H. Blanchard, Donald A. Schon, and systems theory.
The conclusion was that the minimal change was made to preserve the stability and interpersonal relationships of the team. Implications for use of organizational and system theory to implement change were discussed. Recommendations for courses of action the district might take to facilitate the desired change were made.
