“Don’t be afraid of opposition. Remember, a kite rises against, not with, the wind.” Hamilton Wright Mabie
Whenever two or more people assemble to define direction for an organization, there’s going to be differing viewpoints. Our unique personalities and approaches can lead to disagreement, conflict, and outright dissent.
Social psychologist Kurt Lewin suggested that people take on distinctive behaviors and roles when working in a group. The term ‘group dynamics’ describes the effects of the behaviors and roles on a group’s members and on the group overall1. These dynamics can be both positive and negative.
When positive, organizations experience beneficial outcomes. Positive conflict can result in more effective decision making. Constructive deliberation and debate delivers more informed decisions and stimulates innovative and creative thinking.
But when conflict turns negative, it can lead to situations where winning at any cost overwhelms coming to consensus on what’s best for the organization. At the organizational level, it prevents groups from attaining their goals. For individual group members, perspectives and opinions are not as valued, and may be opposed or silenced. When a group is more focused on winning, placing blame and attacking personalities, its ability to resolve issues and consider new ideas and approaches is limited.
For boards of directors, common areas of disagreement are financial, structural, or procedural, or disputes arising from the personal behaviors and attitudes of members. A board member has serious concerns about a recent board decision or the basis on which that decision was made. One board member is openly critical of another’s ideas or finds fault in their contribution, discouraging other members from participating. Perhaps there is a member who offers disruptive commentary at a critical point in the discussion, upsetting any progress made. Fortunately, strategies exist to improve and eliminate the effect of negative conflict on group dynamics.
First, do we understand the cause of the conflict? Is the conflict objectively based or emotional? Seek to understand what negative conflict looks like and where it arises from.
- Is there competition between members or factions on the board? Perhaps there is a need to win at all costs or a power struggle for control of the discussion and outcome.
- Is avoidance or group think at play? Are there individuals who withdraw at the first sign of conflict or hold back on sharing their opinions for fear of being criticized? Are members prioritizing consensus ahead of expressing opposing or critiquing other’s views?
- Are there personality conflicts between members? Aggressive, invalidating or recognition-seeking individuals are examples of personalities that can disrupt the group dynamic.
- Does the group suffer from ineffective or weak leadership? Leaders that take charge, refocus the discussion, disarm charged and emotional interactions and model positive behavior, can strongly influence the group dynamic.
- Are board members and staff prepared to serve the organization? A lack of board member and staff training, inexperience, or understanding of roles and expectations can result in ineffective group dynamics.
Now, apply basic principles and tactics to create good group dynamics.
- Know your board and staff. Recognize both positive and negative behaviors to get in front of issues early and before they can affect the group.
- Cultivate awareness. Stay alert for early signs of concerning group dynamics. Be ready to confront any issues quickly and decisively.
- Clearly define roles and responsibilities. Ensure that board members and staff understand their roles and responsibilities and the overarching mission, vision, and goals of the organization.
- Lead by example and practice open communication. Develop strong leadership and facilitator skills and provide training when this is lacking. Ensure clarity in communications and briefings and keep everyone fully informed.
- Encourage a culture that honors mutual respect, cooperation, positive discourse and debate and constructive evaluation and feedback.
Use multiple strategies to accomplish these objectives and prepare your boards, committees, and staff.
- Board, committee, and staff onboarding and orientation. Conduct an annual board orientation to provide a clear understanding of governance and clarify expectations, roles, and responsibilities. Make conflict management and resolution part of the orientation process. Expand to include an orientation for committee chairs and members. Similarly, onboard and orient staff to ensure effective facilitation and support of the board and committees.
- Strong, well-articulated governing documents and best practices for maintaining these. Establish and share governing documents (bylaws, policies, and procedures, etc.) with board and committee members and staff.
- Orderly board, committee, and organizational processes in place. Establish procedural rules for conducting board and committee business. Articulate and regularly review key performance indicators. Provide agendas and concise briefings a week in advance of meetings. Prepare minutes to clearly present issues discussed, the decisions made, and the basis for them. Provide regular updates on implementation.
Boards and committees comprise diverse groups of people and personalities and there will be times when not everyone agrees, a normal and inevitable consequence of group dynamics. But remember, we WANT positive conflict. A board that never disagrees is either idle, passive, or indifferent. The goal is not to avoid challenging conversations. It is to learn to effectively deal with conflict and employ strategies that improve the group dynamic, leading to high-functioning, cooperative and motivated boards working for the benefit of their organizations.
“The quality of our lives depends not on whether or not we have conflicts, but on how we respond to them.” Thomas Crum
1 Lewin, K. (1947). Frontiers in group dynamics. Human Relations, 1 (1), pp. 5-41.