Research paper

CHALLENGES TO GROUP PROCESS
Facilitators may face a range of challenges to effective group process: individuals have different agendas; the discussion has no focus; the discussion is dominated by certain individuals; some individuals keep interrupting; some individuals remain silent; individuals
lose their attention; individuals have difficulty listening to other’s ideas; statements or questions put some people on the defensive; individuals are not saying what they really think;
individuals are confused about what decisions they have made (Eller, 2004; Kosmoski &
Pollack, 2000; Lewicki et al., 2010). To illustrate facilitation strategies for each of these
obstacles, I will use a conflict situation between various helping professionals with conflicting ideas about how to regulate their professions.
1. Different Agendas
In a room full of 50 people, you might have 51 different opinions about the purpose of the
meeting. If people come into a meeting with different agendas, at least some will come
away feeling disappointed. CR begins before people meet, particularly with large groups.
Everyone should be prepared with the following types of information: goals for the meeting, who will be attending, who will be facilitating the process, roles of various participants2
(Lewicki et al., 2010), and what materials or information people need to bring to the meeting. Proper preparation means pre-empting surprises. Some surprises are entertaining.
I remember one evening meeting in which I told everyone the coffee was decaffeinated but
later found out my colleague accidentally used full-strength. We were hoping that decaf
would help calm participants, but we kept noticing people becoming more stimulated as
the night wore on. Note how this section is titled Agenda Setting, but I have gone off on a
tangent with my own agenda, telling a cute anecdote. Let’s refocus.
To prepare for a meeting, the facilitator should decide whether to meet with individuals or subgroups that will be participating at the larger meeting. Meeting with individuals or small subgroups is particularly desirable when the level of conflict is high and man