In a recent experience in the Manitoba provincial government, an active, varied, and largely homegrown system-wide "open systems" approach for the design and delivery of staff development and training became operational in only 18 months. The development and implementation of the strategy and some significant results are recounted.…

Describes a positive seven-step process for initiating a whole organization development (WOD) effort. Steps include clarification of whole organization objectives, data gathering, diagnosis, prescribing interventions, commitment, implementation, and progress review. (CSS)

Describes a multiplant quality assurance organization study at NCR Corporation. Objectives were to upgrade quality assurance engineer expertise, reclassify job descriptions and evaluations, and develop staffing profiles to guide management planning. Includes procedures used in implementing these objectives. (MF)

Provisions for rural workers' education programs and for their developing rural organizations are outlined from symposia of the International Labour Office (ILO). Photographs from several IL O meetings are included. (MF)

Observations drawn from discussions at a conference on citizen committees monitoring court-ordered desegregation plans are presented. (MJB)

Based on statistics that show that the number of white-collar people (or knowledge workers) will expand over 60 percent in the next decade, the author offers a wide range of suggestions on how business can more efficiently employ and manage this new breed of worker. (Editor/TA)

Organization development (OD) purports to facilitate organizational change through the use of a variety of change interventions. This article reviews and evaluates the research on the impact of organization development interventions. Research is available on only six interventions. The review indicates areas for improved research and directions…

Describes how to improve an existing orientation program for nurses or implement a new one by utilizing Management by Objectives (MBO) principles. First, covers how to identify, prioritize, and classify managerial objectives. Then discusses how program effectiveness is insured. Last, discusses three important conditions for successful program…

Terminology in the training and human resources development field as used in various countries is defined and discussed, from "autonomous work groups" to "two-tier work structure." The author notes that the preferred term to indicate some kind of increased worker influence on organizational conduct seems to be "quality of…

In a research project to examine the relationship between various aspects of the organizational context and transfer of learning, a seven-stage model was set up to examine the training-learning processes from the standpoint of the individual participant. Organizational action steps to be taken both before and after the training course are…

This piece analyzes a central and neglected issue: do survey-feedback designs simply encourage respondents to make "unrealistic" demands for organization resources to ameliorate unattractive features of work? (Author)

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that structural and behavioral changes are not mutually exclusive, but rather complementary. It discusses origins of the behavioral-structural controversy, major behavioral symptoms of structural problems, advantages of structural interventions, reluctance to utilize structural interventions, and…

This article focuses on team building as a consulting intervention designed to influence the learning environment. The purposes of teaming are facilitating problem solving; maximizing the utilization of skills, competencies, interests, and resources toward organizational goals; improving the planning and decision-making process; and providing a…

This article looks at the kinds of activities school advisory committees can and have engaged in, the type of support they need in order to become effective, and some ways of evaluating their effectiveness. (MB)

Examines some theoretical bases for motivation of personnel, reviews the current research literature on the topic, and analyzes the principal's role in motivation of both himself and the staff. The authors provide an experimental design to critically test the relationship between motivation and the school principal. (Author/IRT)