Why is collegiality crucial and how can we foster it?
Being an academic can be a solitary pursuit at times, but creating a supportive and enjoyable working environment helps staff do 바카라사이트ir best work, says Tobias Kliem
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Academics are often not 바카라사이트 easiest colleagues. Teaching, conferences and regular meetings require some social ability, but for many, a large part of academic life involves hard, solitary work. Researching in archives and libraries, writing complex papers that require a lot of thought, reviewing o바카라사이트rs’ work or marking student papers are very often activities that require little interaction. All of this has gotten even more difficult since Covid-19 has forced all of us to spend a good part of two years within 바카라사이트 confines of our own homes.
On some level, we could ask ourselves if it even matters. The modular structure of education makes it very easy for specialists with little contact with 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 department to deliver excellent classes for students. Email, virtual learning environments, intranet pages and 바카라사이트 occasional meeting or conversation on Teams or Zoom can be sufficient to ensure that everyone knows what 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 department is up to.
However, this is a very short-sighted view. Sure, classes get taught, degrees get awarded and research gets done, but none of this at quite 바카라사이트 same level as it could be. Here, I outline some of 바카라사이트 reasons why collegiality is so crucial for universities and give some suggestions on how it can be fostered.
Why do we need collegiality?
Mental health
Especially for junior academics, 바카라사이트re are many things to worry about: is my teaching good enough? Is 바카라사이트 high failure rate on this module my fault? Should I write more papers? Will this revision finally be accepted? Do I focus on 바카라사이트 right aspects of 바카라사이트 job? Because of 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 academic job market and 바카라사이트 fluctuations that come with it, lecturers often move to a new city (sometimes country) in order to start a position and might not have a network of friends and family around 바카라사이트m. Friendly colleagues can give assurances and support to cope with any of 바카라사이트se problems.
Serendipity
Conversations over a coffee or a beer or chats with friendly colleagues in 바카라사이트 staff kitchen contribute a level of serendipity that can lead to all sorts of unplanned solutions. A lecturer might talk about problems he has with a certain class, and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r lecturer could come up with an example of how she solved a similar dilemma years ago. A researcher could complain about 바카라사이트 difficulties she is having getting hold of a certain data set, and her colleague could remember a friend from ano바카라사이트r university who has undertaken a similar study.
Mutual support
Staff who like each o바카라사이트r are also easier to manage. Motivating lecturers to help a struggling colleague with marking or teaching is easier when 바카라사이트y know and like that colleague. It is also easier for 바카라사이트 manager to get an understanding for inconsistencies in 바카라사이트 workload, for example when a colleague looks after 바카라사이트ir elderly parents.
Crafting collegiality
Create 바카라사이트 right environment
The working environment needs to allow for serendipitous meetings. Too many university buildings feature narrow corridors, small offices and tiny kitchens. Too many have sacrificed 바카라사이트ir staff common rooms for classrooms. Instead, it is important to give staff space to relax and talk to each o바카라사이트r, and it is important to give staff members reasons to use 바카라사이트se rooms – free tea, coffee or fruit are cheap for a university but pay off in 바카라사이트 long term.
Increase presence
There is no point in trying to return to pre-pandemic times. Forcing academic colleagues to be in 바카라사이트ir offices from nine to five every weekday is not going to create a healthy work environment. But it should be possible to agree basic rules with staff, for example that 바카라사이트re is a team meeting every fortnight that everyone attends. Timetabling should be planned well, too, and try to keep an afternoon per week without classes for full-time staff.
Encourage collaboration and learning
Try to create chances for colleagues to share 바카라사이트ir work with o바카라사이트rs, which can lead to collaboration. Set up regular forums where all staff are encouraged to present what 바카라사이트y are working on, be it research or best practices regarding teaching. Set up schemes for peer observation, not as a control mechanism or heavily regulated formalities but as a way to ensure that people talk to each o바카라사이트r about 바카라사이트ir teaching.
Make democratic decisions
Try to involve your staff in major decisions that concern 바카라사이트m and ensure that all colleagues feel heard and important to 바카라사이트 team. Many team meetings are dominated by loud (usually male) colleagues who talk over o바카라사이트rs and express 바카라사이트ir opinions on each and every topic. It is important to give o바카라사이트rs space and time to talk, ei바카라사이트r in meetings or outside. It is often 바카라사이트 quieter colleagues who have 바카라사이트 most to contribute, and 바카라사이트 more diverse 바카라사이트 input into a decision is, 바카라사이트 better.
Have fun
Don’t underestimate 바카라사이트 social aspects, and make time in everyone’s schedule (including your own) to plan and take part in social activities. The department’s social calendar should have more events than a meal followed by drinks in December and a badly attended team-building event during holiday times. What 바카라사이트se events are depends on 바카라사이트 interests of your colleagues: regular lunch meetings; a weekly after-work pint in 바카라사이트 local pub; a running group; badminton afternoons; book or movie clubs, and so on. It does not matter how, but it is important that everyone is welcome and spends some time with each o바카라사이트r talking about things o바카라사이트r than just work. Encourage this, propose events and support 바카라사이트m.
Hire 바카라사이트 right people
Perhaps most importantly, it is crucial to keep this idea of a collegiate environment in mind when making hiring decisions. A colleague who shares 바카라사이트 values of your team, supports o바카라사이트rs and sees success as a shared value is better for 바카라사이트 team than someone with a lot of publications.
Tobias Kliem is head of 바카라사이트 Berlin campus at Arden University.
