Using ethnographic methods of field work and data analysis, this study investigated one example of a comprehensive senior high school to illuminate the nature of its organizational structure and the way in which organizational control and leadership is exercised. Three principal findings emerged from theme analysis of the data. First,…

This paper describes the Tri-Partite Theory of institutional change, which proposes that organizations in general and educational institutions in particular pass through three phases, each dominated by a specific personality type: person-orientation (loyalty to a charismatic leader as the basis of motivation); plan-orientation (functions…

The standard organizational communication audit measures employees' perceptions of and satisfaction with communication in an organization. It does not, however, examine the structural characteristics of an organization, such as centralization or stratification--characteristics that can disclose whether a total communication system is appropriate…

Data from a random sample of North Dakota full-time farm operators were used to determine the influence of farmers' financial circumstances on their geographic mobility intentions. Telephone interviews in the spring of 1985 obtained 933 useable questionnaires for a response rate of 77%. The study explored the magnitude of financial strain faced by…

Because of shifts in consumer tastes and preferences, demographics, technology, government regulation, and the expanding interdependence of world markets, the United States fruit and vegetable processing industries must operate in a constantly changing and uncertain economic environment. U.S. per capita use of processed fruits and vegetables is…

The macroeconomic trends shaping the United States economy and the effects of those trends on higher education are considered. Warning institutions of higher education about possible problems in the economy will place them in a better position to react if necessary. The economic environment is discussed in terms of productivity (goods and services…

Educators concerned with effectiveness outcomes have become increasingly involved with participative organizational and teaching practices designed to improve school climate. Since schools have traditionally emphasized "top down" management and decision-making procedures, few school districts have the experience or expertise to develop…

According to organizational theory, the administrative structure of schools has an effect on the feasibility and ease of improving their operation. To determine whether schools are better characterized as rational bureaucracies or as loosely coupled systems or whether some schools belong to each model, four dimensions were operationalized (goal…

This book contains practical information on creating a positive work climate within an organization. Twenty separate characteristics of successful "climate creators" are discussed. Information is also included on: (1) climate; (2) climate creators; (3) dynamic characteristics of climate creators; (4) the challenge of creating a positive climate;…

The influence of the concept of organizational culture on computer use by colleges and universities is discussed, and five case studies of anonymous northeast colleges are presented. Attention is directed to the extent and nature of the connections between computer use and organizational factors, both structural and cultural. Structural influences…

Age grading, the differentiation of social groups by members' age judgments, is widely regarded to be a universal aspect of social life. Most studies have examined age structurally (demographically), rather than normatively (modally). This study presents survey data measuring employees' age judgments of managerial careers collected from an…

A case study examined employee perceptions of the communication climate within a newspaper. Using qualitative and quantitative techniques, data were collected from 150 employees in 7 departments of a small newspaper organization, "Southwestern Newspapers". Results indicated that this newspaper can improve its communications climate by…

The flight of middle class families from the cities to the suburbs has left many cities hard pressed to continue services at former levels. Falling enrollments and revenues have led to mergers of city and county school districts or closures of city districts followed by county takeover. This report documents educators' experience of city-county…

A study gathered data that described recent changes in the economic well-being of U.S. workers and their families. Data, including family incomes, wages, fringe benefits, and employment, showed that, in 1987, after 5 years of recovery, the average worker was worse off economically than at the peak of the last business cycle. The typical family's…

This paper analyzes the content of a subculture in an organization, that of the faculty of a public middle school. The paper tries to articulate the substance of the subculture and to discover its sources in the shared experience of the teachers and in the way in which they wove that experience into a coherent and satisfying pattern of meaning.…