Processes that integrate the logical and participative dimensions of group decision making and problem solving are increasingly important to those responsible for the organizational development of educational systems. This paper describes a model (The Optimal Combination of Processes for Creative Problem Solving) that was designed to deal with a…

Proposes that admissions offices, especially those in the private sector, use the expertise of the supportive staff to inform prospective students of the opportunities available to them during and after college. (Author)

As the purposes of colleges change and adapt, so too should college staff have the opportunities to change and adapt. Faculty development can help provide these opportunities, while at the same time meeting demands of accountability and fostering curricular and instructional innovation. The goals of faculty development in the Houston Community…

Organizational development is explored through this discussion of a series of projects initiated by researchers at the University of Oregon to provide consultation and training to a school district in the Northwest. The primary focus was the improvement of problem-solving skills in the district and the development of a heightened capacity for…

The discrepancy between aspiration and achievement of institutional goals is analyzed as an important variable in monitoring an innovation through its life cycle from exploration to institutionalization. Although important, this discrepancy, or hiatus, is not sufficient to support an innovation without the concurrent presence of high aspiration…

After stating the goals of the new president of Triton College (Illinois) for his first two years of office (1976-78), this annual report focuses upon the activities, achievements, and management concerns of the college for this period. These issues are discussed in terms of the process of developing and implementing appropriate strategies to deal…

City planners should take on a "maieutic" role, which is to say that they should encourage wide participation in a process that elicits and enlists the latent knowledge and desires of all citizens in a city-building effort. Planners must try to obtain a sense of (1) what the everyday life of people living in and using cities is like, and (2) the…

This document, volume 1, summarizes the main findings and conclusions of a comprehensive assessment of the state of knowledge of Organization Development (OD) in education and the nature and extent of use of OD in school districts in the United States and Canada. The study is divided into five separate volumes. Volume 2 assesses the state of…

This report is a description and analysis of Teacher Corps' Pilot Trainer Workshops (PTW) conducted in July, 1977. The volume serves two purposes: First, it provides descriptive information to those parties who may be involved in the delivery of programs similar to the Teacher Corps project, as well as providing specific recommendations regarding…

The products in this catalogue are programs and publications designed to help schools with staff development programs that are aimed at improving organizational functioning and communication (organization development), or at conducting needs assessment. The organization development products and publications reviewed are designed to help schools…

Reported is a validation study of the Dubin technical updating model, one which identifies variables that may be combined with expectancy theory to predict whether or not engineers will need technical updating. The basic hypothesis is that the likelihood of engaging in updating activities is a function of individual motivation and characteristics…

An analysis of the impact of state government regulation on higher education in California is presented. Two assumptions are explained on which the analysis is based; i.e., that the mission of higher education is teaching, scholarship, and service to the community and that public higher education is rightfully under the authority of the governor…

This paper surveys the recent literature on the implementation of educational innovations and reviews and synthesizes research findings and recommendations for improving educational practices. It focuses on the implementation processes, influences, and effects that are considered to be important variables in educational change, and explores…

The development and functioning of urban social networks in highly politicized environments--particularly, the neighborhood based community organization, political coalition building of urban mayors, and community action programs--suggest implications for building locally based educational reform capacity through network development. Community…

The conferences were part of a series on the development of the field of postsecondary education in Britain. Proceedings of the first conference, on the development of new college organizational structures, include: the concept of organizational development (A.B. Cherns); organization and education (G.M.A. Harrison); introduction to a project to…