A method for small group training of psychiatric ward staff

On a psychiatric ward for adolescents a change in organizational structure provided more autonomy and responsibility to the ward staff. As part of a program to help staff meet these new responsibilities, training groups were instituted to teach staff how to use their work groups more effectively. A method for staff training was used which promoted the development of group cohesiveness in the work groups and the transfer of insights made in training to job performance. In order to articulate clearly the conceptual rationale for the method, it is analyzed here in three parts: the goals of training and their impediments; the conditions under which learning will occur; and the processes through which learning takes place. In the description of the learning processes, "work" is conceived of as a group problem-solving process, involving the balancing and synthesizing of formal task demands and interpersonal pressures. Ward staff resistance to this form of training is discussed, and examples of improved performance on the job are presented. The training groups are defined in comparison to other types of groups and to more traditional didactic teaching.