Resolving Teacher Workplace Conflict

December 19th, 2008 By: Diane Trim in Articles, School Climate, Teachers' Corner

Last October, CPP, Inc., the company who produces the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment, announced the results of a study about workplace conflict. Researchers found that U.S. employers spend more than 2.8 hours per week, or about $359 billion in paid hours, resolving conflict among workers.

Jesse Reschke, the Executive Assistant for Labor Relations with MTI, Madison Teachers, Inc., said that with recent school district budget cuts, teachers are becoming overloaded, which causes conflict. “There are two major players in most conflicts,” Reschke said. “There’s a lack of resources and staff cuts and there’s NCLB, which dictates to teachers what they can teach, how they can teach, and how they can offer assistance to students. The student load is higher, resources are declining, and there are fewer educational assistants.”

Jeff Hayes, CEO, CPP, Inc., agrees that stress and workload, are the two biggest sources of conflict. In this economic downturn, these factors will increase, he said.

How to manage a conflict. So, let’s say you are having a conflict with another teacher. You’re working hard on writing new curriculum and you perceive that the teacher across the hall isn’t carrying his load. Resentment begins to build and you need to confront this person.

Talk to the other staff member, Reschke said. Tell that person that she seems different this month than last month. Ask what you can do to help see her through this difficult time and so she can get back on track at work.

If you can’t resolve the issue with the teacher or if the issue is causing problems with student learning, it’s time to go to the principal. Reschke advises that you remember your principal is not just a resource, but your boss, too. Before meeting with the principal, seek the counsel of a building-level teachers’ union representative or a colleague you can trust first.

Try asking the other teacher to come to the principal’s office with you to work out a solution before going to the principal on your own, Reschke said. “The principal’s job is to make sure staff members get along and to manage conflict,” he said. “But teachers have to know the power structure. When you meet with the principal, stick to the basic issue, listen to what the principal says, and respond to it.”

From the teachers’ union’s perspective, the principal is the administrator and the boss. She has the power to make decisions and affect the way you do your job, Reschke said. However the principal is a great resource and can offer you options you wouldn’t have had before meeting with her.

Conflict can be good. According to the CPP, Inc. study, however, not all workplace conflict is bad. In fact, conflict can make the workplace better. Eighty-one percent of U.S. workers have seen positive outcomes from workplace conflict and nearly half (41%) said that they have come through a conflict experience with a better understanding of the other people involved.

“Conflict is a normal and essential part of the human condition that companies should work to manage rather than eliminate,” Rich Thompson, Director of Research at CPP, Inc., said. “An organization without conflict may also lack that all-important creative spark.”

Anticipate conflict and plan for it. When you begin a new position or a new school year, talk about communication with your team or department members, Reschke said. Set up ground rules for discussing conflict and times when members can give one another constructive criticism. “Establish a way to communicate with folks,” he said. “The middle of an IEP meeting is not a good time to deal with it.”

Tags: conflict, learnining community