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

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