Overt and Covert Group Dynamics: An Innovative Approach for Conflict Resolution Preparation

• Author: Katherine J. Sosa,Neil H. Katz,Suzzette A. Harriott
• Published date: 01 March 2016
• Date: 01 March 2016
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21159

C R Q, vol. 33, no. 3, Spring 2016 313

© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the Association for Confl ict Resolution

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/crq.21159

Overt and Covert Group Dynamics: An Innovative

Approach for Con ict Resolution Preparation

Neil H. Katz

Katherine J. Sosa

Suzzette A. Harriott

Group work is a necessary but often bewildering part of working in

the fi eld of confl ict resolution. Although programs provide skill practice

courses to prepare confl ict professionals, their opportunity to engage in

settings that refl ect the challenging work of operating in the midst of a

heightened emotional environment is limited. One course that at least

approximates those conditions is based on the Tavistock approach to

group relations and emulates the covert and overt dynamics that occur

in groups.  is article advocates for experiential educational events such

as this to improve training for confl ict resolution professionals and is

supported by interview data collected from participants.

Academic and training programs in confl ict resolution have expanded

greatly over the past two decades (Polkinghorn et al. 2006). Prog-

nosticators of current and emerging job trends in our fi eld confi rm that

Neil Katz is responsible for the introduction to this article, the background of the Tavistock

Workshop and approach. Katz and Katherine Sosa wrote the description of the course and the

last section on the value of the approach. Sosa is the author of the results as learning outcomes

and Suzzette Harriott is the author of the section on research methods as well as the design of

the methodology.

 e article presents a short summary of some theories.  e brevity is intentional as the

course itself needs to be experienced to have the theories make sense, which is why they are

presented in a just-in-time sequence.

It is not unusual for followers of the Tavistock model to experiment with diff erent adapta-

tions of the original design and structure of the Tavistock model of the Group Relations Confer-

ence. Most of these adaptations are additions to, not subtractions from, the original design. See

Wilson and McRae (2003).

314 katz, sosa, harriott

C R Q • DOI: 10.1002/crq

the role of confl ict practitioner will be highly competitive and demand-

ing (Rhudy 2001).  e road to success for an applied professional can

be challenging, and there is some doubt that academic programs are

adequately preparing graduates to succeed (Carstarphen et al. 2010).

One response to this dilemma may be to design and deliver more cur-

ricular off erings that will better prepare students and faculty to work

successfully in groups and organizations under confl ict conditions and

to conduct research on how to do this.  is article describes a unique

curricular off ering for preparing confl ict resolution trainees.  is course

approximates the heightened emotional conditions of confl ict and

contributes to the cognitive understanding of group dynamics while

highlighting the importance of emotional intelligence for confl ict inter-

venors.

Confl ict resolution, like riding a bike, cannot be mastered solely by

reading about it. “In a fi eld where the practical application of theory is

central to the education process, it makes sense for students to be exposed

to real-world attempts” in which they need to perform (Reilly 2013, 460).

However, for students taking a hybrid of online and residential courses,

direct fi eld application may not always be a feasible option.  e challenge

is then to create something that simulates the conditions for active learning

because, as Fowler (2005) suggests, “if an appropriate learning environ-

ment is carefully nurtured . . . active learning can prove to be an excep-

tional way to boost professional development” (172).

Numerous models have been studied and developed in the hope of

facilitating active learning, where students can engage in higher-order

cognitive problem solving. Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956), Kolb’s experiential

learning model (1984, 1988), and Bonwell and Eison’s (1991) report on

active learning methodology comprise critical research that can inform

curriculum in this fi eld. According to Kolb’s model, curriculum should

integrate the following components (Reilly 2013, 449):

1. Concrete experience refers to observing events and relationships

through engagement and personal involvement.

2. Refl ective observation follows concrete experience and involves

processing and analyzing direct experiences.

3. Abstract conceptualization is the process by which students develop

generalized models that integrate ideas of how experiences are

An Innovative Approach for Con ict Resolution Preparation 315

C R Q • DOI: 10.1002/crq

inter-related. From these models, a student generates expectations

and predictions of how the world should work.

4. Active experimentation involves testing these expectations in light of

real-world experience.

Based on more than forty years of experience in confl ict consulting and

teaching, one course that at least approximates the conditions of work in

the fi eld and supports active learning is based on the Tavistock approach

to group relations. Confl ict specialists who intervene regularly with groups

and teams in distress understand they are walking into emotionally tense,

volatile situations. As they work productively on these issues, it is impor-

tant for them to be resourceful by managing their own emotions but also

managing the parties’ needs.  is work calls for a challenging set of obser-

vation and diagnostic skills to accurately interpret what is going on before

deciding on and delivering an intervention strategy.

 e covert and overt dynamics that occur in groups and confl ict can

be nurtured in a laboratory experience.  e Tavistock approach provides

an opportunity for the active learning necessary to inform these skills.

Its emphasis on covert and overt dynamics, role and boundary clar-

ity, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship

management helps practitioners develop the tools and skills needed to

succeed in the fi eld. For this reason, an educational event based on an

experiential learning model may be a valuable component to off er par-

ticipants in confl ict analysis and resolution programs and training.  is

training method can be delivered as an academic course or in a shorter

training format.

Data and Methods

 is article shares data related to the impact of this course on its partici-

pants. Our research team obtained approval from the Institutional Review

Board at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to con-

duct research. Two members of our research team interviewed twenty-fi ve

participants from four annual courses delivered to graduate students in the

Department of Confl ict Resolution Studies from 2011 to 2014. Before

presenting the data collected from interviews of former participants,

we present the Tavistock approach.