The purpose of the current study was to compare the delivery of varied versus constant high-, medium-, and low-preference stimuli on performance of 2 adults on a computer-based task in an analogue employment setting. For both participants, constant delivery of the high-preference stimulus produced the greatest increases in performance over…

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) perform an important role in the long-term care system because they provide the majority of paid care to nursing facility residents. Unfortunately, annual CNA turnover often exceeds 100 percent nationally. Many factors account for this, including stressful working conditions, low pay, and limited benefits. The…

Purpose: This study aims to explore a relationship between the learning organization and transfer of training as strategies for learning and managing knowledge to make performance improvements and gain or maintain a competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach: Various similarities are identified in the literature that are indicative of a…

Process improvement and organizational development go hand-in-hand. Building out your organizational process infrastructure will provide the tools necessary to build and maintain effective processes. It takes time, effort, and persistence to get through the initial stages, but the foundational steps of process awareness set the stage for later…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to measure the effectiveness and practical utility of an organizational learning intervention for an organization that was not progressive, was not specifically chartered as a learning organization, and was situated in an urban, culturally diverse, and under-privileged community. Design/methodology/approach:…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of learning in a project-driven organization and demonstrate analytically how the learning, which takes place during the execution of successive projects, and the forgetting that takes place during the dormant time between the project executions, can impact performance and productivity in…

Examines factors that contribute to the development of an organizational culture. Discusses the vision/mission; training; technology, equipment and supplies; and decor/appearance. Describes how one library created a staff-friendly environment through increasing communication between departments and cross-training to provide interdepartmental…

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to provide a design and implementation framework for ALAR (action learning action research) programme which aims to address collaborative improvement in the extended manufacturing enterprise. Design/methodology/approach: This article demonstrates the design of a programme in which action learning and action…

Beginning an an informal, unstructured information interchange among 100 union, worker, and management representatives from seventeen public and private sector organizations operationally involved in quality of work life activities, a 1977 conference evolved into the first annual meeting of the American Quality of Work Life Association.…

This module for a 1-semester Total Quality Management (TQM) course for high school or community college students covers the topics of benchmarking and the continuous improvement process. It includes the following components: (1) a narrative summary of the topics; (2) a discussion of benchmarking; (3) a benchmarking exercise (the "numbered ball"…

This module for a 1-semester Total Quality Management (TQM) course for high school or community college students contains a brief overview of the definition of processes, a section on process flow diagrams, and a section on process management as well as a description of process variation. Examples are used throughout the module to make processes…

This module for a 1-semester Total Quality Management (TQM) course for high school or community college students contains a brief overview of problem solving and offers a practical approach along with some of the tools that can be used. The following components are included: (1) narrative of the problem-solving process; (2) the problem-solving…

This module for a 1-semester Total Quality Management (TQM) course for high school or community college students covers the topics of empowerment and teamwork. It includes the following components: (1) a narrative summary of the topics; (2) a discussion of employee empowerment; (3) a discussion of teamwork and self-directed teams; (4) a discussion…

This module for a 1-semester Total Quality Management (TQM) course for high school or community college students discusses the concepts of customer satisfaction, customer surveys, and quality functional deployment. The concept of customer satisfaction begins with identifying the customer. Surveys are suggested as one way that students can learn…

This module for a 1-semester Total Quality Management (TQM) course for high school or community college students gives a brief introduction to some statistical tools. It includes a section on process variation that is intended to familiarize students with the causes of variation such as common and special causes. Statistical definitions are given…