Managers are essential in the strategy-making process and often use the launch of new products to aide in the advancement of their selected organizations. This article links current management curriculum with the role of the product manager, introduces students to the concepts of strategy and product management, and encourages students to think…

Using the premise of a fictional earbud company, "EarWorm," students in an introductory management course become EarWorm managers who problem-solve and make decisions about the best choices for their company. This article outlines this engaging and participatory exercise in detail. Students are able to directly connect course concepts to…

Colleges and universities have a unique organizational culture that influences the decision-making processes used by leaders of higher education. This paper presents findings of a study that attempted to identify the theoretical frameworks that administrators of higher education use to guide their decision-making processes. The following…

Authors discuss the evolvement of decision-making theory from the authoritarian style in the early days to the current trend toward the participative approach. (Editor)

After principals had a chance to learn how their teachers perceived their leadership behavior, a workshop helped the principals to become more effective. (JM)

This paper is a brief description of a conference presentation consisting of a 2.5-hour clinic session on decision-making. A motion picture, "The Making of a Decision," followed by a lively discussion, was used to illustrate the strenghts and weaknesses of administrators in their decision-making process. Presented in the film are three…

This monograph on the issues of leadership, power, and influence summarizes information gleaned from working with and interviewing administrators at Canadian colleges and universities. The study notes, first, that decision-making environments in Canadian postsecondary organizations are multidimensional, characterized by interdependence, diversity,…

The Management Development Program, which was designed to address the needs of executive-level administrators of higher education, is described. The program was developed by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS). Seven limitations of executive-level administrators are identified, along with the capabilities of NCHEMS…

Two conferences were held to assist principals, superintendents, deans, and Teacher Corps directors in institutionalizing the temporary systems of Teacher Corps projects into the permanent systems of the school, community, or university. The overall goals for the conferences were: (1) to develop and test a variety of professional development…

Creating a presidential administrative team requires assessing the institution, its organizational structure, and its personnel. The selection process must be rooted in an understanding of the needs of the institution, its president, and key administrators. (Author/MLW)

Ideas that may help college and university administrators develop a more coherent and integrated view of the institutions they inhabit and, therefore, be more effective as they work in them are presented. Suggestions are made to help them think in more complex ways about their work and improving their performance. Thoughts are based on ideas that…

Researchers used a cognitive-reflective-interactive model for administrator development to help school administrators recognize their own personal constructs (implicit assumptions that affect decision-making). This recognition brings a clarification of self-understanding which, in conjunction with reflection and interaction with colleagues,…

This paper examines the effectiveness of field-based preparation programs for school administrators. It reviews research in the field, pointing out that leadership, decision-making, and role performance have been the major interest areas. Outlining current theory in field-based program design, the author describes general systems theory as the…

The Netherlands has an effective training system for secondary school administrators, in spite of an outwardly complex and compartmentalized education system. Nearly one-third of the schools are Roman Catholic, one-third Protestant, and one-third run by municipalities and by private boards. There is increasing emphasis on the growing complexity of…

There are a number of constraints on administrative leadership in today's university. This paper argues that the decision-making theory of March, Simon, and Cyert gives the administrator a good framework for advancing the university toward meeting societal needs and demands, while allowing for faculty-student freedom and discretion. Some…