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Understanding Sensitivity Training Basics

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14 views4 pages

Understanding Sensitivity Training Basics

Uploaded by

meegurleen
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

SENSITIVITY TRAINING

Sensitivity training is often offered by organizations and agencies as a way for members of a
given community to learn how to better understand and appreciate the differences in other
people. It asks training participants to put themselves into another person's place in hopes that
they will be able to better relate to others who are different than they are.
Sensitivity training often specifically addresses concerns such as gender sensitivity,
multicultural sensitivity, and sensitivity toward those who are disabled in some way. The goal
in this type of training is more oriented toward growth on an individual level. Sensitivity
training can also be used to study and enhance group relations, i.e., how groups are formed and
how members interact within those groups.

History of Sensitivity Training


The origins of sensitivity training can be traced as far back as 1914, when J.L. Moreno created
"psychodrama," a forerunner of the group encounter (and sensitivity-training) movement. This
concept was expanded on later by Kurt Lewin, a gestalt psychologist from central Europe, who
is credited with organizing and leading the first T-group (training group) in 1946. Lewin
offered a summer workshop in human relations in New Britain, Connecticut. The T-group itself
was formed quite by accident, when workshop participants were invited to attend a staff-
planning meeting and offer feedback. The results were fruitful in helping to understand
individual and group behavior.
Based on this success, Lewin and colleagues Ronald Lippitt, Leland Bradford, and Kenneth D.
Benne formed the National Training Laboratories in Bethel, Maine, in 1947 and named the
new process sensitivity training. Lewin's T-group was the model on which most sensitivity
training at the National Training Laboratories (NTL) was based during the 1940s and early
1950s. The focus of this first group was on the way people interact as they are becoming a
group. The NTL founders' primary motivation was to help understand group processes and use
the new field of group dynamics, to teach people how to function better within groups.
During the mid-1950s and early 1960s, sensitivity training found a place for itself, and the
various methods of training were somewhat consolidated. The T-group was firmly entrenched
in the training process, variously referred to as encounter groups, human relations training, or
study groups. However, the approach to sensitivity training during this time shifted from that
of social psychology to clinical psychology. Training began to focus more on inter-personal
interaction between individuals than on the organizational and community formation process,
and with this focus took on a more therapeutic quality.

T-Groups
Within most training groups (T-groups), eight to ten people meet with no formal leader, agenda,
or books-only a somewhat passive trainer. Trainers do not necessarily direct progress, just help
participants to understand what is happening within the group. In defining a T-group, Robert
T. Golembiewski (1973) explains the major distinguishing features as follows: "it is a learning
laboratory; it focuses on learning how to learn; and it distinctively does so via a 'here-and-now'
emphasis on immediate ideas, feelings, and reactions."
The learning takes place within a group's struggle to create something meaningful for itself in
an essentially unstructured setting. Issues that traditionally arise in such a setting include
developing group norms and cohesion, reasons for scape-goating, selective communication
channels, struggles for leadership, and collective decision-making patterns. Power struggles
and decision-making conflict are the most prevalent problems as groups work toward
establishing an identity and meet individual member needs. More specifically, group members
can help each other identify when they are: attempting to control others or, conversely, when
they are seeking support; punishing themselves or other group members; withdrawing from the
group; trying to change people rather than accepting them; reacting emotionally to a given
situation; and ignoring, rather than scrutinizing, behavior between group members.

Goals of Sensitivity Training


i. Increased understanding, insight, and self-awareness about one's own behavior and its
impact on others, including the ways in which others interpret one's behavior.
ii. Increased understanding and sensitivity about the behavior of others, including better
interpretation of both verbal and nonverbal clues, which increases awareness and
understanding of what the other person is thinking and feeling.
iii. Better understanding and awareness of group and inter-group processes, both those that
facilitate and those that inhibit group functioning.
iv. Increased diagnostic skills in interpersonal and inter-group situations.
v. Increased ability to transform learning into action, so that real life interventions will be
more successful in increasing member effectiveness, satisfaction, output, or
effectiveness.
vi. Improvement in individuals' ability to analyse their own interpersonal behavior, as well
as to learn how to help themselves and others with whom they come in contact to
achieve more satisfying, rewarding, and effective interpersonal relationships.

Procedure of Sensitivity Training


Sensitivity training was initially designed as a method for teaching more effective work
practices within groups and with other people, focused on three important elements: immediate
feedback, here-and-now orientation, and focus on the group process. Personal experience
within the group was also important, and sought to make people aware of themselves, how
their actions affect others, and how others affect them in turn. Sensitivity training focuses on
being sensitive to and aware of the feelings and attitudes of others.
Sensitivity training resembles group psychotherapy (and a technique called psychodrama) in
many respects, including the exploration of emotions, personality, and relationships at an
intense level. Sensitivity training, however, usually restricts its focus to issues that can be
reasonably handled within the time period available. Also, sensitivity training does not include
among its objectives therapy of any kind, nor does it pass off trainers/facilitators as healers of
any sort. Groups usually focus on here-and-now issues; those that arise within the group setting,
as opposed to issues from participants' pasts. Training does not explore the roots of behavior
or delve into deeper concepts such as subconscious motives, beliefs, etc.
Sensitivity training seeks to educate its participants and lead to more constructive and
beneficial behavior. It regards insight and corrective emotional or behavioral experiences as
more important goals than those of genuine therapy. The feedback element of the training helps
facilitate this because the participants in a group can identify individuals' purposes, motives,
and behavior in certain situations that arise within the group. Group members can help people
to learn whether displayed behavior is meaningful and/or effective, and the feedback loop
operates continuously, extending the opportunity to learn more appropriate conduct.
Another primary principle of sensitivity training is that of feedback; the breakdown of
inhibitions against socially repressed assertion such as frankness and self-expression are
expected in place of diplomacy. Encounters that take place during sensitivity training serve to
help people practice interpersonal relations to which they are likely not accustomed. The
purpose is to help people develop a genuine closeness to each other in a relatively short period
of time. Training encounters are not expected to take place without difficulty. Many trainers
view the encounter as a confrontation, in which two people meet to see things through each
other's eyes and to relate to each other through mutual understanding.

Three Steps essential for a sensitivity training program

1. Unfreezing the old values: The group members should keep their old beliefs or perceptions
about the other members aside and motivate them to speak freely, whatever is in their
minds. By doing so, there is a chance that each member will be heard carefully, and new
relations can be formed by eliminating the misconceptions, that were created in the past.
2. Development of New Values: Once the member is allowed to speak freely, the behavior of
each other can be determined easily, through the interactions in the form of feedback. Thus,
at this stage, the members start developing the values or beliefs about each other.
3. Re-Freezing the new ones: The beliefs formed through the interactions with each group
member, individual tries to freeze the perception or behavior in his mind. The success of
sensitivity training depends on how the trainees get an opportunity to practice their new
behaviors at their workplace.
Under the sensitivity training, each member is allowed to speak freely, whatever he feels about
the other member or the working conditions. The objective of sensitivity training is to enable
each member to know what is his behavior and how others perceive him.

Outcomes of sensitivity training

The outcomes they depict (self, role, and organization) are only possibilities, and cannot be
guaranteed for everyone attending a sensitivity training program. This is because some
participants do not learn or learn very little from a T group experience, others learn some
things, and others learn a considerable amount and variety of things and because programs
vary so much in terms of their nature and goals. Possible outcomes are as follows:

1. Self
 Increased awareness of own feelings and reactions, and own impact on others.
 Increased awareness of feelings and reactions of others, and their impact on self.
 Increased awareness of dynamics of group action.
 Changed attitudes toward self, others, and groups; i.e., more respect for, tolerance
for, and faith in self, others, and groups.
 Increased interpersonal competence; i.e., skill in handling interpersonal and group
relationships toward more productive and satisfying relationships.

2. Role
 Increased awareness of own organizational role, organizational dynamics,
dynamics of larger social systems, and dynamics of the change process in self,
small groups, and organizations.
 Changed attitudes toward own role, role of others, and organizational
relationships, i,e., more respect for and willingness to deal with others with whom
one
 is interdependent, greater willingness to achieve collaborative relationships with
others based on mutual trust.
 Increased interpersonal competence in handling organizational role relationships
with superiors, peers, and subordinates.

3. Organization
 Increased awareness of, changed attitudes toward, and increased interpersonal
competence about organizational problems of interdependent groups or units.
 Organizational improvement through the training of relationships or groups rather
than isolated individuals.

Common questions

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The T-group model is characterized by a lack of formal structure, leadership, or predetermined agendas, focusing instead on "here-and-now" interpersonal interactions . This approach fosters a learning environment where participants engage actively in real-time dynamics, enhancing understanding through immediate feedback and allowing personal reflection on behaviors and attitudes . This setup encourages dealing with real issues such as power struggles and decision-making conflicts, thereby enhancing personal and group learning effectiveness .

The outcomes of sensitivity training can vary significantly among participants. Some may realize increased self-awareness, enhanced interpersonal skills, and altered attitudes, while others might learn little . Factors contributing to these differences include individual openness to change, the specific nature of the program attended, and the goals set for the training sessions . The variance underscores the personalized experience of sensitivity training, with outcomes heavily influenced by personal engagement and context .

Sensitivity training increases participants' awareness of organizational roles and dynamics, fostering shifts in attitudes toward these roles and enhancing interpersonal competence . Participants may anticipate improved communication and collaboration within their organizational environments, leading to more effective interdependent group interactions and increased mutual trust among team members . This improvement can extend to handling organizational roles with superiors, peers, and subordinates more adeptly .

T-groups are intentionally unstructured, lacking formal leaders or agendas, which compels participants to navigate group dynamics such as leadership and decision-making through real-time interactions . In this setting, members experience power struggles and conflicts firsthand, prompting them to develop strategies for effective leadership and cooperative decision-making . This experiential learning helps participants understand and manage interpersonal and group processes effectively .

The three essential steps are: 1) Unfreezing old values by encouraging participants to leave behind previous misconceptions and express their thoughts freely, establishing new discussions . 2) Development of new values occurs as participants interact and give feedback, helping them understand mutual behaviors and form new beliefs . 3) Re-Freezing these new behaviors and perceptions involves embedding these changes into participants' minds, ensuring they implement their learned skills in real-world settings, thereby fostering lasting change .

Feedback is crucial in sensitivity training, as it continuously facilitates participants' learning about their behaviors’ effectiveness and meaningfulness within the group . It aids in breaking down inhibitions and promotes frankness and self-expression, enabling participants to practice genuine interpersonal relations . Feedback helps participants gain insight into their own actions and the reactions they evoke in others, thereby enhancing self-awareness and interpersonal competence —central objectives of sensitivity training .

Sensitivity training aims to increase self-awareness regarding one's behaviors and their impacts, as well as understanding others' behaviors and feelings . The intended outcomes include improved interpersonal and inter-group skills, better interpretation of verbal and non-verbal cues, and increased diagnostic skills in interpersonal situations . This leads to more effective, satisfying, and rewarding interpersonal relationships, which translates to greater personal and group effectiveness .

Participants may face challenges such as power struggles, conflicts in decision-making, and difficulties in developing trust and cohesion within the group . These issues can lead to scapegoating, selective communication, or resistance to change, impacting the effectiveness of the training . Such dynamics could impede participants from achieving intended outcomes like increased self-awareness and interpersonal competence. Addressing these challenges through constructive feedback and group support is crucial for successful training outcomes .

Sensitivity training originated from J.L. Moreno's psychodrama in 1914, which laid the groundwork for group encounter strategies. Kurt Lewin further developed these concepts by forming the first T-group in 1946, aimed at understanding individual and group dynamics . The establishment of the National Training Laboratories in 1947 formalized these methods into sensitivity training . Over the mid-1950s to 1960s, the focus shifted from social to clinical psychology, concentrating more on interpersonal interactions, which enhanced its application in organizational settings as a method to improve group dynamics and relationships .

Sensitivity training differs from therapeutic approaches as it focuses on immediate feedback and group process without delving into deeper subconscious motives or past issues . It resembles group psychotherapy in exploring emotions and relationships but is not intended for therapy, nor does it claim to heal or address deeper psychological issues . This difference implies that participants can expect an experiential learning process emphasizing current interactions and self-reflection, without the therapeutic goal of addressing past traumas or deep psychological issues .

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