Examined effects of task and supervisory experience on causal attributions and recommendations for corrective action following poor performance. Results indicated task and supervisory experience did affect attributions, to specific causal factors; however, the effects were not consistently in the predicted direction. (Author/BL)

This article asks "How literate do workers need to be?" and suggests such measures as the widespread use of technical materials written in "plain language" and employers' offering job-related reading programs. (JB)

Few terms have been as misused and as overused as the term "competence." This article attempts to clarify the meaning of the term by describing four common conceptions of competence. (Author/CB)

Individual change is the key to organizational change. A seven-step model of individual change--awareness, understanding, belief, effort, reward, feedback, and system accommodation--provides a structure for the design and content of training programs that will ensure transfer of learning to the workplace. (SK)

Summarizes limitations of current behavioral based employee management programs which rely heavily on reward and punishment techniques to maximize productivity; describes the new cognitive approaches which assume employees think about the meaning of rewards and punishments and act according to beliefs and expectations; and presents examples of…

The satisfaction of lower order needs, such as security and social needs, is more closely associated with job performance than the satisfaction of higher needs such as job autonomy and self-actualization. (Editor)

Illustrates how program evaluation can be used to increase the impact of continuing education on performance. (JOW)

Describes the major tasks that an editor for a commercial publishing house, in this case a children's book publisher, performs on a day-to-day basis, including manuscript selection, working with authors and illustrators in completing a book, scheduling books for publication, and managing economic and production activities. (JL)

Thirty-six mildly mentally retarded young adults were exposed to one of three training arrangements for vigilance performance, a monitoring task that some professionals consider uniquely appropriate for such persons because they are assumed to be less susceptible to boredom. (Author)

Literature on work and aging related to the areas of work satisfaction, performance, and motivation is examined. Findings indicate that as people grow older, intrinsic satisfaction becomes more important than extrinsic rewards. External and psychological conditions associated with aging sometimes affect job performance and motivation. (Author/SK)

Good communication skills distinguish the poor manager from the effective manager. Effective communication skills on the part of managers can determine the effort and productivity of employees. (Author/MLF)

Vocational educator certification, and how it varies from state to state, is discussed by the author. Existing certification standards are examined from the viewpoints of criteria, control, tradition, and measurement of job competency. (CT)

Shows how jobs can be designed so that both satisfaction and performance result. Five satisfaction-oriented and five performance-oriented implementing concepts are discussed and summarized in tables. (Author/JD)

Discusses nine areas to be considered in performance evaluation: (1) objectives, (2) frequency, (3) involvement, (4) skills, (5) employee responsibility, (6) prediscussion, (7) growth, (8) evaluation of the evaluation, and (9) employer evaluation. (JOW)

Offers six ways to rise in a career: (1) love what you do; (2) never stop learning; (3) try to get international experience; (4) create new business opportunities; (5) expect more raises, few titles, and fewer people reporting to you; and (6) be outstanding at what you are doing now. (JOW)