This paper describes a recent program of organizational awareness and development (OAD) initiated for a university program council. It describes the nature, purposes, and objectives of OAD and its role as a third party. It also provides an example of applied communication research, divided into four phases: (1) diagnostic, (2) feedback, (3)…

In developing a vision of schools capable of responding effectively to their challenges to change, futurists and reformers must solve two closely linked problems inherent in their positions. One problem is the risky business of predicting the future social and economic consequences of present trends; the other is the improbability of accurately…

Experience shows that teamwork produces powerful results. Working in a team environment, however, presents its own set of challenges. This handbook provides U.S. Department of Education managers and employees with guidance to develop high-performing teams. Based on input from agency employees throughout the country, the handbook was designed to…

A growing number of schools and districts are considering using teams to handle all types of decision making and advisory activities. The term "teams" can be applied to a wide spectrum of groups with various purposes or powers. This bulletin was designed to assist those who want to create efficient, successful teams. It provides…

A revision of the leader's manual, "Human Relations Training for Supervisory Personnel in Sales and Merchandising Organizations," the human relations training manual for supervisors consists of eight two-hour sessions. The first session is devoted to laying a framework for developing a human relations attitude. The second, third, and fourth…

Local school districts must strengthen their innovative capacity in order to respond effectively to the problems facing them. Success depends on both an organization's technical capacity to match problems with appropriate solutions and its political capacity to move an innovation through the process from adoption to incorporation. Research shows…

This volume offers a theory-based approach intended to create organizations that are both adaptable and stable, sensitive to the needs of constituents, and able to achieve goals productively. It is addressed to those who are interested in identifying and releasing organizational potential. The book begins with a practical working model of the…

The article describes how a British residential school for hearing-impaired children tackled difficult behavior and became more conscious of its ethos by employing a problem-centered methodology. Problems such as intra-school communication and students' inappropriate social behavior were the focus of a teacher workshop and resultant task groups.…

This guide is intended to help organizational researchers involved in diagnosing organizations and helping them change. Part 1 focuses on defensive routines that limit learning at the organizational, intergroup, group, and individual levels. Part 2 focuses on the case study of a consulting firm at which a climate fostering learning and change was…

This module discusses the theory and practice of school improvement and outlines a nine-step systematic problem-solving process for developing an action plan addressing school improvement goals. The first section describes a general model for the study of the school as a social system, as developed by Getzels and Thelen (1960). The second section…