To examine the attitudes of management literature toward female managers, 27 articles published in "Management Review" between 1951 and 1981 were subjected to both content analysis and fantasy theme analysis with attention to dramatistic plot elements. Used to identify and categorize prominent themes, content analysis revealed three…

Because the skills needed for organizational effectiveness are typically communication based, many methods are available for communication trainers, including techniques originally designed to identify other cognitive and behavioral skills. The successful communication trainer can use these methods and measures, along with those directly aimed at…

Eight papers, each presented at one of three conferences sponsored by the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), are published together in this collection. It provides an overview of the current interest in developing nations in the role of administration in educational development, particularly as that role involves the…

A study was conducted in September 1981 of factors which influence the process of communication between clients and staff at six high-capacity computer facilities in the Sacramento, California, metropolitan area. These included two large government organizations, a medium-sized corporation, two bibliographic database settings, and a computer…

This paper addresses the concept of the communication audit, i.e., a fact-finding analysis, interpretation, and reporting process that studies the communication philosophy, structure, flow, and practice of the organization. Reasons for doing a communication audit are identified: (1) to uncover information blockages and organizational hindrances;…

This book, written with reference to British schools, examines the skills that are needed for educational management and leadership, and discusses how those skills should be applied. The first chapter sets out the tasks and skills involved in each of three major areas: the management of learning, the school as a community, and the management of…

This study examined the relationship among accountability, efficacy, and organizational effectiveness by integrating findings from 17 research and development reports on Management by Objectives (MBO), an intervention that incorporates elements and processes of both accountability (goal-setting, measuring and monitoring, feedback) and efficacy…

A study examined the phenomenon of burnout in social service agencies, approaching burnout as a symptom of organizational communication patterns rather than a characteristic inherent in or developed within a particular individual. Sixteen working teams (defined as three or more people in a person-oriented service, who are perceived as a team by…

Over 60 years of American anthropological and sociological research writings have erected a concept of culture that restricts its role in planned change models to one of active or tacit resistance to change. As an alternative, this paper suggests that the substitution of a contemporary, dynamic conceptualization of culture as developed by…

A mentor is a close, trusted, and experienced counselor or guide who trains, disciplines, and assumes a great deal of responsibility in assisting the protege. Considerable debate exists in organizational research as to the value and benefit of mentors, and only recently have some businesses recognized mentors as important to the shaping of new…

An institution's innovative plan for staff utilization, which represented a forced coalition between the offices for institutional research and university advancement, is described. Funding cuts eliminated staff in both of these offices. An institutional research/planning staff team (team A) identified current skills and resources and determined…

This paper uses a national survey of secondary schools to examine the relation between size and orderliness in secondary schools and to test alternative theories linking school disorder to school size. Manning theory and social control theory, taken together, predict that larger schools will experience more disruption because a smaller proportion…

To show that the bottom line for successful operation of a multinational company is understanding the cultural background of its employees and adapting to cultural change, this paper cites studies indicating that attitudes, communication, interpersonal skills, and motivation may be more important than technical skills in ensuring success in…

Beginning with an illustrative exercise in audience participation, this keynote address contends that effective staff development requires shared commitment, a shared language for describing and analyzing the problems of teaching and learning, and awareness that big ideas are realized through small tactics. These general precepts are clarified…

This paper examines the value conflicts engendered by computing developments in two different institutional settings: electronic funds transfer systems and instructional computing in primary and secondary schools. While specific values depend upon culture and upon the character of the particular institutional setting studied, these two cases serve…