1. “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

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. Group Development
True Community
Emptying
Factions
Pseudo-community Scott Peck, The Different Drummer, 1987

5. Four Quadrants of Group Facilitation
(Davis, Harris, and Webne-Behrman)

6. 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

7. Apply What You’ve Just
Learned…
 Reflect upon what you’ve 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.

8. Addressing 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

9. Needs in Negotiation
substantive psychological
procedural

10. Needs 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

11. Conflict 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?

12. Addressing 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

13. Pre-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

14. Understanding & 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

15. Explore 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?

16. Facilitating Through the “Groan
Zone” (from Sam Kaner,

17. Managing 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…

18. Convergence – 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?

19. Hallmarks of a Good
Agreement
 Fair
 Balanced
 Realistic
 Responds to Needs of the Conflict
 Specific Enough
 As self-enforcing as possible
 Future-oriented

20. Implementation, 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?

21. Scenario
Scenario (built from survey information)
 De-brief  What did you learn?
How might you apply it to your work
with students?

22. Keys 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’

23. Facilitative 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’

24. Additional Resources
 Effective Meetings site:
http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/academicl
 Conflict Resolution Skills site:
http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/onlinetrain

25. Questions?
Please feel free to follow-up at
hwebnebehrman@ohr.wisc.edu or
608-262-9934
***Please provide feedback, as well***