Professionalism
FIVE FUNDAMENTALS OF CIVILITY
Dr. Michael Kaufmann
achieves the opposite effect.
A freshly graduated veterinarian attending his
patients in a small animal hospital is having
trouble finding a stethoscope that works
properly. He gathers them all up, marches into
the office of the staff member responsible
for purchasing, drops them on her desk and
sharply states: “How am I to do my job if none
of these things are any good?”
Civility has many dimensions that involve
oneself, others, as well as the community and
culture we share.
A senior veterinarian, convinced of his own
good ideas and certainty of perspective, talks
over his colleagues at a meeting, diminishing
their contributions.
We recognize these kinds of behaviour. Are
these examples of disruptive behaviour?
Possibly. Unprofessional behaviour? That
might be a stretch. But it’s easy to identify
these kinds of behaviour as lacking in civility.
The Definition Of Civility
What do we mean by “civility?” The dictionary
is brief and constricted, defining civility simply
as polite, or courteous behaviour. Civility is
that, no doubt, but it is more. Civility is not
just a synonym for politeness or courtesy.
Perhaps civility is most easily recognized by
its absence. An interaction characterized
by uncivil behaviour leaves one feeling
uncomfortable, fundamentally disrespected,
diminished and ostracized. Civility, then,
My favourite definition of civility comes
from the U.S.-based Institute for Civility in
Government: “Civility is about more than just
politeness, although politeness is a necessary
first step. It is about disagreeing without
disrespect, seeking common ground as a
starting point for dialogue about differences,
listening past one’s preconceptions, and
teaching others to do the same. Civility is the
hard work of staying present even with those
with whom we have deep-rooted and fierce
disagreements. It is political in the sense that
it is a necessary prerequisite for civic action.
But it is political, too, in the sense that it is
about negotiating interpersonal power such
that everyone’s voice is heard, and nobody’s
is ignored.”
For the purpose of discussion in this and
subsequent articles, an uncivil behaviour is
one which lacks the attributes of civility, and
incivility refers to a condition characterized by
the absence of civility in social interactions.
The Consequences Of Incivility
Michael Leiter has written extensively
on workplace incivility and its
Spring 2016
Vol. 32 No. 1
ISSN 0821-6320
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consequences. In his book, Analyzing and
Theorizing the Dynamics of the Workplace
Incivility Crisis, he describes the negative
impacts of incivility in health care and other
workplaces.
Individuals experience incivility as personal
stress, distress, anxiety, depression,
psychosomatic disorders and burnout.
Naturally these individuals are hard pressed
to live up to their productivity potential. Some
individuals experiencing uncivil behaviour
may, in turn, retaliate by directing unwanted
and unhelpful behaviours towards co-workers
and the organization itself.
continued on page 3
CONTENTS
Legislative Reform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
VCPR revised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Learning in Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Consultations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Ethical dilemma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Strengthening the veterinary profession through quality practice and public accountability.
www.cvo.org