In this article, we analyse the school developmental work of a project team in Norwegian upper secondary schools. The team aims to improve teaching and learning by making use of new technologies. The aim of the article is to explore the "black box" of developmental work practices by analysing the interactions between the team members to make the processes transparent and reveal how work becomes innovative and newness is created. The theoretical framework builds on cultural-historical activity theory. The study shows how innovative work is brought into being when pluralities of perspectives are externalised in a team's discussions. Moreover, for innovative work to result in school-wide and sustainable change, systematic inquiry into the underlying contradictions of schooling is warranted.