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About SYMLOG

SYMLOG is a “System for the Multiple Level Observation of Groups”.

The system was initially developed through forty-five years of research in the Department of Psychology and Social Relations at Harvard University. One purpose for the in-depth studies was to better understand effective leadership, group dynamics, and superior team performance.

The results of the investigation include a comprehensive theory of social interaction; a highly refined measurement system; and a set of precise tools for analyzing and improving effectiveness for people who live and work in groups of all sizes. The system is currently in use worldwide.

Team-development
Organizational development

SYMLOG is a highly refined and compact set of survey instruments …

The instruments contain 26 descriptive items which probe and assess key factors known to directly influence effectiveness. One form of the instrument (Individual and Organizational Values) probes current and optimal values while another form (Interpersonal Behaviors) identifies current and most effective behaviors for the specific situation. All assessment and custom feedback is tied to a research base made up of over 1,000,000 profiles acquired in 17 languages in over sixty countries.

SYMLOG is a method for repeated measures and ongoing feedback for continuous improvement …

Once a baseline has been established, the system can be used over and over to assess changes and highlight improvements. Repeated measures and feedback help to guide and sustain development efforts. When SYMLOG is applied properly, increasing effectiveness becomes the goal. Improvement becomes the standard. Higher performance is the outcome.

Self-assessment
Leadership development

SYMLOG is a powerful theory and set of professional methods for improving performance …

The theory and methods have been subject to many years of careful research and various applications inside demanding corporations such as Microsoft, Toyota, IBM, Citibank, and Mercedes Benz in places as diverse as Japan, South Africa, Iran, Brunei, and Argentina. Over fifty universities have contributed to SYMLOG’s exceptional results for improving leadership, teamwork, and organizational effectiveness.

How is SYMLOG currently used?

SYMLOG has been used in over sixty countries in 17 languages to provide integrated solutions to complex problems of social interaction.

  • Individual Coaching and Counseling
  • Leadership Training and Development
  • Management and Organization Development
  • Strategic Planning / Human Resource Development
  • Aligning Organizational Culture / Values-based Change
  • Program Evaluation and Refinement
  • Market Research and Customer Relations
  • Team Development (work teams, sport teams, etcetera)
  • Global and Cross-cultural Work Force Development
  • Cross-functional Team Development
  • Family and Group Development

Research Base

The SYMLOG research data bank contains

1,000,000+

profiles acquired

17

languages

60+

countries

SYMLOG Consulting Group

SYMLOG Consulting Group (SCG) was founded in 1983 by Robert J. Koenigs, Ph.D. and Margaret A. Cowen, Ph.D., with the support and assistance of Robert F. Bales, Ph.D.

More professionals use SYMLOG-based products to assess and guide value-based change than any other measurement system in the world.

The SYMLOG Consulting Group approach is worldwide as well as interactive. It created a data bank that made possible a search for general laws of social interaction far beyond anything thus far known. Since its inception, SCG’s research base contains over 1,000,000 profiles drawn from applications in seventeen languages, in sixty countries, on six continents.

Its corporate office is located in San Diego, California. SCG has a network of over 1,000 professional consultants to coordinate and provide support services internationally.

Principals

Video Exceprts from "An Interview with Robert Freed Bales - 1996"

In honor of him, we are posting his answers to questions from this interview. It is our hope that by watching you will get to know his work better, his wonderful wit and intellect, and the significance of his contribution to the study and advancement in the field of social interaction.

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