Managing a Divided Staff as a New Principal

When new school leaders discover that the staff they are joining is divided, they may fear they will never be able to bring the different sides together to achieve positive, productive outcomes. Leading a group of adults through conflicts can be challenging, but there are effective strategies that principals can implement to develop a school culture in which diverse groups of professionals can coexist and collectively become productive. You can foster collaboration and unity without an ugly battle.

The stakes impacting and influencing your leadership are high. But have no doubt, failure to confront long-standing issues and animosities and the breakdown of communication will only allow divisions to fester and undermine your effectiveness as a leader.

For me, in my new assignments, the issues that had divided the staff included the following:

• Lingering attitudes of those who liked or disliked the previous principal
• Old-guard unwillingness to accept and respect ideas suggested by new hires
• Competing philosophies of grouping children in homogeneous versus heterogeneous (ability-based) classrooms
• The reputations of staff who were liked by parents versus those who were not

There can be dozens of other reasons such as administrative indecisiveness, lack of transparency, effects of siloing (regular ed versus special ed, etc.), interpersonal jealousies, or rival cliques, to name some other common possibilities. 

It is unlikely that you will be made aware of some of the underlying divisive issues before your assignment is announced, but they will quickly become apparent—and then people will watch to see what you do.

Building Unity

First, take time to assess how things work and determine the reasons for conflict. While appraising the situation, remain neutral. Avoid showing any bias or the appearance of taking sides or placing blame. Make it clear that you’re on a fact-gathering mission, digging deep to identify the root causes of the divisiveness.

People need to feel free to express their opinions about anything or anyone without fear of retribution. Once the cause of the division is clear, consider these practical steps to address your divided house.

Communicate respectfully. Speak one-on-one, face-to-face, with individuals who potentially are a cause of the conflict or an active participant. Actively listen to what they say. Allow them to share their fears, anxieties, and challenges safely. Focus on the issues that cause conflict, not personalities. 

Maintain transparency. Make sure the entire staff knows what you are doing, how you are doing it, and why you think it is important and necessary for the development of a productive school culture. When they know how you make decisions and why, there will be an increased sense of inclusion, trust, and respect. Avoid listening to the “gripe vine” that exists in toxic cultures.

Establish clear expectations, practices, and policies. Once you have established that conflict exists and you have identified the causes, you need to clarify your expectations for how your staff is to work together as professionals.

You must explain those expectations, particularly the actions you want to observe, to the entire group, and reinforce as needed with interventions. Consider following the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports framework that your staff might use with students.

As with students, allow your staff to develop agreements and solutions that will be honored and completed collectively and as individuals. If you do not clearly identify and name what it is that needs fixing, despite how difficult that may be, you will never initiate positive methods of change. 

Focus on culture goals. Your school’s culture encompasses what is allowed and is defined by how things get done. When you are establishing the expectations, practices, and policies, include goals that outline how adults should collaborate, communicate, and treat each other, students, and parents.

These goals, when realized, will shape the vision of a united staff focused on supporting each other and meeting the needs of students and parents. Make sure that strategies to achieve those goals are taught to everyone and that appropriate interventions (reminders) are provided for small teams and individuals who require specific direction. 

Eradicate culture killers. Your teaching of expectations must be ongoing and effective. If your staff perceives that you don’t mean or do what you say, or follow through, they will dismiss you and return to their polarized positions. Likewise, you need to lead without blaming or shaming or making excuses. Your commitment to cohesiveness must be visible.

Hold people accountable. Do not show favoritism or allow entitlement. Part of your work to establish expectations, setting the tone, may involve reining in egos that have been allowed to negatively impact the school’s culture. 

Provide professional development. Sometimes, an impartial outsider is needed to teach and reinforce messages that your staff is not ready to hear from you. Trained, professional conflict mediators can also be helpful when individuals may feel threatened by the “boss” intervening.

If you don’t have ready access to someone who can come to your campus and work with your staff, consider sending staff out to observe in schools where there’s acknowledged and respected staff cohesiveness. A commitment to long-term professional development that results in positive change demonstrates that adult social and emotional well-being and growth are valued.

While some forms of conflict can be good, and necessary, for the growth of your school, leading a divided team requires patience, empathy, and a commitment to building a positive work environment. Your leadership in resolving long-standing differences will be admired, in time, by all.