INTRODUCTION TO PDP
FOREWORD
The journey to be a professional member of the Indian Society for Applied Behavioural Sciences (ISABS) is a tough, enriching and highly meaningful learning experience. The Professional Development Programme (PDP) is a rigorous programme and does demand a lot from participants.
In our endeavour to make the learning journey more visible and understandable by all, we have documented the process of PDP as it has evolved over the years. We have also documented the Mentoring guidelines for use by both mentors and mentees. As rightly pointed out, these guidelines are meant only to provide guidance and clarity on some aspects of mentoring in ISABS and not as a Rule Book or Manual that directs or dictates ‘how to do Mentoring’. The objective is to ensure that we all have a shared understanding of the roles and expected process outcomes.
This booklet is possible due to the efforts of past PDP Deans and Dean PDP under my term, Sharad & Zeb. They both ensured that the task is completed and the booklet made available to every participant and PMs of our ISABS community.
I hope this will make the process more transparent, easier to understand and therefor easy to follow.
INTRODUCTION
These guidelines have been developed and evolved over the years as outline of the objectives and procedures for the Professional Development Programme (PDP) system of Indian Society for Applied Behavioural Science (ISABS) that is dynamically intended for self-learning and acquiring professional competencies of facilitating group processes.
The PDP of ISABS is aimed at developing professionals capable of facilitating experience-based learning in organisations, societies and institutions. The professional members are people who have acquired human process competencies and are also resource persons and facilitators of self-growth among people who volunteer to participate in Human Process Labs. ISABS has institutionalised the contents and coverage of the PDP curriculum, and also the procedure that lends clarity to both the candidates as well as the facilitators of PDP. In the current global scenario of fast-paced change, two key competencies seem to have become critical for individuals, groups and organisations.
- The ability to cope with a high degree of ambiguity and provide leadership amidst uncertainty, and
- The ability to build work-groups or teams and facilitate effectiveness in the human systems.
The Laboratory (T-Group) methodology focuses on 'unstructured', experiential and nondirective facilitation of learning. The PDP process in ISABS focuses on developing competencies of group work, which may in turn improve team-work and consensual decision-making processes in organisations. An integral part of PDP is an increased self-awareness and focus on personal growth that enriches the quality of life and interpersonal relationships. Through an in-depth exposure to process competencies at the individual, group and system-wide level and the practical experience, participants acquire competencies in personal, group and organisation development. This understanding in the field of Applied Behavioural Science through experiential and theory-oriented learning, is a commitment to the human process discipline and the professional ethics of ISABS.
In putting together and bringing out this manual in print, there are many people to acknowledge their contribution. I, and members of NPDPC of ISABS do acknowledge and thank every individual or group of individuals that contributed in any way to the success of this print.
