APA Books® announces the "APA Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology"--the first offering in an new reference series covering core and emerging subdisciplines, the "APA Handbooks in Psychology." I/O Psychology is both a science/practice and an applied/basic research discipline. Appropriately, the "APA…

Many corporations have initiated learning initiatives during the past few years. Training managers are successfully aligning organizational learning with business objectives and bringing about recognition of the relationship between work force development and corporate performance. (Author/JOW)

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…

Organizational change should be approached first by identifying organizational goals, what people should produce to meet them, what kind of people are needed, and how performance can be elicited. The role of performance technology is to assist people in accomplishing the tasks necessary to achieve the goals. (SK)

States that the purposes of the National Council for Staff, Program, and Organizational Development (NCSPOD) are to foster development activities, research, and evaluation; develop innovative approaches; generate means and resources for self-development; and maintain communication. Lists NCSPOD's services and officers. (DMM)

The manual is intended to encourage vocational rehabilitation decision makers to expand application of technical assistance (TA) to enhance Westbrook provides guidelines on planning TA, setting goals, selecting participants, developing the TA plan, determining measurable outcomes, involving the community, providing for information exchange,…

This paper discusses the role of staff development units with respect to "corporate culture" and in light of the experience of the Staff Development Division of the Saskatchewan Public Service. The term "corporate culture" has been defined as the values, symbols, and beliefs that people in a given organization hold jointly and…

Discusses the need for coordinated efforts between an organization and its staff development support that are congruent with the articulated goals of the district, the school sites, and individual members of the organization. Strategies are presented for changing the role of staff developers in renewal efforts that support a learning organization.…

By emulating traits of high-performing corporations such as those described in the book "In Search of Excellence," the library/information profession can also reach the goal of excellence. Attributes characterizing excellent companies include exhibiting a bias for action; maintaining quality service through closeness to the customer;…

This manual was written for the Wisconsin Program for the Renewal and Improvement of Secondary Education (WRISE) to help schools develop their own capability for systematically improving their educative processes from year to year, using existing resources. The program, which has been tested and found effective, indicates general procedures,…

Having worked for several years with three Wisconsin school districts, the author describes the metaplan that emerged for developing districtwide improvement plans. He presents a completed plan to clarify the process. The participating school districts welcome inquiries. (Author/TE)

The purpose of the planning process at Catonsville Community College (CCC) in Maryland is to improve communication and decision making within the organization, to capitalize on the diverse talents and skills of the faculty and staff, and to use the limited resources of the college in ways that best fulfill the institution's mission. The five major…

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…

Educational institutions rank second among the largest service industries in the United States with more than 9.1 million employees. Unfortunately, higher education institutions have shown a lack of orientation towards clientele service. Okaloosa-Walton Community College (OWCC), a comprehensive college enrolling approximately 16,000 students…

This book, written by an organizational development director and consultant in the fields of quality improvement, management, and design of training systems to Fortune 500 clients, offers a six-step improvement strategy and a six-phase training curriculum that can be adapted to the needs of companies in various fields. Seven chapters present ideas…