Teaching as a Nonroutine Task: Implications for the Management of Schools

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Abstract
Using contingency theory as a frame work for analysis, this article sought to accomplish three main objectives: (a) to examine workplace conditions that make teaching in high schools nonroutine; (b) to investigate the hypothesis that when the work of teachers becomes nonroutine, organic forms of management arise in high schools to coordinate and control instruction; and (c) to investigate whether organic forms of management can reasonably be expected to enhance the effectiveness of teachers by promoting job-related learning. The findings suggest that perceived variability in students and the disciplinary specialization of teachers affect the extent to which teachers report their work as nonroutine. The findings also demonstrate that nonroutine teaching is associated with the development of organic management in high schools. However, there is little evidence to support the idea that organic management of instruction leads to more job-related learning by teachers. The implications of these findings for research on teaching, the organizational design of schools, and school effectiveness are discussed.

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