Agreements vs Rules

Here at Team Agreements we talk a lot about rules versus agreements and the important differences between the two. In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a rule is “a prescribed guide for conduct or action”. Whereas agreements are “an arrangement as to a course of action.” Basically, rules are usually top down and tend to be compliance based with little room for negotiation. As opposed to agreements which are usually negotiable and tend to be collaborative in nature.

And this is where team agreements come in. For teams to really work well together there has to be a focus on collaboration and negotiation, especially as we work together toward a common goal. This can be a struggle for many teams as often, many of the tasks we work on is compliance based.

As we think about reopening, we know that school will look very different. There will be many new regulations and changes that we’re just beginning to consider. As you start to look at what this means for your program and classrooms, here are some questions to consider for yourself and then as part of a team.

What is our common goal? What will our “perfect” day look like in the new “normal”? and knowing our strengths and weaknesses, what will it take for our team to get there?

When was the last time you made an agreement with a team member? What were some of the challenges? What were some of the “ahas” or successes?