A 2-week laboratory learning experience was held for a group of 35 strangers who were to comprise the entire staff of a new high school. The general objective was to promote an effective social system characterized by (1) a high degree of proficiency in communication, decisionmaking, problem-solving, and conflict management; and (2) an atmosphere of interpersonal trust and freedom for innovation and experimentation. The effectiveness of the laboratory experience was assessed by (1) a staff questionnaire that measured change in anticipated behavior on several dimensions, (2) a student questionnaire that assessed changes in the students' perception of school norms, and (3) various other outcome criteria such as observations from regular consultation visits to the new school and the turnover rate in staff after the first year. These measures indicate that there were significant and desirable changes, both over time and in comparison to similar measures obtained from a control school, and that the changes could be attributed in part to the training interventions. (Author)