Difficult situations in team and group supervision: A mixed methods study of supervisor and supervisee experiences

Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift für angewandte Organisationspsychologie (2025) 56:759–769 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11612-025-00830-3 HAUPTBEITRÄGE – THEMENTEIL Difficult situations in team and group supervision: A mixed methods study of supervisor and supervisee experiences Jannik Zimmermann1 · Heidi Moeller1 Accepted: 17 July 2025 / Published online: 19 August 2025 © The Author(s) 2025, corrected publication 2025 Abstract This mixed-methods study, published in the journal Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO), explores difficult situations arising during team and group supervision. In-depth knowledge of such situations seems to be crucial for improving the quality of supervision and gaining a better understanding of how it functions. While previous research has identified common difficult situations in clinical supervision, there is a lack of comprehensive investigation into difficult situations in other supervision settings and types. Therefore, we conducted an online survey consisting of closed- and open-ended questions, with 88 supervisors and 33 supervisees reporting a total of 158 situations. We identified a range of difficult situations associated with the supervisees, the interaction, the supervisor, the setting or the context. Furthermore, we identified numerous factors on the part of the supervisor, the supervisees, the setting, the context, and the supervisory alliance that were perceived as significant, i.e., helpful or hindering, when dealing with these situations. Our quantitative results partly support the hypothesis that a more positive assessment of the situation resolution is associated with a lower probability of discontinuation of the supervision process. The results provide crucial information for supervision training programs, supervisors, and supervisees, and important impetus for further research. Keywords Difficult situations · Team supervision · Group supervision · Supervision in the workplace · Counseling Schwierige Situationen in der Team- und Gruppensupervision: Eine Mixed-Methods-Studie zu den Erfahrungen von Supervisor/-innen und Supervisand/-innen Zusammenfassung Diese in der Fachzeitschrift Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) veröffentlichte Mixed-Methods-Studie widmet sich schwierigen Situationen, die sich während arbeitsbezogener Team- und Gruppensupervision ereignen. Fundiertes Wissen über solche Situationen scheint entscheidend zu sein, um die Qualität der Supervision zu verbessern und ein besseres Verständnis ihrer Wirkungsweise zu gewinnen. Während frühere Forschung häufige schwierige Situationen in der klinischen Supervision adressiert hat, fehlt eine umfassende Betrachtung in anderen Supervisionskontexten und -formen. Daher haben wir eine Online-Umfrage mit geschlossenen und offenen Fragen durchgeführt, in der 88 Supervisor/-innen und 33 Supervisand/-innen insgesamt 158 Situationen berichteten. Wir konnten eine Reihe von schwierigen Situationen identifizieren, die mit den Supervisand/-innen, der Interaktion, den/der Supervisor/-in, dem Setting oder dem Kontext zusammenhängen. Darüber hinaus haben wir zahlreiche Faktoren auf Seiten des/der Supervisor/-in, der Supervisand/-innen, des Settings, des Kontexts und des supervisorischen Arbeitsbündnisses identifiziert, die bei der Bewältigung dieser Situationen als bedeutsam, d. h. hilfreich oder hinderlich, erlebt wurden. Unsere quantitativen Ergebnisse stützen teilweise die Annahme, dass eine positivere Bewertung der Situationslösung mit einer geringeren Wahrscheinlichkeit eines Abbruchs des Supervisionsprozesses verbunden ist. Die Ergebnisse liefern wichtige Hinweise für Supervisionsweiterbildungsprogramme, Supervisor/-innen und Supervisand-/innen sowie Impulse für die weitere Forschung.  Jannik Zimmermann 1 Department of Psychology, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany K 760 J. Zimmermann, H. Moeller Schlüsselwörter Schwierige Situationen · Teamsupervision · Gruppensupervision · Arbeitsweltbezogene Supervision · Beratung 1 Introduction Team and group supervision have developed and become established as independent forms of counseling in both German-speaking and other European countries since the 1960s and 1970s (Möller et al. 2017; Schreyögg 2010). Both aim to initiate reflection and learning processes in the interaction between supervisor and work-related teams (team supervision) or supervisor and supervisees without professional or formal contact (group supervision; Pühl 2017). In doing so, they contribute to the development of professionals in organizations across numerous sectors by supporting them in their work (Pühl 2017). Previous studies emphasize that supervisees benefit from both forms of counseling (Schigl et al. 2020). However, there are also reports of limited success and even negative effects (Ehrhardt and Petzold 2014; Schigl 2016). Research on other forms of counseling and therapy suggests that these suboptimal outcomes may result from difficult situations arising during the supervision process that were poorly resolved (Milne 2020; RamosSánchez et al. 2002; Safran and Muran 2000). If difficult situations are well managed, these outcomes may be mitigated and supervisory outcomes may even be improved (Ehrenthal et al. 2020; Enlow et al. 2019). Knowledge of difficult situations in team and group supervision is thus crucial for both theory and practice to better understand change processes, the functioning of supervision, and how to better manage these situations, while improving the quality of supervision and minimizing harm. We already know a fair amount about difficult situations in general. However, our knowledge about the spectrum of difficult situations encountered in team and group supervision remains limited when looking beyond clinical supervision. While many studies look at general challenges in counseling, coaching, and therapy, significantly fewer focus on specific time frames (events, moments, situations) to better understand these difficulties. A growing body of research exists on difficult situations and related concepts (e.g., critical events, least helpful events) in other forms of counseling such as clinical supervision in a one-to-one and group setting (e.g., Fickling et al. 2017; Ladany et al. 2006), coaching (e.g., Kotte and Zimmermann 2025; Möller and Zimmermann 2022), and therapy (e.g., Odyniec et al. 2016). For example, Ladany et al. (2006) identify seven events which are critical to success for one-to-one clinical supervision that can be understood as difficult situations. These include overcoming difficulties and deficits in skills, strengthening multicultural awareness, and managing role conflicts (Ladany et al. 2006). Fickling et al. (2017) ex- K amined the experiences of 41 supervisors and supervisees and found that logistics, group dynamics and supervisor technique/activity were among the least helpful events that occur during clinical group supervision. 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