Defining Collegiality in the Workplace

Spring
2018
Resolution Number
19.02
 
Assigned to
Relations with Local Senates Committee
Category
Professional Standards
Status
Assigned

Whereas, Concern that lack of collegiality has negatively impacted the morale and health of faculty leading to collective bargaining agreement provisions allowing for investigation and mediation to resolve non-collegiality issues;

Whereas, Even though the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges’ efforts have advanced the practice of collegial consultation, collective bargaining agreement provisions addressing a lack of workplace collegiality may remain underutilized in the absence of a clear definition of “collegiality” and a thorough description of practicable and observable ways to implement collegiality as a shared responsibility among colleagues toward a common purpose;

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges adopted Resolution 06.02 (S92) on collegiality out of concern for whether “respect for faculty and collegiality in general” were advanced following the passage of AB 1725 (Vasconcellos, 1988), and, since that time, has provided guidance to local senates on advancing professional conduct, e.g., Faculty as Professionals: Responsibilities, Standards and Ethics (2002), and on improving collegial consultation, e.g., in collaboration with the Community College League of California, Participating Effectively in District and College Governance (1998); and

Whereas, Research has shown that the broader notion of collegiality in a professional workplace is a misunderstood ideal or “a complex and somewhat ‘slippery’ idea that features (sic) in academic leadership literature in a variety of, sometimes contradictory, ways”; [1]

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges develop a paper by the Fall 2019 Plenary Session that defines what collegiality in the workplace means for community college faculty, reviews the best practices in the promotion of a collegial workplace, and provides guidance to faculty on facilitating collegial relationships.

MSC


1. Giedre Kligyte & Simon Barrie (2014) Collegiality: leading us into fantasy – the paradoxical resilience of collegiality in academic leadership, Higher Education Research & Development, 33:1, 157-169, DOI: 10.1080/07294360.2013.864613 Link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07294360.2013.864613?scrol… See also Shin Freedman, "Collegiality Matters: How Do We Work With Others?" (2009). Proceedings of the Charleston Library Conference. http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284314771