Topic Progress:

IMPORTANCE AND OVERVIEW OF CLEARLY DEFINED WORKING AGREEMENTS

Time is the most valuable resource for educators. Meeting and planning time is often scarce so we must learn to work smarter, maximizing our time and outcomes. Unproductive meetings can dim enthusiasm for your work and slow efforts, while effective team processes excite and inspire, and fuel progress.

The most common categories of ineffective meetings include: 1) disorganization in planning; no clear meeting objective or purpose, 2) ineffective processes for running the meeting, and 3) no closure or follow-up. Working agreements are one way to increase productivity and avoid ineffective team meeting processes.

Key Terms

Working agreements: ground rules that assist staff in achieving their meeting goals and increasing the productivity and effectiveness of their time (Garmston & Wellman, 2009).

UNPACKING CLEARLY DEFINED WORKING AGREEMENTS

Working agreements provide a guide for professional staff behavior. They express the behaviors that are valued by the team and help to ensure every team member knows exactly what is expected. They not only increase productivity and staff comfort but can also help you avoid conflict and provide the standards that allow the team to evaluate their performance.

Working agreements should be:

  1. developed by the team,
  2. posted visibly during meetings,
  3. reviewed as each meeting is initiated,
  4. occasionally used to review team performance at the close of meetings, and
  5. revised as new issues surface.

All team members should be willing to confront behaviors that are in violation of their working agreements when they occur during meetings. Effective working agreements are behaviorally specific — they should be readily understood by all — and stated as the desired or positive behavior. They create a picture of how a professional behaves and contributes to the team discipline planning process and the group’s work culture.

Some common working agreements are listed below.

Working Agreements: Some Possibilities

  • Start on time; end on time.
  • Stay on topic.
  • Avoid unnecessary repetition.
  • Give your full attention; silence cell phones during meetings.
  • Clarify agenda/meeting outcomes and time allotments before beginning.
  • If presenting, be prepared.
  • Watch and be considerate of time.
  • Attend to the speaker; use sticky notes for side conversations.
  • Wait to speak; use active listening.
  • Indicate support for ideas you like or agree with.
  • Ask for clarification if you don’t understand.
  • Share concerns thoughtfully; pair criticism with a way to improve.
  • Keep focus on the group goal and what is best for students.
  • Be willing to doubt your own infallibility, and compromise when necessary.

In order for working agreements to be most effective it is important that they are written as a team and then posted for team members to see during team meetings. Working agreements can be reviewed at the start of meetings by all team members and then reviewed at the conclusion of the meeting to discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what needs to be improved.