Perceptions of Others After a T Group

Sixty managers attending an executive course responded to questionnaires specifying their perceptions of the needs for improvement of themselves and of their bosses. Half of the group, randomly assigned, answered before participating in a 3-day T-Group program and the other half, immediately after. When the responses were compared, it was seen that the perception gap between perceived "self" and "boss" improvement needs in the interpersonal area was wider after training than before. From this finding and an analysis of the literature, it is argued that T-Group programs tend to have a negative influence on perceptions of outsiders and that this effect may be functional as well as dysfunctional in Organization Development.