Organizational theory and personal behaviors are both shaped by contemporary thinking and theories regarding spirituality, history, and the order, shape, and direction of modern culture. Complexity theory, discussed in this article, offers some helpful insights into appreciating the relationships and connections often overlooked in today's…

The last decade identity is often and very fruitfully conceptualized as "narrative identity." Neither for individuals nor for groups is identity a given beforehand anymore. On the contrary, identity has to be constructed in an inductive way continuously. Three qualitative research methods are applied to explore in an inductive way the…

Professional development in family-centred services was given to professionals supporting children with disabilities and their families with the purpose to influence ways to perform working tasks. Is it possible to change ways of working through in-service training? In order to find answers to that question perceptions of in-service training at…

Purpose: In light of the excessively broad conceptions and nonobservable terms generally characterizing discussions of organizational learning, this study explores the notion of organizational learning in schools through the conceptual framework of organizational learning mechanisms (OLM) and develops a measure of OLM at the elementary school…

Management, consultants, and organization development specialists are provided a method for examining an organization in terms of its power, powerlessness, and power games. Emphasis is on building on existing power and reducing perceived or real states of powerlessness and subsequent power games. (Author/EA)

Responsibility for instruction should pass from academic content experts to experts in the technology of instruction. This implies substantial changes in organizational structure especially in higher education. (Editor/PG)

The article discusses the Japanese Ringi method of change (a habitual response automatically applied to most any change which a Japanese organization can make, whether it is in the financial, technological, or human resources areas) and how it can be of value in looking for an improved management process. (Author/BP)

A contingency theory for managing conflicts in organizational settings is proposed. Collaboration, bargaining, and power approaches to conflict management are all appropriate, given certain situations. The situations and the costs and benefits of using a given strategy under varying conditions are discussed. (Author)

The major organizational climate assessment techniques are described and the differing potential of these techniques in the designing of organizational development interventions is discussed. Based on the data, an approach to the development of a basic taxonomy for assessing organizational environments is mentioned. (Author/MLP)

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Annual Report for 1973 presents a brief history of WICHE. The report is presented as an informal narrative that would try to catch the spirit of the times and of the people involved. A summary of cash receipts and disbursements for the year ended June 30, 1973 and a listing of WICHE…

Explores the current organization development assessment milieu and proposes a model to help clarify assessment. Each feature of the model is defined, and characteristic problems are discussed in light of current methods and theory. Guidelines are proposed to enhance the assessability of potential change activities. (Author)

Predictable affective responses are evoked during each phase of a group or organizational problem-solving process. With the needs assessment phase come hope and energy; with goal-setting, confusion and dissatisfaction; with action planning, involvement and accomplishment; with implementation, "stage fright" and joy; with evaluation, pride or…

Energizing individuals to change relationships with other team members is the prime objective of team building. FIRO-B was found to be a powerful stimulus to change, although individual team members did not report other team members' behavior as being consistent with their FIRO-B scores. (Author)

A team of change agents initiated an intensive organizational development (OD) program in a nonacademic, service department of a midwestern university. Concluding comments include exploration of the feasibility of substantive OD change in short-term programs, and the possibility of nonlinear relations between OD outcomes and time investments. For…

The organizational and procedural changes necessary to adapt the OCLC system in a large academic library over a five year period are described. Organization and work flow diagrams are presented in demonstrating new approaches to accessing authority files and the shelf-list. (Author)