During periods of organizational stress such as the implementation of major organizational change, the tendency for group formation may be increased and the effects of informal relations relatively more pronounced than in times of routine and regularity. (Author)

In 1983, a landmark event occurred in public education in the US: the National Commission on Excellence in Education published its now famous report, A Nation at Risk. The report was generally regarded as the catalyst for decades of public and political pressure for large-scale school improvement or reform. Here, Beach and Lindahl identify a…