When Harmony Becomes a Barrier

3 days ago
3 min read

For high performing professional practitioners one of the most common aspirations when seeking a new job is a work environment where collegiality thrives and high professionalism is not only expected but reinforced. This does not mean accepting high levels of burnout or compromising overall wellbeing, rather this longing reflects a deeper truth.

Most practitioners are not simply looking for a job but for an organizational cultural fit where the work environment feels supportive, respectful, and meaningful. Collegiality is a key driver of a strong and successful organizational culture. At its foundation, culture is shaped by the way practitioners interact, engage, and relate to one another every day. A strong organizational culture begins with collegiality and flourishes with meaningful collaboration.

Collegiality is reflected in the depth of professional relationships, the tone of conversations and the presence of support, warmth and respect. Collegial teams help alleviate isolation and loneliness, reduce stress, and strengthen a sense of belonging amongst practitioners. Yet, despite its pivotal role in collaboration, faculty morale and contribution to achieving strategic goals, collegiality’s impact is often taken for granted.

From Collegiality to Challenging Conversations

Over the course of a career, many educators navigate a variety of professional environments, with certain environments promoting growth and collaboration while others create significant challenges. Although polite interactions are often preferable to direct confrontation and toxic behaviors, and conformity may appear less disruptive than outward resistance, keeping relationships at a superficial level can ultimately reveal a team’s ineffectiveness. When practitioners engage in sustained surface-level relationships it limits meaningful collaboration, reduces accountability for shared outcomes, and undermines professional trust.

Collegiality centers on cultivating positive professional relationships, collaborating through the exchange of ideas and resources and maintaining a respectful and harmonious environment. However, collegial teams can inadvertently discourage direct engagement with conflict in order to preserve a harmonious environment. When teams and individuals prioritize harmony above all else, avoiding conflict can ultimately undermine performance and wellbeing.

A culture of collegiality that avoids challenging conversations or sharing differing perspectives can create the illusion of harmony. This can lead to unintended consequences with lasting impact on team dynamics and a ripple effect on organizational culture. False harmony may present itself in different ways, but often manifesting in increased absenteeism, reduced individual and team productivity, rising tension and resentment, declining morale, and strained communication.

Rigorous Collective Efficacy is the Goal

Teams operating within an illusion of harmony can restrict professional growth, as avoiding conflict, especially cognitive conflict, reduces opportunities for constructive challenge, feedback, and critical dialogue. Whilst collegiality creates comfort, comfort does not automatically lead to growth or translate into better student outcomes. Meaningful impact is achieved when educators resist the urge to linger in false harmony, engage in honest and constructive conversations, and foster collective accountability within their teams.

In the pursuit of a harmonious working environment, practitioners can unintentionally prioritize comfort over growth. Comfort without collective responsibility can leave teams feeling amicable but disconnected from real accountability and shared purpose. Practitioners need to move beyond surface-level cordial relationships, developing collegial connections that can then foster collective efficacy through collaboration. In order to do this, practitioners must be able to engage in conflict. This requires courage, intentional dialogue, and a commitment to shared goals where all team members feel both heard, valuable and accountable.

Collegiality lays the foundation for a thriving school culture, but its true impact emerges when it evolves into active, purposeful collaboration. As teams move from simply working alongside each other to building trust, aligning around shared goals, leveraging collective strengths, engaging with different perspectives and navigative constructive conflict, they create lasting benefits for both students and practitioners. Collegiality is the starting point; collaboration is where the real transformation happens. Moving from collegiality to true collaboration is essential for creating a strong school culture with high-performing teams.

Take care,

Sarah Trevaskis is dedicated to teaching and learning, having served in dynamic school communities in Vietnam, India, Mongolia, Malaysia, China, and Australia. An international leader in education, she brings a depth of experience leading student support teams & shaping curriculum and instructional practices that drive meaningful outcomes. This was originally published March 20, 2026 and is reposted here with permission. You can learn more about Sarah here.