A literature review identified principles for supporting innovation and creativity in organizations: integrated approach, the right climate, and appropriate incentives. Staff development should focus on such skills as teamwork, communication, vision, change management, and leadership. Internet and intranet communications are beginning to be…

An increasing number of free agent or self-directed learners are getting their education outside their companies. As a result, they demand more of their corporate training departments and expect more from their jobs and companies. (JOW)

Discussion of workplace conflict management examines erroneous assumptions inherent in traditional reaction patterns, considers key elements of planning for conflict prevention, and some workplace strategies to help minimize conflicts. Several approaches to conflict management, and their outcomes, are highlighted, and stages of the…

Discusses the influence of employee race/ethnicity and gender identity, associated stereotyping and prejudice, and the nature of interpersonal relations on acceptance of diversity and support for diversity-management initiatives. A case study of 160 supervisors and 350 employees illustrates which factors influence employee support for diversity in…

Surveyed 129 K-12 educators teaching in alternative programs concerning their stress and well-being. Respondents experienced moderate to high stress; high stress was negatively related to several domains of well-being. Major stressors included student demands, physical demands of collegial interactions, and inadequate funding. (Contains 35…

A case involving an African-American teacher's complaint about a (reassigned) building engineer's abusive and racist language went nowhere. Apparently, the mere use of foul language does not establish a Title VII claim; the custodian's sporadic comments did not create a sufficiently "hostile work environment." (MLH)

Interviewed women engineering faculty at two universities to determine their experiences and perceptions of departmental and institutional environments. Most participants had experienced some type of isolation or singling out due to gender. Some questioned whether they were overreacting. Many had difficulty balancing home and work lives.…

The director of the ropes course at the recently privatized Bark Lake (Ontario) summer camp discusses differences between nonprofit and for-profit organizations and describes the group-based year-round outdoor education programs that were developed when the facility became private. Working within a profit formula can be more liberating but can…

Uses findings from previous studies of teacher work context to hypothesize that some features of the school workplace may contribute to greater parent involvement in urban high schools, especially home-school communication and parent volunteering. Discusses the roles of communal school organization and a context of caring. (SLD)

Uses social work practitioners' (N=15) narrative accounts to identify the evidence they use to decide whether work had "gone well." Results reveal practitioners' preoccupation with causes and reasons for intervention outcomes. Workers held strong views about the complexity and ambiguity of social work evidence, recognizing the interplay of knowing…

Educators and business leaders have wasted precious time and resources looking for external solutions. Giving up the futile search for "silver bullets" is the basic precondition for overcoming dependency and for taking actions that matter. Principals can gain insight from respecting those whom they want to silence, moving dangerously…

Describes the technology education program at Platteville High School (Wisconsin) and its performance-based technology approach. The program includes integrated classes and work-based learning. (JOW)

Describes phases of project-based learning (PBL): diagnosis, data feedback, and organization of learning projects. Compares PBL to other action-based learning methods. Provides four examples of PBL, underpinned by learning network theory. (SK)

Nationwide, widespread application shortages exist for high school principals. A 1998 Association of California School Administrators study of 11 representative districts found that positions went unfilled due to stress, salary, and shortage of qualified candidates. Dealing first with contextual concerns, then with personnel and institutional…

Describes development of the Images Through Metaphor Questionnaire and its application in an investigation of relationships between 162 (Tasmanian) teachers' images of their schools and their perceptions of their work environment as assessed by the School Level Environment Questionnaire. Results revealed a strong relationship between these…