Conflict Resolution

Conflict is a normal result of a lot of different people with different ideas working together. Though it doesn’t always feel good initially, conflict can eventually lead to more group cohesion and success if everyone takes time to listen to each other and works toward problem solving.

One of the most effective ways to resolve conflict is through collaboration - working together to find a solution that satisfies everyone’s concerns. When you collaborate, everyone wins: People feel good about what took place and therefore mutual respect is enhanced.

Using a Collaborative Approach to Conflict Resolution

1. Diagnose the problem. It is important to gain a clear understanding of the conflict. Is it philosophical, personal, cultural? Is it about different expectations that people have of each other? To determine the problem, it is important to listen to what everyone is saying.
2. Initiate a discussion. Bring the conflicting parties together and state the problem simply and non-defensively. Remind everyone to listen to and respect each other and try to “respond” rather than “react”. Paraphrase what others are saying in order to be sure everyone is being understood.
3. Problem solve. As a group, generate as many solutions to the conflict as you can. Make sure everyone understands that this is just brainstorming, there is no good or bad answer. When there are no more ideas, it’s time to discuss your list. Let everyone have a say, but take care to direct the conversation. Avoid allowing people to coerce others in the group into agreeing with them. Reach a consensus and implement the solution. This may include assigning people to tasks.
4. Evaluation. It’s important to follow-up a little bit later to see how the solution is working for the group. Evaluate the problem-solving process that was used so that you are prepared to address future conflicts.

Negotiating conflict is a difficult process to navigate with any group and you may face some stumbling block as you go through the steps above. But remember, be persistent and acknowledge to yourself and the group that conflict is a normal part of working in a group. Don’t forget to ask for help from your advisor or a Student Leadership and Involvement staff member if you need assistance.

Effective Meetings

Make your Meeting Valuable

When scheduling a meeting, make sure you know what you need to accomplish and make a plan for getting it done. Even when there isn’t much “business” that needs to take place, you can still make your meeting worthwhile by planning a teambuilder or social activity that will strengthen your group.

 

Create an Agenda

Agendas give meetings an order, keep them moving and let people know what’s going on. If possible, send out the agenda a couple of days before the meeting so members can look it over and come prepared and ready to discuss the issues. Also, you might want to begin the meeting with everyone checking in – talking about the last movie they saw, or how their week is going. This will bring the participants a little closer and create a more relaxed atmosphere.

 

Time is Critical: Start and End on Time

Once business has started, keep tangential discussions to a minimum. You might want to assign someone as a time keeper to let you know when it’s getting close to the scheduled ending time.

 

Keep Records

Have someone keep accurate minutes or record of the meeting (decisions, issues, tasks). Give out minutes within a few days of the meeting to all group members whether they attended or not.

 

End on a High Note

Summarize what has been said and end on a positive note by acknowledging the work of everyone at the meeting. Set a time and place for the next meeting at the end of your meeting. Let those who weren’t able to attend know when it will be as soon as possible so they can mark their schedules.

As a leader, one of your jobs is to encourage future leadership. One way to do this is to offer other group members a chance to facilitate a meeting. Rotating facilitators reduces the feeling that one person is in charge and has sole decision-making power. Do all you can to get others involved!

Officer Transitions

For the continued success of the organization, it is important for both the outgoing and incoming officers to collaborate for a smooth transition. Here are a few suggestions:

For the Outgoing Officers:

Prepare a “transition file” or notebook for the new leaders. This may contain information about your group’s mission, goals, traditional activities, position descriptions, constitution, timeline of when to start specific tasks (how far in advance to start planning a large event, begin the budget process, etc.), contact information for helpful resources and people, list of priorities for each term, etc. Also consider including a list of things you wish you would have known going into your position, or lessons you learned along the way that made a difference to you. If your organization made any large decisions or changes this year, include information about why and how those decisions/changes were made.

Schedule both one-on-one meetings with the person who will be transitioning into your position, and a group officer meeting with the incoming and outgoing groups to personally share information, advice and ideas.

Be sure to pass on information about any commitments or reservations that have already been made for next year. Has the MU Ballroom already been reserved for next winter’s event? Have you already agreed to co-sponsor a concert with another group on campus? Are there any projects left-undone? Fill in the new group about the decisions, strategies, and efforts made, including what has worked and hasn’t worked. If they decide to continue the project, this will help them to be successful.

Talk about the fact that the new group will be different than the old group…and that’s okay. Encourage open-mindedness. The new group will need time to learn their jobs, figure out how to work with each other effectively, and develop their goals.

Provide your contact information and an invitation to contact you should the new officer have questions or need assistance. Just knowing that you are willing to be contacted can make a difference.

For the Incoming Officers:

Talk with the outgoing officers about what their goals, traditions, ideas, and strategies (both what worked & didn’t work). You do not have to do things the same ways that they did, but knowing what has happened in the past can provide a good foundation from which to start.

Be willing to ask questions...from outgoing officers, your advisor, the people who are affected by the work you do, other students on campus, etc.

Be willing to try new things. Traditions are nice, but also leave room for new ideas and efforts. Know that it’s okay to not just do what the previous groups have done before you.

Do some team-building with your new group. Even if you have all known each other before, this may be the first time you have all worked together in a team. In addition to doing some team activities, discuss expectations, how to work with each other, what you all need from each other, pet peeves, goals, etc.

Establish common group goals. By the end of the next year, what do you all want to have accomplished? What kind of legacy do you want to build?

Immediately take on a realistic challenge as your first project. Experiencing success with the first project can help the group to feel more confident about their abilities. It also allows the opportunity to try a few things, work with each other, and learn more about leadership styles without a lot of risk. It’s kind of like taking a trial run or bowling a “practice ball” before really starting the game!

Start creating your transition file/notebook from the very beginning. Doing so will make next year’s transition even smoother.

The SLI Leadership Development Team is here to help you with your leadership, group development, and transitional needs. We do one-on-one consultations and can even bring workshops to your meetings. Learn about the workshops at our Leadeship Workshops site.

To request a consultation or workshop, email GetInvolved@oregonstate.edu or call Melissa Yamamoto (541.737.6385).

Recruitment

New ideas, new energy, and new faces help keep your group fresh and ensure that the organization will continue to exist even after the current members have moved on. You can recruit new members all year long. As you are seeking new members, keep in mind that there are at least five major reasons people join organizations:

1. They want to get involved
2. They want to meet people
3. They want to develop leadership skills
4. They believe in the cause/purpose of the organization
5. SOMEONE ASKS THEM TO!

Some possible recruiting methods:

• Contact staff or faculty members who work with target population
• Hang flyers around campus
• Hand out information at a table in the MU Quad
• Use Facebook
• Participate in the Beaver Community Fair or START sessions
• Utilize current members to do personal recruiting of friends or classmates
• Visit other group meetings to spread the word about your organization and its activities
• Advertise your group and events (Barometer, flyers, etc.)
• Recruit at your events

BE CREATIVE!

When someone shows interest in joining the organization, make sure to get their contact information and get in touch with them quickly. Let them know that their participation is important to you and help them feel welcome in the group.

Teambuilding

Creating a team environment in your organization will help you work together more effectively and build a more cohesive, supportive and trusting group. How do you do that?

Set Aside Time Early!

Early in the year have a meeting or a retreat to talk as a group about who you are and what each person’s expectations are for the coming year. Make it at a comfortable place, bring snacks and give yourselves plenty of time to discuss the important issues.

 

Use Icebreakers

Icebreakers are one good place to start with teambuilding. Icebreakers can help in learning each other’s names and making connections between people, as well as simply allowing the group to have fun together. Check out some of the icebreaker ideas in the following resources:

• Teamwork & Teamplay
• Index to Group Activities, Games, Exercises & Initiatives
• “The Ultimate Icebreaker and Teambuilding Guide” by Jon Tucker (2007, Lulu.com Publishing)

Focus on Communication

At one of your first meetings, discuss appropriate ways to communicate in a group setting in order to establish an open and trustworthy environment. This will help determine the tone of all of your meetings throughout the year. Try modeling good communication skills to the group - listen, emphasize positive things, encourage feedback.

 

Don’t Stop!

Don't stop building a team after the first meeting. Throughout the year, it is important that you continue to communicate, get to know each other, talk about goals and visions and most of all, keep having fun!

Funding Resources

Funding Resources

Student organization funding may come from many different sources.  Some organizations institute dues or participation fees, host fundraisers or solicit funding from many places including those listed below.  Student organization fundraising activities being held on campus must be reported through the student organization database.  The Student Events & Activities Center can provide ideas for successful fundraisers.

Student-Fee-Funded Organizations

Student fees are utilized to support student organization development and activies.  These funds are made available through a number of funding boards, depending on unique criteria (i.e. sport clubs are funded through the recreational sports board).  Additionally, some student organizations receive annual funding or fund balance allocation through the Educational Activities Committee.

Educational Activities

Recognized student organizations may be able to receive funding from the Educational Activities Committee (ED-ACT) which exists to support the cultural and intellectual community on campus, to address the needs of students who are members of an underrepresented group, and to increase student retention through the contribution of extracurricular programs. For information about applying for or accessing ED-ACT funds visit the ED-ACT website.

 

Student Foundation

Student organizations can apply for funding from the Student Foundation. The foundation will consider funding events, equipment purchases, travel, and more. To apply, pick-up an application in the Student Events & Activities Center, MU 103. You can also email student_foundation@oregonstate.edu or find visit the Student Foundation Website.

 

Departments

If your club or organization affiliated with a campus department, you may be able to request financial assistance. Some of the key components to a request include showing how the department and students within the department would benefit.

 

Community Businesses or Organizations

You may want to consider requesting funds from a community business or organization (some examples include grocery stores, CH2MHill, banks, HP, new businesses, restaurants). Sponsorship requests to companies or corporations should be made in writing with a professional quality letter or proposal. Include the purpose of the request, the history of the program, type of recognition offered to donors, and instructions on how to make the gift. It is important to follow-up with an in-person visit.

 

National Organization

Some student organizations may find national organizations or grants will support their activities. Use your advisor and other professional resources to help locate these opportunities.

Money Management

Money Management

How you manage your funds is often dependant on your funding source.  For funds that student organizations directly raise through dues, fundraisers, etc, the Memorial Union provides access to a student organization Funds in Trust (FIT) account (information below).  For all other funding sources, contact that budget authority to identify appropriate use and documentation of money expendatures.  

Memorial Union Accounting Office

The MU Accounting Office provides the following services:

1. Accepts and records deposits of organization’s funds

2. Processes requests for checks to pay bill

3. Issues cash reimbursements

4. Keeps a running balance of organizational funds

5. Provides a monthly online statement on the status of your account

6. Provides cash boxes for student organization events

Having an account with the MU does not put restrictions on the use of your money, and it is an excellent resource for record keeping and money management.

If you have already set up your MU account, you can access it using the following link:

https://bfpsystems.oregonstate.edu/OpenReport/IndexLookup.aspx

The trick to accessing this page is that you have to be within the campus firewall (i.e. accessing any campus-networked computer or accessing the campus network remotely). Computers in residence halls, labs, the library, and public spaces (including the MU) should have access to the campus network.

The MU Accounting Office is located in MU 215 and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. For further information stop by or call 541.737.2306.

SSO Faculty Advisor Manual

SSO Student Leader Manual