All organizations are means to societal ends, and thus Mega thinking and planning starts with a primary focus on adding value for all stakeholders, including our shared society. It is pragmatic, realistic, practical, and ethical. Defining and achieving continual organizational success is possible. It relies on three basic elements: (1) a societal…

Discusses Donald Kirkpatrick's framework for evaluation that has been used as a basic model for the identification and targeting of training-specific interventions in business, government, military, and industry. Identifies tools and concepts for being responsive to new organizational realities of value-added requirements. (Author/LRW)

Updates previous work on the Organizational Elements Model that relates needs assessment and needs analysis. Highlights include purpose-based objectives and results-based objectives for organizations; differentiating between ends and means; costs-consequences analysis; and training needs assessment. (LRW)

Expands Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation model (reaction, learning, behavior, results) to five levels: enabling/reaction, acquisition, application, organizational outputs, and societal outcomes. The expanded model enables consideration of the value and worth of training resources as well as the broader social consequences. (SK)

Discusses strategic planning and describes three levels of strategic planning and thinking that can occur within an organization. Differences between reactive and proactive planning are explained, and a strategic planning model is presented that includes data collecting, planning, and implementation and evaluation. (10 references) (LRW)

Discusses the rapid growth and expansion of distance education programs and provides a framework for defining, planning for, and achieving useful results from distance education programs today and in the future. Describes the Organizational Elements Model (OEM) that includes planning, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. (Contains…