For most of the twentieth century, the goal in education was the generation and dissemination of information. With the rise of technology and unlimited access to information, it is the ability to apply knowledge and learn from experience that is the new priority for employee development. Action learning, with its emphasis on action and reflection,…

Action learning programmes are supposed to result in both personal and organizational development. However, organizational development can be negligible because, as the term implies, a connection must be secured between what has been learned by action learning participants and other members of an organization. Here, the facilitation and analysis…

The marginalization of business writing as a discipline has been traced to a lack of research and to the fact that many in the field teach in business departments that do not value the work of scholars in English studies. One way out of this position may be an act of disciplinary border crossing--aligning the field of business writing with…

Piecemeal change to improve schooling is an approach that at its worst does more harm than good, and at its best is limited to creating pockets of good within school districts. When it comes to improving schooling in a district, however, creating pockets of good isn't good enough. Whole school systems need to be improved. This article focuses on…

Leading the modern university in the twenty-first century is a nearly impossible task. According to Parker Palmer (2006), the answer for all university presidents and faculty alike lies not in looking outward at competing demands, but in facing inward. Palmer would agree that new leadership is needed for new times, but it will not come from…

Purpose: This study aims to explore the relationships between learning organisation dimensions, institutional characteristics and knowledge performance among Malaysian private higher learning institutions. Design/methodology/approach: The researchers sought managers' responses to the dimensions of the learning organisation questionnaire (DLOQ)…

Thirteen school districts, a regional training network, and a university in Florida formed a partnership to develop support for the implementation of the statewide plan, "Blueprint 2000." Funded by the Florida Department of Education, the partnership used a quality and systems framework for helping the schools and districts in their restructuring…

This book is designed to help policymakers, educators, and researchers develop a deeper understanding of the issues of school restructuring and to give greater conceptual clarity to the terms of the current debate. The chapters of the book contain forum papers that are organized into two main parts. Following chapter 1, "Introduction: On Changing…

Based on the assertion that community colleges are moving from the community-based paradigm of the past 30 years to a new paradigm combining the forces of learner- and community-based education, this book explores the role of leadership in changing the mission and culture of the colleges. Chapter 1 describes differences between the older top-down…

Quality work teams that are based on W. Edwards Deming's business-management theories have proliferated at the school and district levels to handle problem solving and decision making. Teams are said to build stronger relationships among those involved in education and, ultimately, to benefit students because more people with broader perspectives…

Educational institutions rank second among the largest service industries in the United States with more than 9.1 million employees. Unfortunately, higher education institutions have shown a lack of orientation towards clientele service. Okaloosa-Walton Community College (OWCC), a comprehensive college enrolling approximately 16,000 students…

Community college leaders are responsible for creating an institutional climate that is supportive, nurturing, collaborative, integrative, empowering, and inclusive. In providing leadership, it is important to remember that collective wisdom can take a college much farther than operating according to one person's ideal. In managing a multifaceted…

This paper examines the practice of using cohorts in administrator-preparation programs from conceptual and practical viewpoints. The first three sections describe the current state of affairs of cohort usage; the final section explores the potential of the cohort structure as a means for developing leaders committed to creating communities of…

In order to better meet the needs of a diverse and rapidly changing service area, the North Harris Montgomery Community College District (NHMCCD), in Texas, began in the late 1980's to initiate improvements in the areas of instructional methods, student services, community outreach, and technological support. Instructional changes have included…

This book provides a practical orientation as well as a conceptual framework for understanding the administrative process by examining the primary elements, functions, and processes involved with effective administration of adult, community, and continuing education agencies and organizations. The book is organized in nine chapters. Chapter 1…