Risks to institutional data processing operations include physical damage, violations of data integrity, and restrictions of physical access. Development of a responsive and effective disaster recovery program is complex, requires significant effort and the use of specialized personnel, and spans all major disciplines and organizational levels.…

Because secondary school faculties are more diverse and specialized than elementary, a team approach to instructional leadership at the secondary level is recommended, and a four-step process is presented for incorporating such an approach: diagnosis, allocation, implementation, and evaluation. (TE)

The long-term success of school improvement depends on the ability of participants to function productively together. This book explores a variety of forms for collaboration in schools and presents a framework for understanding how to build stronger working relationships among colleagues. Following the introduction, chapter 1 establishes the…

Created in response to requests from organizations across the country that wanted help in establishing teams for many purposes, this guide is an easy-to-use recipe book on the essential areas of teaming. It does not cover all the aspects of teaming, but focusses on the essential components of team development necessary for a team to function. The…

In today's workplace, organizations are moving from top-down, hierarchical decision making to team decisions based on consensus. This guide offers advice on setting the stage for team consensus to grow and on establishing an environment that fosters consensus. Topics of the four sections, the components of full consensus, are: (1) "Purposeful…

This book is aimed at managers, chief executives, personnel directors, and all those who want to know what action learning can do for their organizations. Part 1 (Chapters 1-3) provides a general introduction to action learning. It describes the underlying theory and principles of action learning and the benefits that organizations can expect to…

This report examines the usefulness of leadership teams in higher education based on study results involving 15 institutions of higher education located throughout the United States. In chapters 1 and 2 the concept of the "leadership team" is introduced by means of: (1) a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of teamwork; and (2) a…

A practical view is offered to leaders, managers, and teams of how to think about their companies and reinvent them without losing the value and knowledge embedded in their current organization. Organizations can break through challenges and recognize entirely new business opportunities through the creation of interlocking, boundary-crossing…

Teams can produce innovative solutions to complex problems, enabling organizations to be faster, more responsive, more competitive, and more successful in meeting their missions. These kinds of results are not guaranteed, however. When an organization sponsors a team, it is usually to address a challenge deemed essential to organizational success.…

Experience shows that teamwork produces powerful results. Working in a team environment, however, presents its own set of challenges. This handbook provides U.S. Department of Education managers and employees with guidance to develop high-performing teams. Based on input from agency employees throughout the country, the handbook was designed to…

A case study describes how a rural local education agency (Allegany County, Maryland) developed a comprehensive staff development system. It presents some contextual and theoretical background information, summarizes the problem as perceived by key actors, and then describes a series of activities resulting in the development of the comprehensive…

Although higher education institutions have undergone substantial change in recent years, the transformation they now face will be revolutionary, not evolutionary, and will occur much faster. Campus administrators and leaders must form strategic alliances to map and guide the course of change. The more the leadership team is engaged in the…

Adaptation of the Total Quality Management approach to organizational improvement at Oregon State University involved creation of 10 pilot finance and administration teams and implementation of a 10-step problem-solving process. The approach has improved staff morale as well as client services. (MSE)

The changes required by many school reform policies address problems that are extremely difficult to clarify, with organizational and environmental factors densely intertwined. Accordingly, this document begins by identifying the "four C's" that must be taken into account if any strategy for school improvement is to succeed: complexity,…

Compares the problems faced in public education to those of U.S. industry during the past two decades. Points out that today's educational enterprise requires greater cooperation, communication, and commitment. Calls for the formation of a new partnership among education, business, and community. In place of separate reforms, advocates a new…