William J. Foltz

The Impact of a Workshop upon Grass-Roots Leaders in Belfast

Nine months after 56 persons from the various communities of Belfast had attended a modified Tavistock-NTL Workshop in Scotland, 40 of them were interviewed to determine the effect of that experience. Emphasis was placed upon the changes they had observed within themselves, upon the organizations they had planned during the Workshop, and upon their own general effectiveness back in Belfast. The results are not clear-cut, but for everyone the Workshop itself was an impressive event. Many reported that they had been helped as persons. For some but not all participants the Workshop facilitated elaboration or subsequent carrying out of plans of their own devising in spite of intimidation and of the difficulties inherent within Northern Ireland.

Rationale, Research, and Role Relations in the Stirling Workshop

Criticisms of theory, design, and research connected with a workshop involving Catholics and Protestants from Belfast are assessed by the organizers and consultants responsible for the project. Differences in role and commitment are advanced as partial explanations for divergent assessments of the workshop.