Teaming as a school enhancement strategy: An examination of the conditions, features and dynamics of teacher work teams in two local elementary schools

In the study of organizations, work teams are frequently viewed as a redesign strategy. By relying on work teams to design their own methods for pursuing collective objectives, organizations aim to increase responsibility for the team’s performance and outcomes, and to reduce the need for top-down controls. In schools, instructional teams correspond with this notion because they reduce teacher isolation and promote conditions for collaborative activity. Teacher teams foster a collective approach to institutional improvement, and in particular aim to directly affect instructional outcomes.;This dissertation examines the functioning of teacher work teams in two local elementary schools using Hackman and Oldham’s (1980) model of work group effectiveness. The study examines the conditions, features and dynamics that characterize the teacher work teams under investigation, and assesses to what degree these factors contribute to the teaching and learning experience. These conditions, features and dynamics include: organizational context, work team design features, and interpersonal processes..;This is a qualitative study that is descriptive in nature. Through the use of observations, interviews and document analysis, the dissertation explores the experiences of teachers and from two local elementary schools. Fourteen teachers across four teams are interviewed about their perceptions of the teaming process. The examination of two teams from two sites provides for contrasts between (a) teams at different grade levels across schools, and (b) teams in schools with somewhat different contexts for teaming. The interview data reveal patterns of interaction and organization that are consistent with existing literature in the field of teacher teaming, and highlight salient features that provide implications for both practice and future research.;The study finds that the teachers interviewed have a natural inclination for collaborative activity and maintain a high degree of collegiality and support for one another (interpersonal processes). These interactions are girded by balanced team membership, and a significant depth of experience and knowledge among participants (team design). The greatest variation between teams in the two schools is in the degree of autonomy in direction and working conditions afforded by the school principal (organizational context). This is arguably the richest area for analysis and further discussion.