Collaboration Etiquette among Professionals
I must admit, that I take certain professional etiquette in collaboration for granted, even after having witnessed unprofessional behavior here and there.
Sometimes unprofessional incidences can be culturally related (for example punctuality) and sometimes they can be personality related ( ex. ambition, striving to give your best, not wanting to let a colleague down or inconveniencing someone else on account of one’s own actions).
As collaboration (physical & online) among educators becomes more and more important…as we are reaching out beyond our own classroom and school walls and connecting with other professionals…it seems to me …that what constitutes professional collaboration should be discussed, defined and expectations worked out.
The very first time I heard about “pointing out guidelines for professional behavior”, I was at a Curriculum Mapping conference with Heidi Hayes Jacobs. Heidi suggested to start out with the 4 P’s in the beginning of mapping collaboration: Present, Punctual with Positive Participation.
It struck a chord with me. Have you witnessed other teachers arriving late, talking through or doing unrelated work during a faculty meeting or workshop? Has a meeting been unproductive or canceled because one participant forgot or arrived late? We might assume that it would be obvious to be on time, not letting others wait, arrive with all materials present, following up (or though) with a task assigned to them, and ready to work together.
How important does professional behavior become, when you are collaborating with and relying on a colleague or a project partner? Maybe the simple act of raising awareness of what one might expect in regards to professional collaboration and its importance as collaboration increases among the education community might be enough… Or it might have to be spelled out… Or one might even “script the critical moves” as brothers Chip and Dan Heaths say in their newest book called “Switch- How to Change Things when Change is Hard”.
What should an etiquette for in house collaboration among grade levels, cross grade level, between coaches, facilitators, resources and classroom teachers look like? What should an etiquette among online collaboration partners include?
- Punctuality
- Follow up and through
- Unexpected and scheduled interruptions
- Postponing or cancellation of events, meetings, project, etc.
- Communication (f2f, via e-mail, google docs, Skype, Twitter )
- Deadlines & timelines
- Validation and acknowledgment of time & effort spent
- Flexibility
- Honesty
- Who is responsible for what?
How would you spell out a professional etiquette for collaboration? What are rules of behavior you adhere to and respect in others that make collaboration more successful.
I think this is an important post and holds true for online as well as f2f collaboration.
I am currently a part of an online cohort program to earn my administrative certification. We are truly a global group with people in the US, Europe, South America, and the Middle East participating. The structure of each class places us in teams. Each week we have a team activity to complete. The first week of class each team must come up with their “team norms”, which are like the etiquette rules you describe.
Here are some of my favorites:
• Flexibility
• Be aware of and respectful of the time constraints of others. (This is particularly important when collaborating across time zones)
• Clear communication
• If something comes up that will impact our teammates, we will let each other know as soon as possible. We will be understanding in these situations when “life happens”.
We also usually set a time, determined by the team, for responding to tasks online since much of our collaboration is via writing. I think it is important to establish norms with any group or partnership. Isn’t that a component of Dufour’s work on PLCs?
Looking forward to the thoughts and ideas of others on this topic.
Hi,
Great post!
I sometimes get shocked by the lack of collaboration skills I see around.
I guess it is time to sit down and start discussing what is acceptable and what isn’t.
Just like you said, since it is something that has become very important, it is time put this collaboration etiquette together.
Another thing that should be included in the etiquette is the matter of giving the credit to the orginal writer, the original idea.
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Thank you for starting this conversation. I think as professionals we do often assume that we will be afforded the same common courtesy we give to others. Unfortunately, I have both witnessed and experienced personal attacks and rude comments exchanged during #edchat and blog commenting when controversial issues are being discussed. We should all be able to exchange ideas and opinions and be challenged in an open and positive environment as members of a global PLN.
Basic online courtesies that I feel should be adhered to include:
1. Crediting others for their original ideas and contributions
2. Responding to others’ ideas in positive manor
3. Challenging and questioning ideas and opinions, not personal character