How can action learning be used as part of an overall approach to changing the culture of an organisation? This article describes some of the work being done by managers in South Cambridgeshire district to build a more empowered and engaged organisation following the appointment of a new chief executive tasked with raising standards in an…

This article describes IMPACT V, a grant-funded preparation partnership among a community of institutions, and then considers whether such a partnership is a viable way to cultivate transformational and transformative sensibilities in building leaders. Methods included content analysis of baseline and summative student artifacts. Findings suggest…

This paper describes an effort to bridge research and practice in residential care through implementing a program model titled Children and Residential Experiences (CARE). The strategy involves consulting at all levels of the organization to guide personnel to incorporate CARE evidence-based principles into daily practice, and fostering an…

Strengthening Pre-collegiate Education in Community Colleges (SPECC) was organized by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in partnership with The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to increase student learning in developmental--or basic skills--classes. However, their concern was not just the success of students in classes…

At Indiana University, budget problems and the information explosion led to a project, financed by a computer company, integrating information technology (IT) into administrative functions. The administrative workstation project increased IT knowledge and use by key administrators, resulting in greater productivity and creativity, improved…

Describes two years of an organizational change program in which a major federal agency utilized race training and organizational development methods to improve the effectiveness of its equal employment opportunity program. (Author/AM)

The context of and the participatory strategic planning process at the University of Texas, El Paso, from 1993 to 1996 is described. The internal and external factors that influence the intensive interactive process are reviewed; the university's conceptual framework for strategic planning is described; and the role of the university's planning…

The various long-term factors and strategies used to promote sponsored research program development at the University of Missouri-Kansas City during a five-year phase are analyzed. Implementation of a set of specific initiatives is cited as a major factor in establishing an institutional climate for change. (Author/MSE)

A case study uses the concept of second-order organizational change to conceptualize the nature of change associated with infusing multicultural education within a large college of education. A four-year process is described, in which qualitative changes to the organization's culture occurred. Key elements of change included the values and norms…

The recent experience of the business school at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in overcoming structural obstacles to curriculum development is discussed. Drawing on an automobile industry model for organizational change, the school used an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum design and implementation. Characteristics of the…

This research report argues for viewing the complex, often messy process of school reform implementation as a "conditional matrix" coupled with qualitative research. As illustration, two studies (of six reform efforts in one county and of implementation of an untracking program in Kentucky) are reported. Preliminary analysis reveals that…

The essays in this collection focus on various aspects of organization development (OD) and its application in educational institutions. First, Jim Hammons provides an overview of OD and its value to the community college. Then, Richard Woodman and William Muse describe techniques and methodologies that have been successful in improving work group…

Describes an effort to institutionalize service learning within the academic departments of the University of Utah. A community service center at the university, through its faculty advisory committee, developed campus-wide support for incorporating service learning into the core offerings of 14 academic units. Models developed by the academic…

A fundamental challenge facing community college presidents and senior-level staff is to create an environment in which diverse qualities of students and staff make positive contributions to the organization. This requires replacing conceptions of leadership as one person at the top who has power with a vision of democratic leadership which…