E Pluribus Unum: Culture, Subcultures, and Teams at Alpha Middle School

Abstract

When an administrator attempts to build a team within a school culture, he or she often incurs unintended consequences. A subculture, for example, can become weaker or stronger than the particular department or grade level within which it is housed. Perhaps a team stays so weak that it is never quite as strong or effective as the department, or perhaps a grade level team becomes so bonded that it builds a subculture stronger and more cohesive than that of the rest of the grade level. When either a strong or weak subculture develops in a school, added concerns develop for the principal. In this case, a principal is faced with the issues of understanding a subculture of a middle school interdisciplinary team, making decisions that will grow effective teams, and, ultimately building a school culture, creating one from the many, as the title of the case suggests. This case can be used in an organizational culture course, a course on instructional leadership, a course on staff development (teambuilding) or a course on school change. Because of its rich context and multi-layered nature, the case may be used most appropriately over multiple class meetings.