California has long been a national and global leader in developing and maintaining quality higher education options, as well as in providing financial aid and consumer protections for Californians who access that education. However, although California's colleges and the state government do collect, receive, and report a great deal of data, these…

Correlations between centralization and effectiveness were obtained from 26 independent samples in the organization science literature. Hypotheses were developed and statistically tested. The hypotheses that were supported are reflected in a final theory of the centralization-effectiveness relationship. (75 references) (MLF)

Clarifies the meaning of organizational decline by delimiting it from related constructs (turbulence, stagnation, and environmental decline). Investigates certain organizational attributes associated with turbulence and decline in 334 higher education institutions over a six-year period. Results suggest that organizational attributes associated…

Investigates the nature of administrative control in 12 instructionally effective school districts in California. Nine control functions are assumed to affect student outcomes by influencing curriculum and instruction. Findings from interviews with superintendents revealed more district-level control of principal behavior and site activity than…

Discusses the background and salient characteristics of Japan's educational reform movement. Until recently, Japan's formal education system was uniform, centrally controlled, and geared to developing character and cultural sensitivity. To counter uniformity, inflexibility, and an overly competitive examination system, schools are moving toward…

This study examines culture-free and culture-bound hypotheses used to explain organizational structures. A survey of Hong Kong Chinese managerial employees in 20 multinational banks examined work satisfaction with relation to organizational structure, controlling for job structure and individual attributes. Findings generally supported the…

Using surveys of the professional staffs of 41 secondary schools, this study examines the relationship between two aspects of bureaucratic structure (centralization and formalization) and two sorts of alienation (from work and expressive relations). It then compares the results with similar studies of social studies of social welfare agencies. (JW)

The finding reported previously in this journal (EJ 265 763), that elementary schools conform more to the image of the rational bureaucracy while secondary schools fit that of the anarchy or loosely coupled system, is reinforced and extended using a large sample, more reliable measures, and more elaborate techniques. (Author)

At the request of the Pennsylvania State University Library, the Office of Management Studies surveyed Association of Research Libraries (ARL) members requesting information and documentation illustrating the organization, nature, and level of the library instruction function at their institutions. A review of the responses from 64 of the 94 ARL…

Investigates how administrative complexity (in funding and personnel) of American public school districts varies, depending on the importance of local, state, and federal funding environments. Dependence on federal funding generates the most administrative intensity, while state funding generates the least administrative intensity. High local…

An overview is provided of the research conducted in Japan during the past 30 years on the Performance-Maintenance Theory of Leadership. Experimental and field studies are described which suggest that the consequences of leadership in Japan result from interaction of performance-oriented and maintenance-oriented behaviors. (TE)

Presents the research model used in the Allan Hancock Joint Community College District, which operates through a part-time institutional researcher guided by an institutional research committee. Discusses the committee's role and the use of research results in policymaking and other areas. Provides examples of research. (DMM)

Describes the centralized research model used by Miami-Dade Community College. Explains that the district's central office assumes responsibility for conducting all phases of the institutional research program (e.g., determining the research agenda, carrying out projects, monitoring projects, and disseminating results). Highlights strengths and…

To examine the relationships between the external environment in which a high school exists and the internal structure of the school, a study compared selected resource variables in Connecticut communities and the internal organizational characteristics of the 25 high schools in those communities. The literature suggests external environmental…

A survey of 99 academic music librarians identifies current administrative practices regarding cataloging and attempts to determine how these practices affect user service and cataloger satisfaction. Highlights include the problem, administrative structure, physical facilities, location of cataloging tools, music catalogers' duties, support staff,…