I am surprised at the frequency of counterproductive group dynamics within working groups of educators. In addition to my own experiences in PD workshops and school committees, I continue to hear similar anecdotes from other educators year after year. These experiences most often include the behavior types: "power-hungry leader," "overly assertive talker," and "complainer."
The power-hungry leader delegates like a lord and issues commands like a general, when in fact there is no "real power" to be had....the sphere of influence is usually relatively small.
The overly assertive talker is just plain rude...also known as "know-it-all," this type suppresses the opinions of others and often filibusters about nothing.
The complainer promotes negativity and assumes the role of victim/martyr regarding the difficulty of implementing the topics of discussion.
Given the long-standing practice of establishing group norms and roles, along with the fact that educators expect more refined behavior from their own students, I wonder why teacher groups permit such behavior.
Do any of you experience this phenomenon beyond the isolated incident?
RK