What is a T-Group?
A T-Group is facilitated experiential learning, focused on the here and now, in an unstructured small group setting. It was invented in the late 1940’s by Kurt Lewin, Ken Benne, Leland Bradford (the father of David Bradford, founder of OBTS) and Ronald Lippitt, and was the basis for the founding of the NTL Institute for the Applied Behavioral Sciences. The T-Group has been a major component in the growth of organizational development and management education, and T-Group technology is inherent in the teaching of managerial skills, interpersonal skills, self-awareness, diversity and group dynamics.
While its basic principles remain, the T-Group, as a learning technology, has adapted to the demands of the modern world and today is still a unique, vibrant, powerful learning structure. Participants in a T-Group work together in a small group for an extended time. Learning comes from analysis of participants’ own experience, including feelings, reactions, perception and behavior. A T-Group is usually the most significant part of a learning laboratory that also includes theory presentations and experiential exercises.
The OB T-group has been held prior to OBTC every year for the past 22 years. It is intended to provide you the opportunity to:
Success in these goals depends, to a large extent, on your making a psychological contract to disclose feelings you may have in the moment about yourself and others in the group, and to hear feedback about yourself from others in the group.
Why Participate in the T-Group?
Quality teaching depends on the ability to interact effectively with others, to have sufficient emotional awareness and competence to handle difficult interpersonal situations, and to create emotional intimacy – all of which are skills developed in the OB T-Group.
When?
OB T-Group 2012 will take place immediately prior to OBTC at Brock University from 6 pm on Sunday, June 17 through 3:00 PM on Wednesday, June 20. Attendance at all sessions is required. If you will not be able to be present at all sessions this year, please register another year.
Who?
Participants will range from those who have never participated in T-Groups to those who have extensive experience. Both are welcome and will enrich each other’s learning.
If there are sufficient participants to have two T-groups, and we have sufficient staff to do that, the facilitators will create groups that maximize diversity in the two groups so they are each reasonably balanced on the criteria of T-group experience, gender, age, and country of origin. Because our objective is to challenge participants, no requests for a specific facilitator or to be in a group with a specific participant will be considered.
The founder and Dean of the OB T-Group is Esther Hamilton (right). She and Bill Torbert will be the facilitators this year. Facilitators in the past have been drawn from among the following: Dale Finn, Michael London, Kenneth Pittman, Bill Torbert, and Bill Van Buskirk.
**Click here to view the OB T-Group Facilitators' bios**.
For further information about the OB T-group, please contact:
OB T-group Administrator
Vanessa Druskat
Associate Professor. University of New Hampshire
Mobile Phone: 603-285-3227
Home Phone: 603-659-2916
Email: vanessa.druskat@unh.edu
Registration
To register for the OB T-group, first click on the link below. Please follow the instructions contained therein.
NOTE: Your completion of the OB T-group In-House Registration form is not sufficient to complete your registration. You must also register with obtc by going to http://www.obtc.org to find instructions for payment of registration fees for the OB T-Group. FYI, those who register by March 15 will receive a $50 discount. Please know that space is limited in the OB T-group, especially since we are limited to one T-group this year.
**2012 OB T-Group In-House Registration Form** (file is in DOCX format)
The OB T-group is delighted that it can offer two partial scholarships this year. Please email Esther Hamilton, Dean of the OB T-group, at esteken@aol.com with your request. Explain your financial circumstances in sufficient detail to make your case. Also, address what you hope to gain from the experience of attending the OB T-group and how you will contribute to that outcome. (The early registration discount is not available to those who receive a scholarship.)
Please review the 2012 OB T-Group Hold Harmless and Release Agreement. (file is in PDF format)
NOTE: Participants will be required to sign the agreement before they can join the OB T-group at Brock.
NOTE: OBTC registration is NOT included in OB T-Group Registration fees.
Refund / Cancellation Policy
OBTS provides a 100% refund of related fees (pre-conference/conference registration fee) for cancellation at least 21 days before the start of the conference. No refunds can be made for cancellations after this date.