Teachers have a lot of frustrating things to deal with in school--obdurate administrators, inane work rules, and ham-fisted policies, to name a few. Instead of speaking up for change, many teachers have just come to accept all the dysfunction and take refuge in their classrooms. But teachers have it in their power to bust out of that classroom…

The Florida Assessment and Diffusion System (FADS) represents a systematic approach to organizational change, emphasizing the interpersonal communication dimension of the change process. FADS encourages a systems approach to change, but is flexible enough to allow for procedural changes in response to specific user needs. The model assumes a…

It is argued that the failure of change in teacher education results from lack of understanding of the dynamics of change and the organizational features of teacher education, generally subject to external pressure. The role of institutional dimensions of problem solving, decision making, communications, goals, climate, and implementation are…

The management strategy of calling attention to problems and labeling them as crises is discussed as a method of coping with prolonged periods of shrinking resources. Part I, "Entering the Realm of Crisis," discusses the importance of defining a crisis, the crisis as an organizational good, and when to declare a crisis. Two types of…

Considers approaches to dealing with user attitudes toward newly implemented information systems (IS), and suggests that behavioral management strategies relevant to IS fall into three categories: (1) empirical/rational; (2) normative/reeducative; and (3) power/coercive, based on "planned change" theories. An integrative contingent model…

The process of reengineering the administrative information system at the University of Idaho required careful planning, development of a set of philosophies, and several strategies for ensuring success. The latter included a humorous symbol (a jitter bug) to express concern, improved institutional communications, and a focus on logistical issues.…

This guide is intended to help organizational researchers involved in diagnosing organizations and helping them change. Part 1 focuses on defensive routines that limit learning at the organizational, intergroup, group, and individual levels. Part 2 focuses on the case study of a consulting firm at which a climate fostering learning and change was…

Communication strategies needed for the specific responsibilities of college and university department heads are presented. Each chapter first describes communication strategies useful in handling an administrative task, and then uses real-life case studies to demonstrate their applications in typical situations. Readers are guided through a…