Restructuring Schools for Collaboration: Promises and Pitfalls

Citation

Riordan, G. (1999), "Restructuring Schools for Collaboration: Promises and Pitfalls", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 37 No. 3, pp. 219-222. https://doi.org/10.1108/jea.1999.37.3.219.1

Restructuring Schools for Collaboration is a timely and welcome addition to the literature on collaboration. The project itself is a result of a collaboration among faculty members of the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Utah. Whereas most published work on collaboration in and around schools focuses on arenas of collaboration‐team teaching, clinical supervision, leadership and the like ‐‐ this offering addresses the collaborative process as a central theme.

The subtitle of the book Promises and Pitfalls, not only foreshadows the thematic approach adopted by the authors, it operates as a structural device in each of the chapters (excepting the introduction and conclusion), with the authors arranging their contributions in such a way as to directly address both elements. The effect of this, and the numerous references to other contributions in the book within each of the chapters is to create both a structural and thematic coherence that is commendable and not often found in edited books.

The book is divided into three sections. Section one ‐‐ “Foundations of collaboration” ‐‐ comprises two chapters. The first of these, by Bob L. Johnson, identifies four key issues that emerge from an analysis of the form and function of schools:

1. 1

   the nature of the work environment where time constraints and stimulus overload are common;

2. 2

   the norm of teacher autonomy;

3. 3

   the “theme of pupil control”; and

4. 4

   the vulnerability of the public school to its environment.

In the next chapter, Barrett and Raybold discuss the promises and pitfalls of collaboration in terms of first and second order changes. First‐order changes represent minor adjustments to existing practices, whereas second‐order change involves alterations to underlying structures. Attempts at collaboration are difficult because “collaboration is a second‐order solution to a second‐order problem” (p. 39). The “change level” framework produces several insightful observations about the nature of organisations and how agents within them understand and address problems.

Section two of the book comprises three chapters on the theme of inter‐ and intraorganizational collaboration. The first of these, by Patrick F. Galvin, argues that the economic character of social service interagency collaboration is often overlooked and this accounts for the fact that such collaborations are often ineffective. The economic character to which Galvin refers is conceived in broad terms as a consideration of efficiency and effectiveness. He argues that collaboration has become imbued with a certain moral quality and as such, failed interagency collaborations are often met with calls for a redoubling of efforts (pp. 50‐52). This is unfortunate because many failed collaborations are doomed because they are not the most effective or efficient means of responding to certain problems: “The point is that individuals may value collaboration and all its attendant ideologies and still decide in specific circumstances to forego collaboration and work independently” (p. 53). By examining collaboration in terms of costs and benefits, key issues such as ownership and trust can be conceived of in helpful ways. Further, Galvin demonstrates that such analysis can point clearly to structural and political impediments to effective service delivery.

The second chapter in this section analyses and discusses interdisciplinary teacher teams. Diana G. Pounder focuses mainly on teaching and learning in secondary schools as she identifies several potential benefits of interdisciplinary teacher teams and acknowledges that “existing norms about how the work of schools is conducted may inhibit the development of new more effective performance norms” (p. 84). Of the many valuable insights into shared work among teachers offered in this chapter, the argument regarding reward structures in schools is particularly important. While other matters such as the importance of making time available for team work, the centrality of communication, and the desirability of achieving an appropriate balance in teams have been discussed at length in the literature, inappropriate reward structures that actively mitigate against the development of norms of shared responsibility are a critical and often overlooked obstruction to collaboration in schools (and universities!). Anne Weaver Hart′s chapter on collaboration across educator roles concludes section two of the book. Collaboration among professionals in schools who fulfil different roles, it is argued, is necessary given the complexity of addressing the needs of individual students. The chapter therefore presents a detailed discussion of a range of matters: educator roles and functions, the social structure of professional work groups, conflict management and collaborative problem solving. The inclusion of tables and figures assist in the careful explication of theories and pertinent issues. This a detailed and thoughtful chapter that rewards close attention.

Section three of the book comprises three chapters under the heading of “Implications of collaboration”. Karen Evans‐Stout examines the history, promises and pitfalls of instructional collaboration. Both here and elsewhere in the book the argument is clear: The effectiveness of collaboration must be judged in terms of its product, in this case its effects on student learning. Calls for greater collaboration, as an alternative to teacher isolation, have typically been based on the argument that collaboration can have a positive effect on teachers′ work lives “assuming a link between improved instructional practice and student learning that is largely unsubstantiated” (p. 131). Evans‐Stout suggests that four conditions need to be met if this assumed link is to be realised. In addition to the widely accepted need for time and trust, the argument is well made in favour of tenacity and patience in order to realise the benefits of new norms and practices. The final condition involves a move from shallow to deep practices. “As instructional practice ‘matures’, teachers may find themselves able to be both autonomous and interdependent” (p. 131)!

In the second chapter in this section, Gary M. Crow examines leadership in collaborative settings. The chapter begins with an informative and wide‐ranging discussion of different conceptions of leadership. Leadership as an organizational quality is compared and contrasted with other views which emphasize leadership in relational terms. Next, literature concerning shared leadership is discussed. The chapter concludes with an examination of the many difficulties inherent in the practice of shared leadership and argues that while shared leadership has a normative appeal, the many complex organizational and political implications of such practices need to be adequately addressed if the “promise” is to be realised. Concluding this section, Joe Matthews describes a graduate course that has been designed for the express purpose of assisting people develop their capacities to work effectively in teams. The course covers a variety of matters including the roles and functions of school system personnel, team problem solving, communication skills, group dynamics, and individual interaction styles. The author presents a detailed description of the content and methods employed in the course. This chapter should be of interest to those involved in delivering university programs and in‐service courses aimed at equipping people with the conceptual grounding and practical skills which contribute to successful team processes.

In the final chapter, the books editor, Diana G. Pounder, presents five tensions or “synthesizing dilemmas” that confront “collaborative school efforts”. This conclusion effectively focuses the readers attention on the key issues raised in the preceding chapters and adds to the overall coherence of the book.

That this informative book on collaboration is a product of a collaborative effort among faculty in a university is further evidence of the “promise and pitfall” quality of collaboration. Explaining the origins of the project, Pounder explains that through a series of informal discussions, faculty members realised that they each had experiences of successful and unsuccessful collaborations and that further, in the book, each author “focussed on collaboration through different disciplinary and experiential lenses” (p. 3). The intent was to present a “multiple perspectives” (p. 2) treatment of collaboration, as most scholars “view the study of collaboration through a single conceptual or disciplinary framework” (p. 1). While the range of issues covered in the chapters described above attests to the treatment of multiple contexts and arenas of collaboration, I am not quite so confident that there are sufficient grounds for claiming that the aggregated effect of the chapters has been to present the reader with “multiple perspectives” on collaboration. Multiple perspectives imply greater conceptual versatility than the application of “different disciplinary and experiential lenses”. While the latter has been achieved, the former has not been to the same extent, as the writers tend, in varying degrees, to favour a managerialist/structuralist approach even though they draw on literature and theory from a range of disciplines.

Notwithstanding this specific theoretical concern, Restructuring Schools for Collaboration is a welcome addition to the literature on collaboration and the broader project of schooling. It should be of interest to researchers, policy makers and those who work in schools and related agencies. The book is particularly recommended for school leaders as it provides several productive analytical frameworks and numerous thoughtful and practical ideas. These will both challenge and support efforts at developing closer and more appropriate collaborative links among professionals working in and around schools in their combined efforts at “effectively meeting students′ needs” (p.í180).