Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how a medium sized business has addressed what it has termed a "push-pull" method of management and organization development, based around an action learning approach. Design/methodology/approach: The paper sets out a methodology that other SMEs might look to replicate in their management and…

Reasons for frustrations surrounding needs assessment in organizations are examined. Action strategies are paired with three of the root causes of obstacles to effective assessment: (1) flawed needs assessments; (2) no organizational support; and (3) inadequate expertise assigned to the effort. A sidebar presents four possible causes linked to…

Performance feedback has facilitated the acquisition and maintenance of a wide range of behaviors (e.g., health-care routines, seat-belt use). Most researchers have attributed the effectiveness of performance feedback to (a) its discriminative functions, (b) its reinforcing functions, or (c) the combination of the two. In this study, we attempted…

This document provides three resources in support of "Approaches for Sustaining and Building Management and Leadership Capability in VET Providers" (ED499670), which examines the existing and potential strategies for sustaining and building greater levels of management and leadership capability in training organisations. The resources…

Tips to trainers for influencing management to provide employee development programs are presented, with reference to the Fluor Corporation's People Resources Planning Center which the author developed. (MF)

Staff development, usually geared to the least common denominator and confined to formal leader and staff behavior, needs to be replaced with human development, an informal, interactive process to improve teaching, management, and leadership skills; self-understanding; and political and cultural savvy. Five teacher career stages are suggested as…

A case study describes how a rural local education agency (Allegany County, Maryland) developed a comprehensive staff development system. It presents some contextual and theoretical background information, summarizes the problem as perceived by key actors, and then describes a series of activities resulting in the development of the comprehensive…

Mount Hood Community College studied existing staff development programs at numerous other institutions, reexamined its own philosophy and staff development programs, analyzed faculty needs, formulated new directions for its faculty, and more closely articulated staff development opportunities with area institutions and agencies. This report…

A discussion of the current practices in inservice education and staff development programs in schools focuses on: (1) the need of school districts to develop organizational models; (2) the content and delivery mechanisms of staff development programs; (3) incentives for teachers; and (4) sources of funding for staff development programs. (JN)

This booklet is designed to assist community colleges in the design and implementation of staff and organizational development programs and reviews relevant issues and provides practical ideas for successful development efforts. After chapter I briefly introduces the audience for and intent of the booklet, chapter II describes 12 development…

A method of establishing a successful inservice teacher education program is described. This method involves organizational change as well as individual change based on the assumption that teacher growth and school change are interdependent. The following set of constructs for a responsive inservice teacher education program are identified: (1)…

This report details the human resources development activities undertaken at Cypress College (CC) using Assembly Bill 1725 funds. The report includes information on activities conducted during the 1989-90 school and those planned for the 1990-1991 school year, along with results from needs assessments and evaluation surveys. The plan is divided…

The products in this catalogue are programs and publications designed to help schools with staff development programs that are aimed at improving organizational functioning and communication (organization development), or at conducting needs assessment. The organization development products and publications reviewed are designed to help schools…

A study investigated the use of training needs assessment (TNA) by training and development practitioners in business and industry. It allowed for an assessment of both real TNA (practitioners' knowledge, observation, and experience) and ideal TNA (the literature and experts' opinions). A literature review focused on the concept of TNA,…

Attempts to answer the question "What does research say about getting innovations into schools?" are based on the experiences of a nonprofit organization that has been engaged in staff development efforts to bring about change in schools. The paper presents a general description of the organization's operation; its relationship to other change…