Abstract:
This study is aimed at identifying personal and contextual factors which impact
upon the effectiveness of a particular model of experiential workshop aimed at
managerial behaviour change particularly in relation to Employment Relations
skills, and so providing a measure of predictability of success both in facilitating
change and increasing the success rate of the change. More specifically, the
authors explore the factors, which may provide a measure of predictability both
for (a) translation of the workshop experience to the workplace (b) using the
workshop experience to make significant and lasting subsequent change.
Two questionnaires were distributed to participants - (1) a pre-workshop
questionnaire which gathered the necessary personal data on the participant, and
(2) a post-workshop questionnaire over six months after the workshop was
conducted to determine the long-term workshop outcomes. Results indicate that
those participants with (a) high belief in the possibility of self-change (b) high
growth-need strength, (c) who had identtfied specific patterns of behaviour prior
to the workshop (d) which they regarded as important to change and (e) reported
relatively few barriers or (e) time pressures to achieving their life goals were most
likely to use the workshop experience to accomplish significant and lasting post workshop
change.
