“Group Dynamics and Conflict
Management” Workshop for
Student Organization Advisors
Harry Webne-Behrman, Office of
Human Resource Development
hwebnebehrman@ohrd.wisc.edu
608-262-9934
Welcome!
So, what does this description mean to you?
…this workshop is designed to help student
organization advisors work with their students in
healthy and productive ways. Specifically,
participants will review what are common group
dynamics and strategies for maintaining healthy
group dynamics. In addition, participants will learn
how to deal with inevitable conflict within their
student organizations.
Where should we focus our time and energy this
evening?
What do we know?
What works?
Quick Interview:
Describe an experience in which you were
the student (or mentee) and had a highly
constructive relationship with your advisor
(mentor).
What stands out about that experience?
What were some of the strengths of that
advising relationship?
Group Development
True Community
Emptying
Factions
Pseudo-community
Scott Peck, The Different Drummer, 1987
Four Quadrants of Group Facilitation
(Davis, Harris, and Webne-Behrman)
SELF
GROUP/ORG.
CULTURE
TASK/PLAN
GROUP/ORG.
OUTCOME
What does this mean for you?
Connect back to issues raised earlier

Groups (and relationships) go through stages
of development

Interactions among participants are often
complex (as discerned from simple or
complicated) and emergent

Advisors need to find effective ways to help
manage both interior (beliefs, values,
capacity, culture) and exterior (tasks, plans,
outcomes, production) in the group’s process
Apply What You’ve Just
Learned…

Reflect upon what you’ve just learned. Consider:

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Goal – What are you trying to accomplish with your
student group?
Reality – What is happening now? Where are you in
relation to your goal?
Options – What opportunities are available to you?
What obstacles (interior, exterior) appear to exist?
What Next? – What can you apply from your
insights thus far? What else do you need to know in
order to answer this question?
GROW Coaching Model adapted from the work of Graham Alexander and Sir John
Whitmore, and others.
Addressing Challenging Issues:
Conflict Resolution Strategies


Facilitating the resolution of conflicts
within groups is critical at all phases
Integrate skills:

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Communication (Listening/ Asserting)
Interest-based Negotiation
Problem-Solving and Analysis
Consensus-building
Needs in Negotiation
psychological
substantive
procedural
Needs in Negotiation


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Substantive needs = the “stuff” of the
conflict… typical definition of problem
Procedural needs = how we foster a fair
and well understood process… “Ground
Rules”
Psychological needs = concerning trust,
honesty, safety, security, integrity
Conflict Resolution Process
Overview (Inside the Paradox)

Focus on each stage as an opportunity to
exercise leadership:

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What are my personal strengths as I look at the
elements of this process? Where do I need assistance
in order to improve?
How might I facilitate such behaviors in my groups?
How might I model such approaches?
Where are there ‘teachable moments’ from which all
of us may learn together?
How might we support one another in improving our
capacity to manage conflicts effectively?
Addressing Conflictive Issues
within Groups




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Pre-Negotiation
Understanding and Clarifying Issues
Exploring Options with Respect and Flexibility
Managing Impasse… Hanging out in the
“Groan Zone” of Ambiguity and Uncertainty
Convergence – Building Effective Agreements
Implementation, Assessment and Feedback
Pre-Negotiation



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Clarify needs of various participants
Understand individual ‘agendas’
Negotiate for the process and the role
of the facilitator
Build an initial meeting agenda that
emerges from participants’ needs and
interests, dovetailing with group goals
Understanding & Clarifying
Issues



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Be Present – Know your Biases and Hot
Buttons
Actively Listen – seek deeper meaning
Persistently focus and convey emerging
understandings
Assert for the process of the group
Explore Options with Flexibility
and Respect

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Focus on Underlying Needs, Interests and
Concerns
Generate Options
Clarify Criteria
Encourage Flexibility and Model it
Leadership Questions: How flexibly do we
approach challenging issues… are we open to
new approaches and innovative solutions?
Facilitating Through the “Groan
Zone” (from Sam Kaner,
Managing Impasse… Hanging out in
the “Groan Zone” of Ambiguity and
Uncertainty

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Set aside the issue and “name the impasse”
Review definition of the problem
Shift from substantive to procedural needs
Reiterate “ground rules”
Look at BATNA…
Consider a structured break
Treat the impasse with respect
Leadership Question: Do we treat impasse with
respect or do we try to minimize it or abandon the
process when confronting it? This is one of the core
challenges of leadership…
Convergence – Building Effective
Agreements

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Patiently address all key issues
Review the agreement for clarity
Look for “Hallmarks” of a good agreement
Leadership Question: Can we make the time
available to our students to really work
through the meaningful issues that get us
bogged down?
Hallmarks of a Good
Agreement

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Fair
Balanced
Realistic
Responds to Needs of the Conflict
Specific Enough
As self-enforcing as possible
Future-oriented
Implementation, Assessment
and Feedback

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Do all you can to implement the
Agreement
Arrange a time to meet together and
review the Agreement:


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Did we follow through with the agreement?
Is it working? How can it be improved?
Are there any additional areas of concern?
Scenario
Scenario (built from survey information)
 De-brief  What did you learn?
How might you apply it to your work
with students?
Keys to Success: Communicating
with Integrity

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Identify Key stakeholders  involve them in
framing the issues to be addressed
Provide easy access to relevant information
Establish clear channels of communication
that are appropriate to the decision-making
style
Utilize multiple modes of ongoing reports to
stakeholders, as well as relevant ‘public’
Facilitative Leadership

Focus on the process – “If you build it, they

Monitor underlying needs and concerns of all
staff – Create channels for open, honest &
will come.”
routine communication

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Provide information  reduce anxiety
Manage the transitions… help people mark
the ‘endings’ and navigate the ‘neutral zone’
towards a new beginning
Attend to coordinating resources that support
a ‘healthy organization’
Additional Resources


Effective Meetings site:
http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/acade
micleadershipsupport/howto1.htm
Conflict Resolution Skills site:
http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/onlinet
raining/resolution/index.htm
Questions?
Please feel free to follow-up at
hwebnebehrman@ohr.wisc.edu or
608-262-9934
***Please provide feedback, as well***