Friday, December 26, 2014

Bagman and Crouch: How Not to be Department Head


It’s funny how you notice new things when re-reading a book. What jumped out at me reading through the Goblet of Fire this time around were the characteristics of Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch. They are both introduced as Ministry of Magic Department Heads early in the book. New Hogwarts alum Percy Weasley who works in Crouch’s department is discussing aspects of his job with his father Arthur (also a Ministry employee). Percy says that they are not getting the support of Bagman’s department and is about to say something about Bagman when his father interrupts.  Arthur Weasley says he likes Ludo, and that Ludo got them the good World Cup tickets as a return favor for getting his brother out of a tight spot.

Percy’s response: “Oh Bagman’s likable enough… but how he ever got to be Head of Department when I compare him to Mr. Crouch! I don’t see Mr. Crouch losing a member of our department and not trying to find out what’s happened to them.” Percy then goes on to describe Bagman as being nonchalant and seemingly unworried, and in fact joking about the missing person misreading a map and getting lost. On the other hand, Percy idolizes Crouch and seems to think he is the best and greatest Head of Department ever.

Chapter 7 in Book 4 is titled “Bagman and Crouch”. This is where Harry meets the two men who couldn’t be more different from one another. Bagman shows up first. He is a former international athlete with a “rosy complexion” and looks like “an overgrown schoolboy”. He does not follow the Ministry dress code to look like a Muggle at the World Cup campgrounds. He is enthusiastic, happy-go-lucky, somewhat clueless as to what is going on, somewhat irresponsible (as he is trying to be a bookie on the match), and very friendly. He is well-liked (except perhaps for the people trying to get work done who have to run around covering for him), enjoys chatting with people, and seems to be socially adept.

Crouch appears next, and is described as a “stiff, upright, elderly man, dressed in an impeccable crisp suit and tie”. Crouch is also very well groomed and “Harry could see why Percy idolized [Crouch]. Percy was a great believer in rigidly following rules and Mr. Crouch had complied with the rule about Muggle dressing so thoroughly…” Crouch is introduced as being impatient, efficient, work-focused in his conversation, careful to make well-qualified statements, very knowledgeable, and a stickler for regulation. Later in the book we learn that Crouch is powerful, talented, very ambitious, and that he badly treats those who stand in his way particularly if they are his inferiors.

As I was reading about Crouch in Chapter 7, the word “Grouch” came to mind. Crouch the Grouch. Very good and efficient at what he does, and does not deal well with incompetency or disloyalty. Now I happen to prize highly being efficient and doing my job competently (preferably with excellence). I’d like to think I’m knowledgeable and talented too. And one thing I did notice when I became Department Chair is that my conversations with my colleagues the first couple of months were almost exclusively work-related and they were short and crisp, because I was trying to be efficient. Being laden with the extra administrative work, I would run meetings very efficiently because I don’t want to waste the time of my colleagues (who are also very busy). It takes a lot of legwork and preparation to run an efficient meeting so that it is tight, focused and things get done. I think I’m now a little better with “loosening up” and making more of an effort to continue having those relationship-building conversations I used to have before I became Chair.

I’m not at all like Bagman. I’m introverted and tend to avoid social events with larger groups of people. I don’t exude friendliness or charm. And unlike Bagman, at work, I am on top of things for the most part. (My colleagues would describe me as being very efficient in my work.) I certainly don’t want to be like Crouch in his rigidity and efficiency, and lack of care for people, particularly if they are not as “efficient” as I would prefer them to be. My predecessors worked hard in creating a culture within the department that makes it a joy to come to work. I need to continue in that vein, although the department is a lot more complicated now than it was when I first joined. I now oversee almost 40 faculty and staff; we have more than doubled in size. Our number of majors have doubled, our class offerings have doubled, we have way more equipment and chemicals to deal with, we have much more external grant dollars, and administrative burdens and regulations have increased significantly.

Another way I am not like Crouch is that I do not have ambitions to ascend the power ladder. I actually have no interest in being a Department Head. I’d much rather focus on the direct education of my students, however right now it is optimum for my department that I take on the role as Chair. I am pleased to be part of a high-functioning department so this is not an onerous task and I am not laden with department infighting and politics. In fact I work with a great group of folks! It’s still very, very busy administrative work though. Managing class/teaching schedules and budgets is probably one of my largest tasks even with administrative staff support. I find myself reading and signing lots of forms. I have now developed a more efficient scrawl and I no longer write out the date in full (as I used to). I’m not as happy with the time and energy I’ve put into teaching my classes while being chair (i.e. I could do better). Making forward progress in research and managing an undergraduate-only research group is not easy with the time constraints.

That being said, there are highlights to being department chair: I get to announce faculty, student and staff awards and achievements. It’s particularly gratifying because I usually get to make a small contribution in a letter of support. Writing these letters remind me how lucky I am to be working with fine colleagues and great students! By running the department smoothly and efficiently, and behind-the-scenes as much as possible, I allow my faculty to thrive by giving them the time, space and energy (and resources where possible, even those are tight) to do excellent work. There is less of the immediate gratification from teaching more students in class and in the research lab, but that’s okay. Maybe I’ll even get used to it after a while. (I haven’t been chair long enough to love the job. However I don’t hate it, which is probably the more important thing right now.)

Since I hope not to emulate Bagman or Crouch, who might be a better role model? Dumbledore, of course! Dumbledore seems to know how to respond to issues with the right measure. Instead of rigidly trying to control what happens, he allows people to make mistakes but gives appropriate guidance, encouragement and support. He is generous with his time and energy, and patiently supports his teaching staff. Dumbledore could well have become a Department Head in the Ministry of Magic, and could even have become Minister of Magic (equivalent to the Prime Minister or the executive/operational leader of a country). But instead he chose to spend his time in the education of Hogwarts students.

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