SENSITIVITY TRAINING

INTRODUCTION

The most commonly used Organizational Development intervention is sensitivity training. It is called laboratory training as it is conducted by creating an experimental laboratory situation in which employees are brought together, in groups, to interact in an unstructured environment. The members are encouraged to interact with new members and new individual behaviors.

DEFNITION

Sensitivity training or T-group training means development of awareness and sensitivity to behavioral patterns of oneself and others.

HISTORY

1914, when J.L. Moreno created "psychodrama,“

concept was expanded on later by Kurt Lewin, in 1946

the National Training Laboratories in Bethel, Maine, in 1947

mid-1950s and early 1960s, sensitivity training found a place for itself,

late 1960s and 1970s witnessed a decline in the use of sensitivity training

FUNCTIONS

To help its members learn how groups actually work.

To give each member of the group a chance to discover how other people interpret and are affected by his own behaviour.

OBJECTIVES

To help people understand themselves better

To create better understanding of others. To gain insight into the group process To develop specific behavioral skills.

Procedure of Sensitivity Training 

ACTIVITIES

Role playing Inter group competitive exercise Self- insight questionnaire Theory sessions with lectures Background readings Panel discussions Audio-visual aids in addition to act groups.

SENSITIVITY TRAINING & TEAM BUILDINGMost of the laboratory training takes place

among the employees of the same department. These employees work together as a team. Team building is nothing but application of various techniques of sensitivity training to the actual work groups in various departments. These work groups consists of peers and a supervisor. Laboratory techniques are also applied to short-term work teams. The technique, like laboratory training, aims at improving inter-group relations. This technique is designed to improve ability of the employees to work together as teams.

BENEFITS

Increased self-awareness Increased sensitivity Enhanced ability to interpret accurately the

emotional or non-cognitive bases of interpersonal communication.

Increased insight into the process that facilitates or inhibits group functioning and intergroup interactions

Higher level of skill to diagnose group interpersonal and intergroup situations.

Increased skills to act and/or intervene in group situation with a view to increasing members satisfaction , effectiveness or output.

Ability to analyses continually one’s own behavior with a view to achieving more effective and satisfactory relationships.

LIMITATIONS

There is no proof that the managers who have been to laboratory do their jobs better than before.

It may cause psychological harms to some people

It is alleged to be an invasion of privacy and damaging a trainee emotionally.

It is difficult to predict the outcome of training for a particular individual.

There is a fundamental conflict between the values taught at a laboratory and the values inherent in the structure of the business.

It is of little practical use It may badly hurt the emotional feelings of

trainee.

SENSITIVITY TRAINING IN INDIAYEAR INSTITUTION

1971 Indian Society for Applied Behaviour Sciences

1979 Indian Society for Individual and Social Development

1996 Aastha

1996 Sumedhas: The Academy of Human Context

CONCLUSION

Sensitivity training is instrumental for self-development. If used with care ,this be of great value in overcoming resistance and changes in the organization. Thus the management has to come forward for adopting new techniques of sensitivity training in all the areas of management for making an effective corporate development.

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