Describes activities of Gustavus Library Associates, begun in 1977 to support advancement of resources of Bernadotte Memorial Library at Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, Minnesota) and achiever of national reputation for skill at raising money and for quality of its activities. Definable goals and conditions for success are noted. (EJS)

Outlines the Learning Climate Improvement Process developed by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) that is used to identify the components of a school needing improvement. Includes discussion of the five steps involved in the improvement process. Includes references. (MD)

Presents 10 case studies to examine success of Chicano farmers in cooperatives. Identifies keys to success: members' independence aspirations, production of labor-intensive crops, and support network within the cooperative. Discusses external/internal factors influencing success: high attrition rates and "free riders," social cohesion,…

The author projects some possible future scenarios concerning the world of work and discusses their economic, political, and attitudinal implications. He states that since the consequences of an almost-workless world would be profound, affecting all the values and structures of contemporary society, planning for such an eventuality is urgent. (CT)

Six steps to successful needs analysis are (1) collect information about the organization, (2) identify potential training opportunities, (3) conduct a performance audit, (4) select and test content areas, (5) determine the required skills, knowledge, and abilities, and (6) verify this information against the organization's issues and goals. (SK)

Twelve trends in the emerging "metaindustrial work culture" are strategic planning, systems orientation, futuristic management, transformational management, decentralized management, executive involvement, research orientation, human capital emphasis, creative work patterns, organizational culture, synergy and networking, and…

Effective organizational adaptation often brings together an institution's apparently incompatible views of a problem and its solution. Paradoxical models of change may be superior to linear models, and flexibility in administrative thinking and institutional strategies to encourage paradox will become a hallmark of institutional effectiveness.…

Discussion of successful integration of human relations into day-to-day life in organizations focuses on individual's need to deal with competition, power, and politics. A framework that provides a systematic way of viewing power and politics and the irrational side of organizations is given, and case studies illustrate framework components. (EJS)

Examined person-group fit relative to training performance, absenteeism, and turnover of airline flight attendants. The main effect influence of person-group fit on performance, attendance, and turnover was not supported. Person-group fit, however, did moderate the training performance-withdrawal relationships. (Author/BL)

This study was conducted to determine the current status of existing and potential cooperation and collaboration efforts among major employment training delivery systems. The study involved a survey of representatives from eight major delivery systems of employment training. Data analysis supplied information about each delivery system and…

Staff development specialists worked with elementary school personnel to improve school morale by gathering information to assess the current climate, establishing task forces to deal with the problems, and training staff members in techniques for ameliorating the problems. (MLF)

This paper defines "corporate culture" (set of values and beliefs shared by people working in an organization which represents employees' collective judgments about future) and discusses importance of corporate culture, nature of corporate cultures in business and academia, and role of information in shaping present and future corporate…

This article discusses the potential for cooperative education to initiate students into the "culture" of the workplace and takes the reader beyond traditional techniques for evaluating program outcomes. The article notes the importance of a strong, cohesive culture to produce results but stresses the importance of risk-taking and wheeling and…

Describing some of the causes of midlife crisis and reasons why organizations should offer help to their employees, the authors suggest these actions: continuing education, retraining, mentoring, autonomy, support groups, counseling, and sabbaticals. (SK)

Surveyed superintendents (N=16) and school psychologists (N=18) to explore the impact of perceived environmental demands on the roles and job satisfaction of the school psychologist in rural school systems. Results indicated that those who performed boundary-spanning functions are more satisfied with their jobs and more influential in determining…