Author: Sam Crome
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Resisting mutation: how to prevent psychological safety from becoming an empty buzzword (part 3)
If you have joined me for part 1 and part 2 of the series, you will now be familiar with the research behind psychological safety, its core principles, and some of the inevitable misconceptions and mutations that have arisen so far. We have acknowledged that, while the evidence for psych safety is so compelling in…
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Resisting mutation: how to prevent psychological safety from becoming an empty buzzword (part 2)
Welcome back, psychological safety and teamwork fans – thank you for returning to the series, and for all of the great feedback on part 1. In the previous post, I suggested that the term psychological safety was in danger of becoming diluted with well-intentioned but inaccurate applications of what the concept is. Even in the…
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Resisting mutation: how to prevent psychological safety from becoming an empty buzzword (Part 1)
Like many, I’ve been familiar with Psychological Safety and the work of Amy Edmondson for a number of years, and was convinced by the research (still am!) that it was a concept that could ignite the way teams thrive. I blogged about the basics of what it is and how to introduce it back in…
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Teaming Tales: Stalled Systems
This is the first post in a series called Teaming Tales. Each post will feature an area of teamwork that often veers into dysfunction, using a fictionalised fable to explore the issues, followed by strategies to help move forward. Catherine is five years into her teaching career, and is flourishing into an excellent teacher. She…
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Happy Economics, by Mark Price
Opening Gambit I recently had an interesting conversation with an employee at WorkL, the company dedicated to happiness at work, and used by the Sunday Times Best Places to Work run its surveys of employees. WorkL’s survey comprehensively shines a light on employee engagement and satisfaction, but Mark Price, the founder of the company, and…
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5 ways to boost your teams this January
The mammoth 15-week autumn term ended with a triumphant spree of nativities, carol services, assemblies, events, sickness bugs, and, yes, for some reason, Ofsted inspections. Chances are, whether your spirits were sky-high, or dragging along the floor, you finished the term in a hurried flurry of getting everything done, or at least trying desperately to…
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Helping your teams to thrive in autumn term 2
I’m not a huge believer in obvious or cliché claims of cause and effect. Even as a child I found it irritating when someone linked being outside for too long with catching a cold. Sometimes, things just happen! Don’t read too much into it. But, when you run staff surveys throughout the school year, you…
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Thriving Teams: researchED national conference ’24
As ever, the researchED national conference was an inspiring day of learning, networking, and sharing. Luckily, the weather was milder than the scorcher of 2023 (and I didn’t have a flip flop malfunction this year), and Parliament Hill School hosted the event brilliantly, along with Helene, Tom and the big team of helpers. My aim…
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Stuck Teams
It’s a lot of fun exploring research about high-performing teams and applying the principles to your own teams. But sometimes, like anything exciting, it can seem a bit of a utopian dream when things aren’t going well. Every workplace, and every team, has its own context and circumstances, which is why I’m always reluctant to…
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Team vision: more than a stirring anecdote
Summer events often provide inspirational anecdotes for school leaders when addressing their teams, in September meetings or assemblies. An underdog, against-the-odds story from the Olympics. A holiday anecdote that demonstrates or celebrates different cultural norms. Perhaps, this summer, it will be the resilience and collaboration of communities in the face of riots. To my shame…
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Eleven Rings, by Phil Jackson
Opening Gambit I love Michael Jordan’s story and career. Growing up in the 1990s, I was too young to understand his talent beyond watching Space Jam and collecting the Tazos (yes, remember them?!) and hearing of the infamous Chicago Bulls team featuring Jordan, and led by the author of this book, Phil Jackson. Like many,…
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Hidden Potential, by Adam Grant
I love Adam Grant’s work. An organisational psychologist by trade, Grant explores motivation, teams, and potential, among many other things. In his book Think Again (blog here), he discusses how we tend to retreat to a bunker with our views and defend them till the end. He explores how we should think more objectively, seek…
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How dysfunctional is your team?
My researchED Warrington talk, 2024 When we think of a dysfunctional team, it’s tempting to conjure an image of a group of people arguing, scowling, raising their voices or storming out of rooms. Overt dislike, perhaps. Toxic leadership with malignant approaches to accountability, maybe. And yes, those things are bad. But the truth is, most…
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researchED National Conference 2023 – The Power of Teams
The National conference was always going to be special for me this year. John Catt and I worked out that, with my book draft submitted in spring, the release date would likely occur around this time. Sure enough, six months later, I had a very happy book launch day in and around the researchED National…
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The sun’s out! Let’s evaluate everything!
The summer term is often when the most evaluation occurs across our school teams. Planning afternoons, away days, and the ever-elusive ‘gained time’ prompt us to consider what we’ve been working on this year. The most effective teams will evaluate and debrief throughout the year, of course, ensuring that it is the norm to review…
