Tenure-track jobs & departmental politics

In our new thread soliciting questions on tips for faculty on the tenure-track, the OP asks: how involved should you get in department politics or the direction of the department (if at all)?

This is a good question, and not an easy one to answer. On the one hand, departmental politics (and university politics, for that matter) can involve all kinds of risks--alienating people with power over your career, etc. On the other hand, I know of some cases where departments have factions of various sorts and not getting involved in departmental politics is itself risky--as members of the various factions might expect a new TT member to 'choose sides', as it were. Finally, as a tenure track faculty member you might feel like you have a right and duty of some kind to get involved: to help push the department in one direction rather than another.

In my 12 years at my current university, I have seen tenure-track faculty adopt vastly different styles here. I've seen faculty who try to stay out of the fray, as it were, and I've seen faculty get deeply involved--and speak out a lot--in both departmental and university politics. It's never been entirely clear to me what the best approach is. 

What do you all think? It might be good to hear some stories or experiences from TT faculty who have adopted one approach or the other. Was getting involved in departmental (or university) politics fruitful, or did it turn out to be more trouble than it was worth? Or, did you just keep your head down and focus on teaching and research?

Comments

[Good with the gods]

I was in a small department with five people - one was pre-tenure. He ended up feeling he had to abstain from any important decision or he risked offending half the department. It was a very dysfunctional situation. I moved to somewhere better, leaving my @hole colleagues behind, and I then helped the junior person get a job elsewhere. I now have many points storied up with the gods. (They eat that stuff up)

[Socrates]

What do you mean by “departmental politics”?

[Prof L]

My sense is that it’s not wise to get involved in a contentious departmental culture. On the other hand, I think it can be bad to look like you a) don’t care or b) are passive or wishy-washy. So, speak up every once in a while, this can be done prudently. I engage, but I do think I’ve alienated important people and won’t get tenure if my case is at all borderline. People will be more focused on the weaknesses in your file if they want you gone; a negative vote will be much more readily justified. But I just hated being sidelined out of fear, or feeling like I couldn’t be myself or say the things I really thought. So I ignored the advice of well-meaning colleagues and jumped into the fray.

I think it’s delightful that someone does not know what is meant by departmental politics.