Memoirs of a Change Agent: T-Groups, Organization

MEMOIRS OF A CHANGE AGENT T-groups, Organization Development, and Social Justice Robert P Crosby with Chris Crosby and Gilmore Crosby Copyright © 2019 CrosbyOD Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photo copying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the permission, in writing, from CrosbyOD Publishing. Book Layout and Design: Chris Crosby Editors: Robert, Chris, Gilmore and Patricia Crosby ISBN: 978-1-0878-0662-4 (paperback) Cover by Chris Crosby Interior design by Chris Crosby Graphics by Chris Crosby First edition 2019 Printed in the United States of America Dedication his book is dedicated to Dr. Frank T. Simpson and Dr. TWalter Holcomb. Without the action and influence of these two men this book would not have been written nor the practices in it ever done. If Dr. Frank T. Simpson had not been the first employee and the first Executive Secretary of the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, then perhaps there would have neither been the T-group nor the Organization Development (OD) movement spurred by this exciting social invention! He was the one who invited Kurt Lewin to Connecticut to lead a workshop on Fair Employment Practices and championed the civil rights cause then and for decades! Dr. Walter Holcomb, my professor at Boston University and my first T-group leader, was a masterful educator in the footsteps of Kurt Lewin and John Dewey. I modeled my LIOS graduate program after his teaching style, from which a couple thousand graduated. In keeping with the social justice roots of T-groups, one of the most exciting Universities with whom we contracted was Martin University in Indianapolis. It was named for Martin Luther King Jr. and St. Martin de Porres. Appreciation. To my sons Gilmore and Chris whose contribution is evidenced by the quotes in the book from their writings. What will miss the reader’s eye are the many places where they influenced me. Thanks to Patricia for her extensive editing and to our granddaughter Genevieve Green for her edits. Chris applies his publishing prowess. From inception to publishing there have been over a thousand edits, additions, etc. Chris has done the labor of love of adding each edit in the manuscript! My primary in-depth learnings came from working with hourly workers, union and non-union. More significantly, Chris and Gil still work on those same front lines. Advanced Quotes for Memoir of a Change Agent “Robert Crosby’s Autobiographical and analytical account of his discovery and use of the T-group and the accompanying principles of Kurt Lewin’s social psychology, is a must read for both practitioners and academics in order to begin to appreciate the profound influence these have had on our currenttaken for granted approach to experiential learning.” Edgar H. Schein, Professor Emeritus, MIT Author with son Peter of Humble Leadership (2018) “Reading Bob Crosby’s richly constructed memoir lifted me into the swirling vortex of a benign tornado where I could look down below into the historic gale of democratic America’s T-groups, organization development, and applied behavioral science. Page by page, I uncovered diamond nuggets of experiential instruction; an awesome jewel-box primer filled with sage advice and useful tips for world-wide group consultants, those who labor to offer practical wisdom to organizational participants, everywhere, present and future. An exquisite text lovingly imagined for the next generation, Bob Crosby’s personal tour de force should be required reading for aspiring applied social psychologists. With almost a century of reporting, it could have been composed only by one with the intelligent and cosmopolitan experiences of an astute senior practitioner nearing 92. Would it be possible that Bob Crosby attain the longevity of Methuselah to keep these seminal lessons accumulating forever?” Dr. Richard Allen Schmuck A social psychologist of education, he is Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology at the University of Oregon. Author, Paths to Identity: A Memoir “No one has for a lifetime continuously nurtured the T-group regarding its meaning, the competent practice thereof, and role in providing society with the means to learn how to improve one’s self-awareness, interpersonal relationships especially resolving conflict, organization development, inter- organizational relations, networks, and ways of sustaining democracy more than Bob Crosby. I met Bob during the summer of 1965 in Bethel, Maine and have followed his work and maintained our relationship ever since. His dedication to promoting the T-group and accumulative knowledge regarding the process, its importance and application is unsurpassed.” Dr. W. Warner Burke E.L. Thorndike Professor of Psychology and Education Teachers College, Columbia University “At last we have a book that integrates the myriad threads of humanity, organization development, T-Groups, and social justice, threads that are often seen as unrelated. More than a memoir, this book is an invaluable resource for general readers and practitioners alike, helping us remember that we belong not only to ourselves, but to one another. Thank you Bob for your legacy of love, learning, and light. And thank you for writing this incredible book, an invocation that summons us to stay awake, aware, fully lit, and actively engaged.” Dr. Gloria J. Burgess CEO & President, Jazz International “An executive told me, ‘If I need my people to change, I change the people.’ To examine an alternative that does not force compliance but instead invites people to be who they truly are while pursuing business goals, read this book. You will gain the wisdom, history, purpose, and foundational values of OD from a man who has done this his entire career.” Dr. Ronald Short Author and Founder, Learning In Action Technologies “This is life. This is a real life. This is a real OD life. It is also a love letter to the T-group, its founders, its evolution, to NTL where it started, and to its application to intact work groups around the world. I particularly love Crosby’s clear statement that all OD practitioners need to participate in T-groups regularly and often for their own personal growth and development. He couldn’t be more right about that!” Matt Minahan, President, The Minahan Group “Bob Crosby’s Memoir of a Change Agent is a gift to both current and future practitioners of organization development. He is your personal guide, sharing his rich experiences in the widest variety of conflict settings—union and management, students and administration, citizens and local government. He’s with you, whispering at your shoulder: Here’s what to expect, and here’s how to handle it, and here’s the underlying principle. He demonstrates great skill, but underneath the skills, techniques, principles, and processes, is his burning commitment to social justice. T-groups have developed in many directions since 1946, and Bob has stayed true to its founders’ dreams: the development of change agents dedicated to social action—to the triumph of democracy over fascism, and mutual understanding and respect over bigotry. They would be more than satisfied with how Bob has carried on their legacy.” Barry Oshry, Developer of the Power Lab Author of Context, Context, Context: How Our Blindness to Context Cripples Even the Smartest Organizations “Robert Crosby has transformed so many lives (like mine). Now he offers his wisdom to a world in so much need of change!” Mark Schaefer, Rutgers University Author of KNOWN “How does significant change come about? When, how and under what circumstances can we effectively make such change work. Robert Crosby, having devoted his life to making this happen, displays not only his humility but also his dynamic wisdom. If imitation is indeed the highest compliment, then the hundreds of T-Groups imitating this pioneer’s work in Russia, Ukraine, Italy, and Mexico and the thousands within our own Country is a testament to the lasting imprint Crosby has had on the field. Read this book as he travels this landscape, and marvel, as I did, with how change is accomplished.” Dr. Rodney D. Coates Professor Global and Intercultural Studies Miami University “In my humble opinion this book is a tour de force. Using the extraordinary events and people in his life, Bob Crosby has managed to turn the birth of the T-group into an edge-of-the seat read about how we human beings, our attitudes and even our prejudices change. As someone who has been fortunate— and honored—to accompany Bob on quite a few of these exciting social science experiments, I can vouch for their validity, excitement and transformational power.” Dr. John J. Scherer, Founder, Scherer Leadership Center Author of Wiser@Work Five Questions that Change Everything “I sincerely loved this book. It articulates the confluence of Robert Crosby’s life with those of other leaders in the civil rights movement and then follows that thread, weaving together the story of the evolution of group processes and T-groups. I took away a clearer understanding of T-groups and their value, and a deep appreciation for the life and intellect of the author. A wonderful read.” John C. Nicol, Former GM, Partner—Microsoft President, Skye Enterprises “In this autobiography, the professional and personal mix. Robert Crosby distills 70 years of organization development wisdom. His story should not only be instructive to OD professionals interested in the history of T-groups and how to facilitate them, but also to anyone interested in history, social justice, democracy, and authenticity.” Mohammed Raei, PhD Leadership Scholar and OD consultant. “Robert Crosby has written an autobiographical tour de force of his first hand experiences with the birth and growth of T-Groups..

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