Institutional Barriers to Organizational Learning in School Systems: The Power of Silence

Abstract

The study reported in this article examined the relationship between members of a restructuring network and the members'formal district systems. Using the lens of new institutional theory, the article explores the unintended consequences of changing individual schools outside the context of the district to which each network member belonged. The findings revealed the institutional scripts that disrupted or constrained organizational learning within district systems despite the successful restructuring efforts in individual schools.