May 26, 2004 2:38 PM

Believe me you, I feel your pain
Posted by at 2:38 PM

Promote candid criticism of the boss? Tell your employees your biggest weaknesses? It's one way to do good business according to a Stanford University business school class titled Interpersonal Dynamics, and aptly nick-named "Touchy-Feely."

"It's about learning how to create productive professional relationships," says Carole Robin, a business consultant who has taught the course for the past two years. The key to the class is its free-form, three-hour-long "T-groups," in which students talk openly about their interactions. They get a better understanding of how to treat others and gain insight into their own behavior.