{"id":2445,"date":"2026-06-18T09:25:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T07:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lam.unisg.ch\/blog?p=2445"},"modified":"2026-06-18T09:41:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T07:41:02","slug":"understanding-group-dynamics-and-knowing-how-to-manage-them-is-a-key-competency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lam.unisg.ch\/blog\/en\/understanding-group-dynamics-and-knowing-how-to-manage-them-is-a-key-competency","title":{"rendered":"Understanding group dynamics and knowing how to manage them is a key competency"},"content":{"rendered":"

1. Transformation can only succeed through teams <\/strong>
\nStrategies rarely fail because of poor concepts\u2014but rather because of dynamics, resistance, and unconscious conflicts within the team.<\/p>\n

Implementation succeeds only when not only the goal is clear, but the team is also empowered to learn together and continuously improve. When organizations launch change processes with clear strategies and concepts, implementation often fails due to hidden dynamics\u2014resistance, uncertainty, unspoken conflicts, and differing interests within the team.<\/p>\n

What key competency helps here?<\/p>\n

Leaders must be able to recognize, address, and actively shape group dynamics. It\u2019s not just content that needs to be \u201cmanaged,\u201d but also relationships and tensions. It\u2019s like an orchestra: the score may be perfect, but if the musicians don\u2019t listen to one another and play together, no music is produced.<\/p>\n

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2. Complexity Is Increasing <\/strong>
\nThe more uncertain the times and the more complex markets and organizations become, the more important it is to have a good understanding of the interplay between goals, structures, IT systems, departments, and people.<\/p>\n

Networked thinking and the ability to reflect help teams generate the necessary momentum for development and goal achievement on their own. Today, organizations operate within highly interconnected, dynamic systems (e.g., driven by AI, global interdependencies, or market volatility).<\/p>\n

What is needed, therefore, is a systemic understanding of interactions within groups: Who influences whom\u2014consciously and unconsciously? How do goals and context affect group dynamics? And how can self-organization be fostered and orchestrated in such a way that teams remain capable of taking action and empowered despite complexity?<\/p>\n

Leadership in this environment is less like controlling a clockwork mechanism and more like navigating a complex weather system: You cannot predict it precisely or control it exactly, but recognizing and understanding patterns helps to point them out and make them visible, identify wise directions, and set out on the journey together.<\/p>\n

3. Collaboration Is the Bottleneck <\/strong>
\nToday, performance stems less from individual peak achievements and more from effective collaboration. Professional expertise is usually present. Yet value creation rarely fails due to the skills of individuals. Much more often, problems arise from unclear boundaries, a lack of coordination, or a lack of trust.
\nA central leadership task is therefore to strengthen the quality of collaboration throughout the entire value creation process:<\/p>\n