Collegiality: Attribute, Theory or Impossibility?
Collegiality – Attribute, Theory or Impossibility?
May 24, 2012
Executive Summary
Collegiality is both a professional attribute and a management theory. For this reason, collegiality is often misunderstood. As an attribute, collegiality is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the cooperative relationship of colleagues. Collegial relationships are those built upon respect between people (Curtin, 1995) and allow for the interchange and discussion of ideas from each member of a team (Williams, 1997). Among most professionals, acquiring and developing this characteristic assists in building many of the critical competencies of manager. Knowing how to build and strengthen collegial relationships improves teamwork, increases one self-management skills and aids in communication. As a management theory, collegiality is based upon welcome and respected interactions and disagreements between colleagues (Hudec, 2006). The goal is to allow each person in the group or department to make a contribution to the organization. It further requires a participative decision-making process between people with equal levels of authority. This theory requires an organization to be open and supportive of different opinions and viewpoints and continued knowledge sharing. Collegiality is most commonly seen in areas of academia, medicine and law, but is rare in the world of business because while it is easy to define, it is difficult to put into practice.
Table of Contents
Collegiality – Attribute or Theory? 4 Introduction 4 Collegiality in the Professional Arena 5 Collegiality and Academia 5 Collegiality and the Medical Profession 6 Collegiality and the World of Law 7 Collegiality vs. Classic Management Theory 8 Collegiality and Behavioral Theory 8 Collegiality and Bureaucratic Theory 9 Discussion 10 Conclusion 13 References 17
Collegiality – Attribute or Theory?
Introduction
Collegiality is both a professional attribute and a
May 24, 2012
Executive Summary
Collegiality is both a professional attribute and a management theory. For this reason, collegiality is often misunderstood. As an attribute, collegiality is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the cooperative relationship of colleagues. Collegial relationships are those built upon respect between people (Curtin, 1995) and allow for the interchange and discussion of ideas from each member of a team (Williams, 1997). Among most professionals, acquiring and developing this characteristic assists in building many of the critical competencies of manager. Knowing how to build and strengthen collegial relationships improves teamwork, increases one self-management skills and aids in communication. As a management theory, collegiality is based upon welcome and respected interactions and disagreements between colleagues (Hudec, 2006). The goal is to allow each person in the group or department to make a contribution to the organization. It further requires a participative decision-making process between people with equal levels of authority. This theory requires an organization to be open and supportive of different opinions and viewpoints and continued knowledge sharing. Collegiality is most commonly seen in areas of academia, medicine and law, but is rare in the world of business because while it is easy to define, it is difficult to put into practice.
Table of Contents
Collegiality – Attribute or Theory? 4 Introduction 4 Collegiality in the Professional Arena 5 Collegiality and Academia 5 Collegiality and the Medical Profession 6 Collegiality and the World of Law 7 Collegiality vs. Classic Management Theory 8 Collegiality and Behavioral Theory 8 Collegiality and Bureaucratic Theory 9 Discussion 10 Conclusion 13 References 17
Collegiality – Attribute or Theory?
Introduction
Collegiality is both a professional attribute and a
References: http://www.msmc.la.edu/include/provost_office/PKAL/pkal_chapter22.pdf http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collegiality Curtin, L. L. (1995). Uncommon Decency: A Case Study in Collegiality. Nursing Management, 26(4), 56-56. Edwards, H. T. (2003). The Effects of Collegiality on Judicial Decision Making. University Of Pennsylvania Law Review, 151(5), 1639. Frank, J. (2010). Playing Well with Others. Medical Economics, 87(22), 36-39. Hudec, P. (2006). Collegiality: A 21st Century Answer. KM World, 15(6), 18-18,30. Jones, G. and George, J. (2009). Contemporary Management. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Lin, A., & Fraser, C. (2008). The Four Constructs of Collegiality. International Journal Of Evidence Based Coaching & Mentoring, 6(1), 57-66. Waters, M. (1989). Collegiality, Bureaucratization, and Professionalization: A Weberian analysis. The American Journal of Sociology, 94(5), 945-945. Williams, M. A. (1997). Fostering Collegiality. Nursing Management, 28(6), 66-66.