Jr. Leading collaborative change in schools means helping staffs become more productive without substantially depleting their resources. Yet throughout the book they weave cautions about the hazards of collective action. Faculties can develop groupthink. They can balkanize.
Threatened principals can undermine efforts at working together.
The transition from traditional patterns of faculty problem solving and decision making to more collaborative ones is fraught with difficulties. For the principal bent on supporting this type of restructuring, the challenge is to lead a faculty that may not wholly support, understand, or have the energy and time to navigate this fundamental change. Principals, teachers, and other staff have responded to the criticisms of their schools by working longer and harder. They have added new programs and spent hours planning change. At first glance, it's easier to see what working smarter collectively should not be.