Using Ground Rules to Develop Effective Groups
A facilitator needs to understand specific behaviors that improve a group’s process
· Using specific examples along with the group rules to:
1. test assumptions and inferences
2. share all relevant information
3. agree on what important words mean
How are the ground rules helpful to use?
· They serve as a diagnostic tool
· They can be a teaching tool for developing effective group norms
· By making them explicit, the group can share responsibility for improving their process
· They guide the facilitator’s behavior
Facilitator Interventions
· What is the gift that is being presented? By framing the words and actions heard as a gift (vs. a threat), they can be more easily accepted and commented on openly, honestly and “in the moment”. If I become angry, fearful, or embarrassed and focus on my emotions only, I then stop attending to the group and I lose effectiveness.
· Move toward the conflict. By publicly identifying the conflict in the group and having an open dialogue about it, the members can explore how they contributed to the conflict, how they are feeling about it now, and how to deal with it.
· Follow through on interventions. Some interventions result in defensiveness, indirect expressions of emotions, or discomfort. Use the ground rules to discuss your purpose behind your intervention and what they would need to happen for them to continue. Another option is to:
· Use a meta-intervention where you refer to a previous intervention and explore with the group what it was that led them to not respond to the initial intervention.
The Unilateral Control Model is a personal theory that is used in interactions with others when they are perceived as threatening or embarrassing; it is designed (sometimes unconsciously) to protect us. We are trying to get others to do what we want them to do.
We try to achieve our goal by acting unilaterally to control the conversation. The results often create the very thing we are trying to avoid.
· I want to achieve my goal through unilateral control
§ Win, don’t lose
§ Don’t express negative feelings
§ Act rationally
· I know what is going on, others may not and those who disagree are wrong
§ My position is justified (and needs little to no explanation)
§ Others either agree with me, misunderstand or are wrong
· My strategy is to: not share my reasoning, do advocate my position (only), don’t ask about others’, do “ease in” and do attempt to save face
· The consequence is misunderstanding, conflict and defensiveness
§ Mistrust
§ Self-fulfilling prophecy
§ Limited learning
§ Reduced personal and group effectiveness
· Examples:
o Ruth tells people what decision should be made or which course of action should be taken. She has her solution in hand and proposes it to the group expecting instant agreement.
o Ruth gets exasperated if anyone asked her the reasoning behind her “solution” because that would mean giving up control of the situation.
o When Sammy responds with his own (and different) ideas, then Ruth will tell him that he is wrong, or at best, misunderstanding her idea. In fact, Sammy may be seen as a threat and a problem to her personally.
o Ruth will “ease in” by asking questions or making statements that indirectly show her point of view and that will get others to see things her way.
o To save face, Ruth will state her conclusions, not share her reasoning (because that could be faulty) and not share specific examples—because to identify people by name would make them defensive (according to the unilateral control model).
o Ruth actually misunderstands the situation because she assumes the situation is just as she sees it. She bases her actions on untested inferences about others instead of checking them out.
o Ruth lives out the self-fulfilling prophecy by following this model: By attempting to control the conversation and pushing her point of view, and by not being open to other’s viewpoints, Ruth is seen as defensive—the very thing she is trying to avoid for herself and others. By easing in and asking others questions (without explaining why she is asking them) Ruth makes others wary and cautious in their response to her.
The Mutual Learning Model
Using this model, you assume that others may see what you miss and vice versa. Here, differences are opportunities for learning, not threats or challenges to your authority or knowledge. The group interactions are like a puzzle with everyone having some piece to offer and the group task is to jointly figure out what the puzzle looks like.
- The members seek to create valid information (i.e., all the relevant information you have on the subject and that ideally can be validated by those concerned.
- You seek to create free and informed choice so that people agree to do things because they have the relevant information and because they believe the decision makes sense.
- You develop internal commitment to the decisions and people join in to take action and implement the decision.
- You value compassion—temporarily suspending judgment to appreciate others’ perspectives.
Compared to the Unilateral Control Model, the Mutual Learning Model values the following core values and assumptions:
- Curiosity to learn more about the topic of discussion and about what others may know that you may be missing.
- Transparency is the ability to share all relevant information and strategies in a way that is timely and valid.
- Joint accountability means sharing responsibility for the current situation, including the consequences it creates. It also means addressing your problems with others directly, rather than avoiding them or asking others to do this for you.
