This book is intended for students, leaders and managers who wish to explore the personal relevance and conceptual bases of educational leadership and organizational management and to develop their expertise in this field. It is a book written for both scholars and practitioners. The general public will also appreciate the accessible language in…

Sometimes, the key to solving an old problem is a fresh perspective. This was the case for the annual fund for The Catholic University of America (CUA), which underwent a transformation that nearly doubled the fund between 2004 and 2008. In 2004-05, the annual giving program at CUA raised $454,789 in unrestricted gifts from 1,760 donors. By…

This study sought to determine the degree to which a body of successful supervision attributes actually exists in practice. Specifically, this investigation sought to determine: (1) To what extent are the twelve dimensions of supervisory practice from the 1989 ASCD Study currently being practiced among selected instructional leaders in two…

Human Communication in Organizations (HCO) is an introductory college course at Ithaca College, typically taken in the freshman year, in which students from a wide variety of majors examine the basic concepts, issues, and uses of organizational communication including communication theory, superior-subordinate and peer relationships, leadership,…

Two ways of communication in the problem solving process of evaluation are described. In Model I, the theory-in-use is governed by "win, de-emphasize negative feelings, and be rational." This leads to strategies of protect yourself, protect others, and control the situation and the task. These strategies result in mistrust,…

Discusses aspects of group meetings including planning for chairing; possible formats for organizing sessions and facilitating group discussion and decision efforts; and alternative procedures for group problem-solving. Presents an example of how these formats and procedures can be used conjointly. (JMF)

Discusses a framework for identifying organizational processes or models within the context of the organization's decision-making processes. Five organizational models appropriate to academic libraries are presented: rational, political bargaining, garbage can, bureaucratic, and participatory. Guidelines for managers include how to distinguish…

This paper discusses Program Management (PM), a decision-making process which uses a diachronic, idea-generating communication mode. Decision making according to a PM model entails obtaining a mandate or authorization, identifying the problem, exploring for knowledge and generating solutions, reviewing proposals and developing resources,…

Describes a two-week corporate public relations simulation that allowed students, acting as media representatives, to experience the frustrations of dealing with a typical company during a crisis. (HOD)

Managers can improve their decision making skills through training in organizational communication which emphasizes the intuitive processes. The article describes the role of intuitive processes in executive decision making and outlines the four levels of a taxonomy for developing intuition as it relates to creative thinking and problem solving.…

Group decision support systems (GDDS) represent a technological aid for the decision-making process, combining communication, computers, and decision technologies to support problem formulation and solution in group meetings. A study examined communicative influence strategies used in a GDDS meeting. Subjects, 201 high- and low-influence persons…

This paper offers a process for organizational decision making that will assist educators involved in school restructuring. The first part, which focuses on the nature of theory and the relationship of theory to practice, concludes that current organizational theory on decision making is inadequate. The next section outlines four stages of a…

This study, proposed by the West Virginia School Boards Association at the request of the West Virginia Legislature's Oversight Committee was designed to examine the kinds of decisions and nature of actions of local school boards in West Virginia between July 1985 and July 1990. A qualitative research design consisting of emergent category…

Identifies and compares the patterns of communication of groups making risky and cautious decision shifts. Risky- and cautious-shift group discussions displayed nonrandom and statistically different distributional and sequential structures. Findings are discussed in terms of two explanations of the risky- shift phenomenon. (JMF)

A survey of public relations practitioners was conducted to examine the decision making roles they play in their profession. The 458 respondents provided information on their participation in policy decision making; the roles they play on the job, such as problem solver or technical services provider; and information on their decision making…