Greetings, MED Colleagues!
If you are planning to attend the OBTC Teaching Conference for Management Educators at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Marquette</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on"> University</st1:placetype></st1:place> this year, please consider attending the OB T-Group as a pre-conference professional development activity. All attendees are enthusiastically invited, but we'd like to issue a special invitation to doctoral students and those who are new to OBTC to participate.
Participation is an excellent way to make connections with more senior members of the OBTS community. Some T-group participants attended their first pre-conference T-group as doctoral students. Through that experience they developed lasting friendships with colleagues who have been supportive and helpful over the years, both professionally and personally.
What is a T-Group? It is facilitated experiential learning, focused on the here and now, in an unstructured small group setting. T-groups are double loop learning in action.* 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 you can develop in the OB T-Group.
The <st1:place w:st="on">OB</st1:place> T-Group has been an OBTC pre-conference activity for the past 21 years. This year's OB T-Group will take place immediately prior to OBTC, from 6:30 pm on Sunday, June 5th to 3:00 pm on Wednesday June 8th.
T-group technology is at the foundation of our field. Its chief limitation lies in that it is very difficult to train persons in its effective and responsible usage. OBTS has among its members a few who are excellent T-group facilitators and are willing to provide this service to the OBTC community with no remuneration and out of dedication to their field. This year the facilitators will be Esther Hamilton, Michael London, and Dale Finn.
The founder and Dean of the OB T-Group is Esther Hamilton. She has facilitated T-Groups for the NTL Institute for the Applied Behavioral Sciences for years, is a former JME editor and OBTS Board member, received a 1994 David L. Bradford Award for Excellence in Teaching, and in 2000 she received The OBTS Distinguished Educator Award. In 2009 she was named an OBTS Fellow. She received her doctorate from <st1:placename w:st="on">Harvard</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> and was a tenured, full Professor of Organizational Behavior and Management at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Pepperdine</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on"> University</st1:placetype></st1:place>, receiving their 1994 Distinguished Educator Award. She consults to managers in a variety of industries.
Michael London is an Associate Professor of Business at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Muhlenberg</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on"> College</st1:placetype></st1:place>. He received his doctorate in Organizational Behavior from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Case</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on"> Western Reserve</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>. Prior to his current position, Michael taught for 13 years at the <st1:place w:st="on"> <st1:placename w:st="on">Wharton</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">School</st1:placetype></st1:place> and was recognized as "Professor of the Year" in the Wharton Evening Division for 1996 and 2003. He also coaches top executives, helping them to reach their creative potential in leading organizations and achieving their personal goals. In classroom and workshop settings, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city></st1:place> uses his musical gifts to inspire participants towards learning.
You can register and pay for the <st1:place w:st="on">OB</st1:place> T-Group at the OBTC website (www.OBTC.org ).
The cost for the OB T-Group is as follows:
A single room will cost $495, and a double (with roommate) will cost $455. The fee includes housing in <st1:place w:st="on"> <st1:placename w:st="on">Straz</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Tower</st1:placetype></st1:place> (main dorm) for Sun-Tues nights, all meals & breaks Monday breakfast through Wednesday lunch. NOTE: OBTC conference registration is required and is NOT included in this price.
In addition to registering and paying online, registration with the OB T-group requires you to go to the OB T-Group link on the web page, download our online, in-house registration form, and email it to Bob Herring immediately (contact information is on the form).
You are only assured of a place in the group if you register on the website (a process over which we have no control), and send in our online, in-house registration form. Space in the OB T-Group is limited and it is almost full. If you are interested, don't wait!
*For a discussion of T-Groups as double-loop learning, see Ed Batista's essay entitled, 'T-Groups, Feedback and Double-Loop Learning' at:
http://www.edbatista.com/2007/03/tgroups.html
Do not hesitate to contact either of the Co-Administrators below with any questions.
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Robert</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">A.</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Herring</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">III</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">School</st1:placetype></st1:place> of Business and Economics
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Winston-Salem</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Winston-Salem</st1:city> <st1:state w:st="on">NC</st1:state> <st1:postalcode w:st="on">27110</st1:postalcode></st1:place>
W 336-750-2338
H 336-299-0758
E-mail: fishtales2@bellsouth.net
Co-Administrator
Dale M. Finn
University of New Haven
300 Boston Post Rd.
West Haven, CT 06516
W 203-932-7093
E-mail: dfinn@newhaven.edu
Co-Administrator