By Rick Cleary

Mathematicians like to solve problems, and we advertise this trait when we promote the study of mathematics to students and their families. We have challenging problems in our fields of study, and there are also problems that arise in our professional lives. Many of these ‘big picture’ problems arise because we lack funding to address important and valid concerns. We find ourselves wishing we could hire more permanent faculty, raise faculty salaries, lower class sizes, support faculty and student scholarship and provide more financial aid for students. At the same time we are aware that all of these things cost money, and that the various groups that fund us—students and their families, taxpayers, donors and benefactors—have their own limitations.

I do not claim to have a solution to the big picture question of how to finance post-secondary education, so using a classical mathematical approach, let’s consider just a piece of that larger problem. What can we, as individuals, do when we have colleagues who are not doing their share of the work, or whose teaching creates problems, or whose behavior intimidates other faculty members? Discussions of this problem crop up regularly on the Project NExT mailing lists, in the hallways at meetings, and during department reviews that I have been part of. We understand that many colleagues will have times when their life’s circumstances make it harder for them to be fully engaged, and departments with good will can adjust to temporary problems. But what can we do when, for a period of years, a tenured or long-term non-tenure track colleague does not live up to expectations or sometimes even does more harm than good? In addition to the strain unproductive colleagues put on a department, there is an ethical dimension to this problem that we may have overlooked. People who invest in education deserve a fair return of effort for that investment. When we do not confront the problem of unproductive faculty, we are letting down people who have sacrificed something for us.  And let’s face it: if as a community we support the concept of tenure, then every faculty member who is an “argument against tenure” gives talking points to those who would do away with it.

Based on my long experience as a department chair (fifteen years at three different schools), Associate Dean (twice) and as a participant in over a dozen external reviews, I have seen numerous cases where colleagues who were “arguments against tenure” were left adrift. But, happily, some others who seemed down and out have come back to be useful and productive.  How can we help a colleague return to a beneficial role?  Some of the practices and professional activities we have developed in recent years when thinking about teaching may help us address this larger professional issue.

The phrase ‘leveling the playing field’ is widely understood to mean proactively working to make it more likely that someone who has been disadvantaged is given an opportunity to succeed in some endeavor. The term has been used to describe the steps our mathematical community has taken toward becoming a more inclusive space for students and faculty. We are increasingly aware of the barriers to participation for women and students from underrepresented groups, and concepts like universal design have given us a way to address these issues. The MAA has incorporated policies and provided resources (including this Math Values blog) that have promoted change. While just a start, it is an encouraging trend, and many of us have come to see this work as an important part of our professional lives.

How can we apply these ideas to ‘leveling the working field?’ When a department has a member who is not contributing, this results in inequitable demands on faculty. Sometimes people who then do more than their share of the work burn out or become resentful, resulting in an even more unpleasant working environment. What steps can someone take to level the working field when they find themselves with a colleague who needs to be more collegial or more productive or more effective? I believe that many of the evidence-based teaching ideas that have gained currency (see the MAA Instructional Practices Guide for examples) have administrative parallels that might work.

Following are some particular suggestions. While I recognize that people with authority (department chairs, holders of named positions, senior colleagues) have more ability to act, I believe all faculty can find a way to be helpful in trying to solve problems locally.

-Provide alternatives and reward small steps. A trend in mathematics education in recent years has been to move toward frequent low-stakes assessments. Perhaps we can apply this to collegiality as well as to teaching. A “checked-out” colleague who might not want to serve in a leadership position or run for a college-wide committee might be willing to take on ‘one-time’ tasks like attending an open house for accepted students. Give reluctant faculty members something they can do to succeed. The first step is a big step, and colleagues doing something is a huge improvement over nothing. Most faculty members want to contribute at work, and as with students, a little initial success can lead to more.

-Every individual in a department shares responsibility to help their colleagues be more productive and collegial. Of course, issues of seniority, privilege and personal dynamics can make it difficult for some individuals to take any steps. It is also easy to decide to leave it to the chair or the Dean to be in charge of getting a person to shape up. Certainly those in leadership positions have more tools at their disposal, but everyone can help.  As we suggest reaching out to students who are not participating, we should look for ways to include reluctant colleagues in day-to-day operations.  By asking people for their help, even if we think they will decline, and for their opinion even if we are likely to disagree, we start to break down barriers.

-Take advantage of your Human Resources Department or other expert assistance.  It is easy to be critical of the HR office when we are not aware of the legal and institutional constraints they operate under. Our interactions are often limited to filling in benefits forms and making sure our hiring processes comply with their expectations.  This experience means we do not encounter the HR staff doing some of what they do best in areas in which most mathematicians have little training.  At each school where I have taught, the HR office has had one or more staff members trained in employee management, conflict resolution, and negotiation.  They are eager to help, including services like providing mediation for difficult conversations.  Mathematicians like to solve problems on our own, but few of us are experts or even skilled amateurs in managing people.  Getting help from those with experience is important, and it can be educational as well.  Just as we encourage students to use resources and attend office hours when they are stuck, we should get expert help when needed.  Assistance from HR can also be vitally helpful for any faculty members who feel they may face retaliation for well-intentioned efforts to encourage good behavior.  It is the professional equivalent of going to office hours.

-Use data, not anecdotal evidence: Most colleges have ways to obtain institutional data. Imagine that you hear a colleague say, “Sure, lots of people failed my Calculus II class, but they were mostly community college transfers and those kids always struggle.” Is that true? How do we know? Can we check? If it is true, can we build in some measures to help reverse this problem?  And, most importantly, if it’s NOT true (as the data showed in a case that I am aware of), the faculty member in question could change their mind, and perhaps their actions, from acknowledging the data.

-Be kind, but don’t be afraid of difficult conversations and temporary discomfort. This sort of work is not easy, but delaying a possible resolution prolongs the problem. If properly framed, an “intervention” can be locally stressful but ultimately very satisfying. By using our resources, we can take the difficult step to get started.  Letting a colleague know that you are hopeful that they can be more of a contributor is the right, if often difficult, thing to do.

For anyone who is in a department with colleagues who need some redirection, I hope these suggestions prove helpful. And if you have the good fortune to be in a department where that is not the case, I encourage you to write a Math Values post and tell us how you did it!

Rick Cleary is the Weissman Professor of Business Analytics at Babson College. In his forty year  teaching career he has spent about half of that time as a program director, department chair or Associate Dean, as well as numerous leadership positions in the MAA.