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[neniaf]

When I was a Chair, there were several things, besides transparency (and you will soon find that you are limited in the transparency you can deliver on, as others above you ask you to keep things confidential), which kept my department functioning reasonably well.

One was that I remembered, and kept reminding everyone, that the students were the focus of what we were doing.  Of course, that works better at a student-centered place than at a large research university, but it was really easy for faculty to get into their own little worlds and fight for their own personal preferences, to the detriment of the students.  It makes no sense, for example, for everyone to be fighting over teaching times that don't meet student needs, or to insist on teaching courses within one's area of research interest if the students don't need or want those courses.

In addition, make sure that you focus on the tasks at hand, rather than on your own feelings.  I, like most people, hate it when others are angry at me.  But that is not the point.  We are there to get things done, and while I would like everyone to do that happily, it doesn't always happen.  In fact, I found that when I focused on trying to keep the squeaky wheel happy, it often ended up angering others, who thought that individual was being given too many concessions.  Sometimes you just have to say (kindly) to a faculty member, "This isn't your turn.  You don't get to make this decision.  I've heard your perspective, and have taken it into consideration, but I've chosen to do it otherwise."  They will not be happy, but twenty others will be.

Another was that I always remembered that if I were to take something away from someone, I had to give them something in return, or they would feel cheated.  A lot of deals were brokered.  But if I needed someone to change behavior in some way, I had to offer them a benefit in return, whether that benefit were a monetary or time benefit, extra recognition for something they had done, or a responsibility in which they could prove themselves.

Fourthly, when a conversation threatened to be awkward, structuring the environment in which it would take place helped.  I once had to run a faculty meeting as part of the interview process, and at the end of it several people mentioned that this was the first time they had heard any of the junior faculty actually speak at a meeting!  The difference was that I structured the discussion, but planning the composition of subgroups, who would speak when, and what they were to talk about so that everyone would have a chance to speak, rather than letting the conversation be dominated by the usual suspects. 

Fifthly, you will have some faculty who you believe are more capable and more reasonable than others, and it will be your tendency to give them all of the opportunities and to leave the others out.  Know that you are being watched, and that this will be seen as unfairness, no matter what you do.  I found that I spent a lot of time figuring out how to be even-handed, and yet not to waste opportunities on those who did not make the most of them.  For example, for me it made sense to start out by distributing research budgets evenly, but to tell faculty that if they failed to produce without a good reason for that, that the money would be redistributed in the future to ensure that it was not wasted.  I had one person who, every year, insisted on money in his travel budget to go to conferences and who, for the first two years, cancelled those conferences at the last minute for trivial reasons.  I had to get stern with him and remind him that this kept others from going to conferences they WOULD attend and that much of the money would be redistributed, as promised.  If he were to use the remainder productively, I would reconsider in the future.

Finally, remember that as an administrator, some degree of suspicion will always exist.  There are times when it makes sense to step back and let someone else present your ideas, simply because if they came from you, they would not be accepted.  This often happens when the dean, the provost, or the president has done something the faculty don't like; all administrators come under suspicion at those times, and no one wants to hear anything more from an administrator, no matter how innocent of the original "crime".

[ccchair]

Hi.  You might find the following thread on this topic useful: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,38079.0/topicseen.html

In it, I wrote this:

I'm nearing the end of a second term as chair, with a break in between the two terms.  Taking over both times was really difficult.  Here's what I see as things to avoid and things to do:

Avoid:

    * taking the job for the wrong reasons: extra money, lighter teaching load, perception of power.  Your colleagues are smart people.  They'll figure you out very quickly and it'll make life miserable for all.
    * staying on too long. Better yet, say up front you'll do it for only one term. This eliminates the possibility that your actions will be questioned in terms of campaigning for a 2nd term.
    * threatening or bullying untenured colleagues.  Oh no, you say, I would never do that. Well, I've seen it happen by people who swear they'd never do such a thing and rail against such behavior to others.  What does this mean in reality?  It means, for example, choosing to be inconvenienced to find an adjunct to teach a section rather than pressuring an untenured faculty member to take on an overload or section at an undesirable time. It means avoiding dumping important but difficult and unglamorous committee work on new faculty.
    * anything that might even be remotely seen as favoritism
    * thinking you can fix everything. You can't. In a dysfunctional department, you're better off spending your initial efforts making faculty feel safe and valued.

Do:

    * focus on a few specific goals for your department that you reach by consensus and lead the department to accomplishing those goals
    * hold only as many department meetings as you need. This varies per department and institution.
    * mentor new faculty and know what's going on with senior faculty
    * hire colleagues who are not only good teachers/scholars but also good people and potential leaders
    * take student complaints seriously.  Don't be dismissive.  Don't be afraid to have difficult conversations with faculty.
    * make the choice to do the right thing.  It seems simple, but it's not.  Start with "What's best for the department, the program, and the students?" and you'll always be on the right track.

[thundering_m]

well said CChair

[baphd1996]

I think it is different for different people, but when I was a chair I felt it was important to suuport my faculty.  The President and Board of Trustees are advocates for the school.  Teachers, advisors, counselors are advocates for the students.  I felt it was my job to be an advocate for the Faculty.  Our Faculty Senate, as hard as they work, have absolutely no influence over the Administration, as a Chair I at least had a little.

[baphd1996]

The suggestions by diefluffykitty  are pretty good.