Defines assertive, nonassertive, and aggressive behavior. Discusses assertiveness training as a technique for self-growth, staff development, and teacher effectiveness. (SK)

Discusses three major motivations for in-house library research--planning, problem solving, and staff development--in terms of the functions and responsibilities of library management. Ten stages in a research project are identified and management contribution to each is described. It is concluded that the role of management is critical.…

This article offers some strategies for closing the linkage between initial needs assessment and the implementation of change. Examined are: prioritizing needs through criteria analysis, developing a cyclical implementation/staff inservice plan, and utilizing an analytical problem solving approach to curriculum and decision making. (Author/RAO)

Each interpretation of staff development is derived from a particular theory of organizations and a particular understanding of educational and personal psychology. This paper outlines several organizational theories on which staff development might be based. Staff development is considered as being concerned with all those needs of the individual…

Responds to a letter from a camp leader who experienced difficulty with an adolescent girl during a 3-day hike and disapproved of a staff member's response. Offers advice on handling such a problem, addressing the staff member's intervention without undermining his credibility, revisiting the situation with the group, and exploiting the…

To design cost-effective solutions to nursing practice problems, staff development educators must be able to identify problems accurately. This article presents approaches to problem identification and criteria for problem classification that will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of staff development departments and activities. (Author)

This monograph presents a theory of helping practice for groups that aim to facilitate a sustained capacity for problem solving in urban public schools. The theory is based on information gathered by the Documentation and Technical Assistance project (DTA) of the Center for New Schools (Chicago, Illinois), in the process of observing experiences…

Differences in men's and women's communication styles affect their interactions with each other. Organizations must be flexible enough to recognize situations in which traditional male values of competition may be most functional and those in which more collaborative, female strategies are more appropriate. Personnel training can help ensure that…

In order to identify important clinical questions in long-term care settings for older adults, it may be helpful to examine the psychological consultant's role in these settings. A consultant is often faced with some staff members who think he has all the answers and by others who think he has none. The consultant may also encounter a strong…

Discusses the need for administrators of library technical services to be leaders, if they are to cope effectively with changing technologies. The ability of leaders to effect change, apply critical thinking skills to problems, plan, and motivate staff is examined in terms of the development of technical services. (7 references) (CLB)

This paper examines the concept of a capacity for problem solving through an analysis of data concerning the perspectives of the local school community. The paper's underlying assumption is that within a school community, different groups (i.e., parents, teachers, or administrators) may have markedly different capacities and methods for solving…

Explains the complexities of promoting school change and how they can be minimized through the effective use of facilitators. Six complexities of school change are examined based on the experiences of Georgia's League of Professional Schools. Also discussed is the question of who should facilitate. (GLR)

A principal recounts her year-long journey to pull a southern Oregon school community together. She used two problem- solving strategies (Situation-Target-Plan and force-field analysis) to alter cultural norms, guide the community through planned change, and integrate staff development, organization development, and action research. (MLH)

Implementing computers and other elements of high tech into the classroom involves sound visionary planning, a comprehensive, diverse group of educators, and on-going staff development. The computer should be used as a problem-solving tool in a variety of settings and applications, the ramifications of which demand that educators in all subject…

This paper addresses the need for group-based or team-based techniques to facilitate organizational learning. It identifies two process-oriented strategies: the role analysis technique (RAT) and the diagnostic window technique. These techniques can be used in meetings to model the intellectual tasks that need to occur in today's learning…