Title: Group Dynamics and Conflict Management Workshop for Student Organization Advisors
1Group Dynamics and Conflict Management Workshop
for Student Organization Advisors
- Harry Webne-Behrman, Office of Human Resource
Development - hwebnebehrman_at_ohrd.wisc.edu
- 608-262-9934
2Welcome!
- 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?
3What 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?
4Group Development
True Community
Emptying
Factions
Pseudo-community
Scott Peck, The Different Drummer, 1987
5Four Quadrants of Group Facilitation (Davis,
Harris, and Webne-Behrman)
6What 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 groups process
7Apply What Youve Just Learned
- Reflect upon what youve just learned. Consider
- 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.
8Addressing Challenging Issues Conflict
Resolution Strategies
- Facilitating the resolution of conflicts within
groups is critical at all phases - Integrate skills
- Communication (Listening/ Asserting)
- Interest-based Negotiation
- Problem-Solving and Analysis
- Consensus-building
9Needs in Negotiation
psychological
substantive
procedural
10Needs in Negotiation
- 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
11Conflict Resolution Process Overview (Inside the
Paradox)
- Focus on each stage as an opportunity to exercise
leadership - 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?
12Addressing Conflictive Issues within Groups
- 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
13Pre-Negotiation
- 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
14Understanding Clarifying Issues
- 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
15Explore Options with Flexibility and Respect
- 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?
16Facilitating Through the Groan Zone (from Sam
Kaner,
17Managing Impasse Hanging out in the Groan Zone
of Ambiguity and Uncertainty
- 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
18Convergence Building Effective Agreements
- 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?
19Hallmarks of a Good Agreement
- Fair
- Balanced
- Realistic
- Responds to Needs of the Conflict
- Specific Enough
- As self-enforcing as possible
- Future-oriented
20Implementation, Assessment and Feedback
- Do all you can to implement the Agreement
- Arrange a time to meet together and review the
Agreement - Did we follow through with the agreement?
- Is it working? How can it be improved?
- Are there any additional areas of concern?
21Scenario
- Scenario (built from survey information) ?
De-brief ? What did you learn? How might you
apply it to your work with students?
22Keys to Success Communicating with Integrity
- 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
23Facilitative Leadership
- Focus on the process If you build it, they
will come. - Monitor underlying needs and concerns of all
staff Create channels for open, honest
routine communication - 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
24Additional Resources
- Effective Meetings site http//www.ohrd.wisc.edu/
academicleadershipsupport/howto1.htm - Conflict Resolution Skills site
http//www.ohrd.wisc.edu/onlinetraining/resolution
/index.htm
25 Questions?
-
- Please feel free to follow-up at
hwebnebehrman_at_ohr.wisc.edu or - 608-262-9934
- Please provide feedback, as well