Learning Through Breaks and Bridges: A Study of Interorganizational Project Failure in Teacher Education

Abstract

Drawing upon a framework rooted in cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) that understands organizational change as a form of collective learning, this qualitative case study explores interorganizational work of three organizations involved in a project to create as shared data dashboard to be used as a tool for program improvement: a university in the Southern United States, a technical assistance organization dedicated to TEP transformation, and a technology consulting firm tasked with creating the dashboard. These organizations worked together to design and implement a data dashboard across four distinct periods marked by shifts in participants' understanding and engagement with the project; however, at the end of the three-year development process, there was still no workable dashboard. Findings from this study reveal a complex interplay of factors shaping organizational learning, including technical challenges, interorganizational misalignments, and evolving perceptions of the project's objectives. These factors evolved over time, suggesting the utility of contiguity analysis in the study of interorganizational change processes; indeed, investigating how the project changed over time facilitated an understanding of how people learned through a series of breaks in activity and bridging actions that enabled work to resume. Findings also indicate several potential best practices for other organizations attempting similar projects, including making intentional choices about initial users, deciding what information to share with key stakeholders, implementing tools for consistent ongoing communication early in the development process, balancing prior experience with the unknowns of local context, and carefully managing and accepting changes to the initial project vision.