The professional development of middle leaders in higher education is little considered in existing research, though there are general concerns being raised about the suitability of the professional development opportunities currently available. This article develops and explores the use of meta-reflection as a method for professional development,…

Discussion of summative evaluation focuses on eight steps involved in the planning process. Topics discussed include client commitment to evaluation; evaluating the training organization; evaluating management training, including appropriate evaluation strategy; institutionalizing the evaluation process so it becomes normal operating procedure;…

Reviews current organizational development and training practices in two articles of a special section. The first compares OD philosophy with McGregor's integrative approach. The second article discusses contributions OD practice can make to theory, including modifying existing theories, addressing new problems, and exploring the internal logic of…

Describes skill learnability, the degree to which a managerial skill can be acquired or modified by training and development. Argues that managerial skills comprised of large social/interactive components and affected by underlying noncognitive attributes are more difficult to learn than skills articulated through a common body of knowledge.…

Reviews the literature on management development and summarizes results of a survey of human resources development (HRD) professionals' perceptions about management development practices. Topics discussed include identifying management development needs; strategic business plans, succession plans, and individual development plans; frequency and…

Discussion of the degree of training effectiveness in management training technologies focuses on a training experiment which employed two scenarios of a computer assisted simulation. Structural components of managerial effectiveness versus specific content of managerial tasks are described, and suggestions for future training technologies are…

Literature concerned with management and supervisory training was reviewed and analyzed from the perspective of relative effectiveness of various training methods for improving knowledge and awareness, changing attitudes, improving problem-solving skills, improving interpersonal skills, and improving on-the-job performance. Conclusions were drawn…

Contract learning is an invaluable tool in organizational learning and management development. A contract can incorporate teacher-directed learning (TDL) and self-directed learning (SDL), as appropriate. Substantial research has revealed the power of SDL; the trick is to harness this learning for the benefit of the organization. The literature on…

A recent effort by Arizona's state student aid agency to assess needs and improve training for aid administrators is described. A review of literature was conducted for the study and is summarized. Methods, procedures, and findings are also described and recommendations for the implementation of the findings are provided. (MLW)

Financial analysis techniques are tools that help managers make sound financial decisions that contribute to general corporate objectives. A literature review reveals that the most commonly used financial analysis techniques are payback time, average rate of return, present value or present worth, and internal rate of return. Despite the success…