How a workplace can become collegial

I have been told countless times that my search for a collegial workplace is a fruitless one. Some e-mail writers and seminar participants assure me the principles I espouse can’t exist in a “real” workplace.

Happily, I now have a little fodder to argue with critics because for six weeks this spring I was part of a legitimately collegial workplace. The inhabitants of the journalism department at Washington and Lee University would bristle at an implication they work in some sort of Nirvana. Yet, my experience as a Distinguished (well, in my case, kind of distinguished) visiting journalism professor gave me an opportunity to appreciate how and why a workplace becomes collegial.

The first factor was environmental. The department is housed in its own modern building. Offices are spacious and functional. The work spaces enhance work and collegiality rather than bringing people down. The separate building creates a sense of community and team. The building becomes a point of pride and creates a sense of belonging.

The building has several common areas to make visitors and students welcome, but it also affords the faculty members an opportunity to mingle over lunch. That common eating experience, which is not mandatory and some days will draw two people and seven or eight on others, fosters the sense of camaraderie that marks the department.

Laughter is an essential element of this workplace. As in all collegial spaces there are a few constant jokesters who raise the spirit of others, but the humor is respectful and respect is even more common than humor. Genuine kindness and concern for each other’s professional and personal welfare seems important.

A key factor in the success of the department is the sense of common mission and values. Washington and Lee is a teaching college, and the journalism faculty wears that mission on their sleeve. They are teachers first and that means the students are their No. 1 priority. There is far less mission confusion than there is at schools that have dual teaching and research missions.

This leads to an incredible dedication to current students and to alumni. There were times I was convinced the faculty knows where every professional alumnus is working and how they are performing. That is obviously helpful to current and past students. That dedication to “product” also reinforces the sense of mission among the faculty members.

A willingness to share work is another mark of this collegial workplace. I actually saw faculty members volunteering to take on student counseling chores, and when it came time to undertake a major self-study project the group fairly parceled out the work according to skills and individual’s areas of interest. Work wasn’t shirked and at several points people offered to help others with their tasks.

Leadership is, as always, crucial to creating a collegial workplace. Leadership in most academic environments is less authoritative than you’ll find in most workplaces. Dr. Brian Richardson, the department head, handles this role in a way that respects every member and at the same time moves the department forward. He leads without command and control, and his leadership sometimes seems subtle. He invites input and involvement. That approach enhances the sense of ownership each professor feels.

Faculty members have their own hopes and dreams for ways the department can improve and nobody seems complacent, but the collegiality makes this an extraordinary workplace.

Tip for your search: Creating a collegial workplace carries responsibility. Spend this week figuring out what your specific responsibility will be if you and your peers are to create a collegial workplace.

Resource for your search: “Stick Your Neck Out: A Street Smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond” by John Graham (Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc., 2005)