Review of human resource development in Britain since World War II finds that cohesion of view and approach among varied stakeholders has occurred during three periods: postwar structuralism, free-market entrepreneurialism, and new Labour resocialization. At other periods, stakeholders sought different objectives and had different visions for the…

Line managers in empowering (n=58) and nonempowering (n=37) British companies were compared. Although "empowered" managers felt better equipped to supervise, they appeared undertrained and unmotivated to develop staff. "Empowerment" was often indistinguishable from work intensification. (SK)

Using a contingency framework, three stages in the evolution of human resource development (HRD) in the National Health Service were identified: tell (training enacted within the classical management paradigm); sell (a competence approach to development for all employees); and gel (strategic HRD linked to corporate goals and future needs).…

Surveys and interviews of 39 hospital staff uncovered mixed attitudes about preparation for performance appraisal and the process for formulating and implementing training and development plans, reflecting varying degrees of motivation, involvement, and commitment. Recommendations for improving appraisal and the training associated with it were…

A North Carolina district that launched a differentiation program for gifted students discovered that all students benefit. Interested districts should start by offering staff development to a small, interested group of teachers; build on teachers' existing practices; target resources; and support teacher collaboration. (MLH)

Describes the development of a Learning and Teaching Conference at the University of Brighton; discusses the value of the conference as a staff development initiative and for disseminating good practice and raising the profile of learning and teaching; reports on feedback from participants; and reflects on experiences of running the conference.…

Survey responses from 402 Virginia extension personnel showed that secretaries and younger staff had the lowest computer anxiety, technicians and older staff the highest. Time spent using computers, age, and years of employment were somewhat associated with anxiety. Training recommendations were made. (SK)

Survey responses from 486 of 3,052North Carolina school-age care providers showed that 94% required staff training and most paid for it, 74% of teachers had less than 5 years of experience, 37% of teachers had a diploma, and 12% had four-year degrees. Areas needing the greatest attention are staff training, salaries, improved staff-to-child…

A survey of 128 small businesses in England found that 84% of owners did not feel lifelong learning was right for their organization; 80% felt it was valid for their own development; and they did not recognize the value of nonwork-related learning. Key staff, however, saw learning as a continuous and vital process for their future development.…

Presents advice from three university maintenance directors on what they see as the most important parts involved in keeping floors in top shape. Training, staff motivation, flexible scheduling, and proper use of supplies are addressed. (GR)

This article details the work of Gail Staines, who is probably the only Mover & Shaker who lists the U.S.A. Equestrians Association among her professional memberships. But it is not that far a leap from what she does in her work as director of the Western New York Library Resources Council (WNYLRC), where she is responsible for making 98…

Diversity has been identified as a priority in library and information services for some time. The limited published research on diversity programs in libraries, though, has focused on academic libraries. This article represents the results of a study of leadership diversity in large, urban public libraries. In the study of members of the Urban…

Many paraeducators work with individuals with disabilities and follow them throughout their day to their various classes. In such cases, the paraeducator may be asked to attend physical education with the child with a disability and do tasks he or she is not trained to do. Paraeducators can be extremely helpful in many ways, but there is a need to…

Background: A range of factors have been suggested as determinants of staff behaviour in the context of working with people with challenging behaviour. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a typical challenging behaviour staff training course had an effect on staff feelings of efficacy, their negative emotional reactions to…

Online education is used for a variety of purposes in higher education. Two such purposes are improving staff performance over time and allowing staff to obtain feedback about their professional skill development. Relying on data from online staff skill development courses delivered in five universities, this article explores online faculty…