Successful Teacher Teams in Change: The Role of Collective Efficacy and Resilience

Teachers’ competence in launching and managing pedagogical change collaboratively is crucial for
the continuous development of their work as well as for meaningful student learning. However,
research on how teachers can thrive in their profession in the changing higher education environment
is limited. This study investigated the experiences of teachers in managing pedagogical innovation
when working as a team and implementing integrated competence-based learning modules. Strengthfocused
concepts like collective efficacy and resilience were used to extend the understanding of the
phenomenon. Five teacher teams were analyzed in relation to the change itself, as well as to
protective and risk factors that had an impact on teachers’ collective efficacy and resilience to the
change. The data consisted of group interviews and individual questionnaires collected during the
process. The findings indicate that stronger collaboration creates significant changes in teachers’
work and students’ learning, and success is based on teacher teams’ capacity to craft their common
work practices.