This is the first in a series of four posts about barriers to collaboration in Professional Leaning Communities.
1. Insular Culture
“People who work together can develop an insular culture. As they spend time with each other to the exclusion of outsiders, they restrict the influx of new viewpoints and reinforce their own beliefs.”
Schools are especially susceptible to this problem. Typically grade level members or subject level members spend a great deal of time together in PLCs. But they also eat lunch together, talk to each other before and after school. There is not the same level of interaction with the rest of the staff and almost zero interaction with teachers from other schools in the district, and near non-existent interaction with teachers from other districts. This creates a very insular culture. Professional Learning Communities should understand this problem and seek proactive ways to break out of these “silos.”
The reason I strongly advocate the Professional Networked Learning Collaborative is because it is built on the premises that information, expertise, knowledge, data, research, superior methods and practices, can be found outside of the typical PLC. The PNLC is designed to network and reach out of the typical PLC “silo” and connect with “useful outsiders” all around the school, district, state, or globe.
It is human nature that the, “…more close-knit a group becomes, the more the members turn inward and close themselves off from the world.”
An insular culture is lacking in cognitive diversity and perspective. PLCs must look for ways such as the PNLC or others, to free themselves from the problem of an insular culture to view ideas from out as a resource to be leveraged. “Not-invented-here” could actually become a reason to embrace a new idea, instead of a reason to ignore a new idea.
2. Status Gap
“If individuals think that they might have higher status than others, they will not reach out to collaborate with those ‘less worthy’ human beings.”
Fortunately, most educators at a school enjoy equal status, with the exception of those that are viewed as unprofessional, lazy, or inept by their peers, and those whom administrators tend to favor.
Occasionally I have discovered that within Professional Learning Communities members begin to feel like their ideas do not have merit. These people tend to feel like they are a lower status than the rest of the group. Consequently, the problem of “Information Cascades” can develop. These members do not feel comfortable to share with the group because of their perceived “lower status.”
Professional Learning Communities must ensure that all members enjoy equal status in the team.
3. Self-Reliance
“When a norm takes hold that says, ‘You should fix your own problem,’ people tend to resist reaching out for input.”
This is absolutely contrary to the purpose of the PLC and the PNLC. The purpose is to help each other solve problems and work together to better student learning. If the students belong to everybody, then so do the problems.
Professional Learning Communities must recognize that many have a deep-seated belief that they need to stay quiet about their problems and struggles so as not to burden others. These beliefs must be rooted out, exposed, and dealt with. No team member can be allowed to believe they must go it own their own because they would be a burden.
Further, the belief that “I know it all and don’t need others help,” is equally damaging. This belief must be confronted and dealt with if the PLC or PNLC is to have a truly collaborative culture.
4. Fear of Revealing Shortcomings
“Reaching out to someone and saying, ‘We’re not doing well in this area and need help,’ can be interpreted by others as failure: ‘These guys are not very good.’ People sometimes fear exposing their weaknesses to others, especially to experts. By asking for input, people expose their vulnerability, allowing others to stand in judgment.”
Judgment, failure, and weakness are very emotional terms. Most educators I know are very capable and very committed, but never the less, at some point, we all need help and we all have something to learn. A strong culture of collaboration does not judge, does not interpret calls for help as signs of failure. To the contrary, strong PLCs and PNLCs need members who are willing to ask for help and feel comfortable doing so because a safe emotional environment has been created in the team.
No one wants to reveal shortcomings, but that is small price to pay if students will benefit in the long run. All educators need to realize that by opening up and confronting their shortcoming, they can strengthen themselves as professionals by learning from our peers and in the case of PNLCs, those in our extended Personal Learning Networks.
While we give many assessments through the year to become very familiar with the shortcomings and needs of our students and make efforts to help them overcome them, we as educators are judged on the results of but a few high stakes tests. Can we afford to wait to overcome our shortcoming until after the fact?
Professional Learning Communities must develop a collaborative culture that overcomes insular cultures and silos, is status neutral, overcomes the tendencies of self-reliance, and eliminates fear and judgment. PLC and PNLC that have done that will be able to overcome the not-invented-here barrier to collaboration.
Professional Learning Communities and Professional Networked Learning Collaboratives must confront and overcome for typical barriers to collaboration. According to Berkley and INSEAD professor Morten T. Hansen, author of Collaboration: How Leaders Avoid The Traps, Create Unity, and Reap Big Results, these four barriers to collaboration are common in most organizations. Schools then, would be no different.
The Not-Invented-Here Barrier“…the not-invented-here barrier, which arises when people are not willing to reach beyond their own units to input and collaborate.”
PLCs and PNLCs need to develop a collaborative culture that is open to ideas from outside of their teams, schools, districts, etc. Typically, the not-invented-here barrier will manifest itself in 4 typical ways.1. Insular Culture
“People who work together can develop an insular culture. As they spend time with each other to the exclusion of outsiders, they restrict the influx of new viewpoints and reinforce their own beliefs.”
Schools are especially susceptible to this problem. Typically grade level members or subject level members spend a great deal of time together in PLCs. But they also eat lunch together, talk to each other before and after school. There is not the same level of interaction with the rest of the staff and almost zero interaction with teachers from other schools in the district, and near non-existent interaction with teachers from other districts. This creates a very insular culture. Professional Learning Communities should understand this problem and seek proactive ways to break out of these “silos.”
The reason I strongly advocate the Professional Networked Learning Collaborative is because it is built on the premises that information, expertise, knowledge, data, research, superior methods and practices, can be found outside of the typical PLC. The PNLC is designed to network and reach out of the typical PLC “silo” and connect with “useful outsiders” all around the school, district, state, or globe.
It is human nature that the, “…more close-knit a group becomes, the more the members turn inward and close themselves off from the world.”
An insular culture is lacking in cognitive diversity and perspective. PLCs must look for ways such as the PNLC or others, to free themselves from the problem of an insular culture to view ideas from out as a resource to be leveraged. “Not-invented-here” could actually become a reason to embrace a new idea, instead of a reason to ignore a new idea.
2. Status Gap
“If individuals think that they might have higher status than others, they will not reach out to collaborate with those ‘less worthy’ human beings.”
Fortunately, most educators at a school enjoy equal status, with the exception of those that are viewed as unprofessional, lazy, or inept by their peers, and those whom administrators tend to favor.
Occasionally I have discovered that within Professional Learning Communities members begin to feel like their ideas do not have merit. These people tend to feel like they are a lower status than the rest of the group. Consequently, the problem of “Information Cascades” can develop. These members do not feel comfortable to share with the group because of their perceived “lower status.”
Professional Learning Communities must ensure that all members enjoy equal status in the team.
3. Self-Reliance
“When a norm takes hold that says, ‘You should fix your own problem,’ people tend to resist reaching out for input.”
This is absolutely contrary to the purpose of the PLC and the PNLC. The purpose is to help each other solve problems and work together to better student learning. If the students belong to everybody, then so do the problems.
Professional Learning Communities must recognize that many have a deep-seated belief that they need to stay quiet about their problems and struggles so as not to burden others. These beliefs must be rooted out, exposed, and dealt with. No team member can be allowed to believe they must go it own their own because they would be a burden.
Further, the belief that “I know it all and don’t need others help,” is equally damaging. This belief must be confronted and dealt with if the PLC or PNLC is to have a truly collaborative culture.
4. Fear of Revealing Shortcomings
“Reaching out to someone and saying, ‘We’re not doing well in this area and need help,’ can be interpreted by others as failure: ‘These guys are not very good.’ People sometimes fear exposing their weaknesses to others, especially to experts. By asking for input, people expose their vulnerability, allowing others to stand in judgment.”
Judgment, failure, and weakness are very emotional terms. Most educators I know are very capable and very committed, but never the less, at some point, we all need help and we all have something to learn. A strong culture of collaboration does not judge, does not interpret calls for help as signs of failure. To the contrary, strong PLCs and PNLCs need members who are willing to ask for help and feel comfortable doing so because a safe emotional environment has been created in the team.
No one wants to reveal shortcomings, but that is small price to pay if students will benefit in the long run. All educators need to realize that by opening up and confronting their shortcoming, they can strengthen themselves as professionals by learning from our peers and in the case of PNLCs, those in our extended Personal Learning Networks.
While we give many assessments through the year to become very familiar with the shortcomings and needs of our students and make efforts to help them overcome them, we as educators are judged on the results of but a few high stakes tests. Can we afford to wait to overcome our shortcoming until after the fact?
Professional Learning Communities must develop a collaborative culture that overcomes insular cultures and silos, is status neutral, overcomes the tendencies of self-reliance, and eliminates fear and judgment. PLC and PNLC that have done that will be able to overcome the not-invented-here barrier to collaboration.
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