A case study of the fidelity approach in an educational innovation

Abstract

Organizational innovation is a difficult process. Most innovations fail. If an innovation fails there is a high probability the organization will be fractured. It is easy to break apart an organization. It is much more difficult to build it back up. This is a case study of an innovation in a branch of a large private English language school in Japan. The head teacher decided to improve a portion of the educational system using a fidelity approach. She felt the innovation was entirely technical. Consequently, she thought she could achieve her objectives without the help of the teachers. Her approach failed and caused deep fractures in the branch’s social and work systems. This paper outlines the innovation plan. It shows why it failed, and suggests strategies the head teacher could have used to increase the likelihood of a positive outcome.

Citation

Weedall, M. (2004), "A case study of the fidelity approach in an educational innovation", International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 49-57. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540410512154