Proposes a model of organizational change by describing organizational change as a discursive process, sparked by a rhetorical conflict in an organization's narratives and images. Examines the educational assumptions and theories that structured a training course used by a company that was restructuring and reorganizing. (SG)

Action research in small companies attempting change used concepts of paradox and metaphor to examine change processes. Findings include the need to (1) discover change in mini-worlds (parts of organizations), (2) appreciate first-order learning, and (3) stabilize change and handle the forces trying to change stability. (Contains 46 references.)…

A project designed to reduce accidents in sugar factories used metaphors as tools for creative analysis, as ways of creating emotions, and as methods for fostering unconscious learning. When change is the goal, images, stories, narratives, and fairy tales were shown to be more effective than formal conceptual learning. (Contains 32 references.)…

Identifies some key issues in recent research on organizational learning and situates the contributions of C. Argyris and D. Schon within the field as a whole. Provides a conceptual framework in which to position the remaining chapters of this special edition. (SLD)

Describes forces that are causing libraries to make changes in how they do business and examines how libraries use management strategies to restructure their organizations. Presents two models that represent organizational structures designed to take into account the unique circumstances of libraries and addresses issues involved in moving to a…

Examines the experience of the University of Western Sydney - Nepean (Australia) in the context of 1989 restructuring of the Australian system of higher education since 1989. Notes the institution's efforts to leave the larger university including the removal of faculties and deans and development of an ongoing process based on a culture of client…

In the past 200 years, periods when prison officer training was emphasized in New South Wales coincided with systemic advances in prison reform. The overall effect of training is creation of a climate of innovation and enlightened management and policy approaches. (SK)

Responses from 4,956 extension personnel examined the Cooperative Extension System's ability to serve diverse audiences on cultural, structural, and behavioral factors influencing organizational change. Results show that Extension is fairly active in incorporating diversity in work with children, youth, and families. (Contains 18 references.)…

Presents a theory of educational change grounded in 23 years of qualitative data from one elementary school, interpreting patterns of change using the punctuated equilibrium theory of organizational change, in which short periods of revolutionary change (usually following failed innovation) are followed by long periods of equilibrium or…

Middle managers in high-tech companies (n=163) characterized their work environment with the terms complexity, ambiguity, and lack of control. A postmodern mechanism for organizational and managerial development involved creation of complexity maps, a diagnostic tool for identifying concerns and areas for personal growth and development. (SK)

Offers guidelines for choosing valuable, lasting initiatives to guide organizational change efforts. Highlights include analyzing the total picture by examining the organization's mission; focusing on core departments; changing processes before altering the structure or acquiring technology; setting up effective behavioral contingencies; and…

Modern organizational changes purportedly intended to increase job satisfaction and reduce turnover are actually forms of social control. Analysis of data from 6,000 employees found that an unintended yet beneficial consequence of these changes is reduced sexual harassment. (Contains 60 references.) (SK)

Despite a consensus on the need to take culture into account in social services delivery, remarkably little data is available on the processes of culturally competent organizational development. This article addresses how workers, supervisors, and managers involved in culturally competent organizational change perceive the goals and dilemmas of…

General education reform is one of the most difficult challenges facing higher education institutions because general education is embedded in organizational culture. This paper examines the reform of general education as a process of organizational change and illustrates how deeper, more sustainable reform may be achieved by integrating cultural…

New Labour reform in publicly funded services is giving shape to a new kind of liberal or market state designed to promote economic efficiency and individual choice, rather than the collective provision of public goods. Government policy and commercial forces are integrating higher education into a global education economy. In consequence,…