This monograph presents lessons learned from the five-year (1992-97) project, Together We're Better, a federally funded systems change project focused on inclusion of children with severe disabilities in Minnesota schools and communities. The project identified six focus areas: (1) district partnerships, (2) personnel preparation and development,…

This packet contains three papers from a symposium on assessing the learning organization. The first paper, "Relationship between Learning Organization Strategies and Performance Driver Outcomes" (Elwood F. Holton III, Sandra M. Kaiser), reports on a study of a new learning organization assessment instrument that was administered to 440…

This paper describes experiences in re-engineering and re-designing Technical Services of the library at the Nathan campus of Griffith University in Brisbane, Queensland (Australia). The goal of the project, which was overseen by an outside consultant, was to have a 50% improvement in productivity (which would mean that 50% of the staff currently…

This book is a how-to manual on creating an alumni relations program, including starting an alumni association. Brief sections address the following topics: defining purpose, launching the organization, establishing a membership policy, establishing a budget, writing a mission statement, creating a long-range plan, working with the development…

This study examined the micro-level contextual factors that impact the process of large-scale, transformational, intentional change at institutions of higher education. The study used an organizational culture framework to examine use of change strategies from the "general" literature on change, to identify micro-level issues and strategies that…

This essay reflects on observations made during the four-year American Council on Education (ACE) Project on Leadership and Institutional Transformation, an effort to help 26 diverse colleges and universities succeed with comprehensive or transformational change. Insights were drawn from three sources: biannual campus visits and monthly phone…

Translating organizational Development (OD) theory into college student personnel work, the author stresses the importance of working with college students as a function of the entire setting. The counseling model has historically ignored the contextual relationship between students and environment. The article concludes by examining the skills…

Obstacles remain, but behavioral and managerial science techniques to improve the functioning of schools are steadily gaining momentum. (Editor)

Presents a theoretical discussion analyzing and explaining the use of group methods in feeding back diagnostic data to organizations, illustrating a new peer group--intergroup model with a study of senior officers at a bank. (Author/JM)

Organizational Development (OD) projects assist schools in clarifying communication, establishing clear goals, solving conflicts, improving meetings, and making decisions. (Author)

This first part of a two part series describes the activity of the York County (Canada) Board of Education's Organization Development Unit, designed to provide assistance for individuals or groups so that they may improve their own effectiveness. (Author/JH)

Establishing a human resource development (HRD) program for HRD practitioners frequently results in problems of organizational change. The author has applied the theories of three contemporary sociologists--Talcott Parsons, Lewis Coser, and Peter Blau--to a hypothetical case study of an HRD consulting firm faced with developing its own human…

Managerial processes used in developing programs to improve an institution's public image are outlined, drawing on both theory and experience in college administration and public relations. Eight case studies provide illustrations. A five-stage managerial plan is presented. (MSE)

H. S. Bhola's CLER (configurations, linkages, environments, resources) Model was used to plan major changes in a large metropolitan police department. Changes involved staff development, occupational socialization, performance evaluation, and result-oriented management. The model provided a satisfactory theoretical framework for analyzing…

This article describes a step-by-step process that will help to increase the odds that career development efforts will be tuned into the current pulse of the organization and can be used repeatedly to respond to future directions. (SSH)