The idea for this special section on governance was conceived during a conversation with the TAP Board one evening at dinner. We wondered whether others might be interested in the ideas we were sharing and realized that a discussion of group dynamics and politics in TAP might be useful at this juncture in APsaA's development. What we did not know then was just how timely the focus of these articles would be when they were published.

The by-laws controversy that raged within APsaA last fall has rendered the discussions of change and group dynamics in these articles even more relevant. Michael Maccoby is the director of the Project on Technology, Work and Character and the author of several books and articles on leadership and organization change. Drawing upon this background in his article, he sees dialogue that emanates from respect for differences as the key to good governance.

In my article, I look at the capability to engage in such a dialogue as a developmental step in the life of a maturing organization. Newell Fischer discusses APsaA from a historical and political perspective. Bernard Gertler is an organizational consultant who is a specialist in psychoanalytic group relations theory.

We hope that the views expressed in this section will be useful as APsaA continues its reorganization process and that they will help further a spirit of openness and collaboration among our members.