The author proposes changes in preservice training and school administration practices that would end traditional school hierarchies and make the teacher/administrator relationship one of equal professionals functioning in separate spheres. (SJL)

Documents communication and interpersonal problems commonly experienced by organizational members who are perceived as being dissimilar. Supports a two-pronged approach to fostering a more equitable workplace: using mentoring programs as a long-term strategy, and using discrete and consistent supervisory disclosures of task-relevant information as…

Examines the relevance of reengineering for organizational development in a technology-enabled marketplace. Emphasizes the need for shorter timeframes to implement change and discusses reasons for reengineering failure, as well as ways to make executive sponsorship more secure. (AEF)

Addresses issues arising from the application of a learning model to the Greek public administration system. Suggests a process of organizational self-learning that is capable of transforming a state bureaucracy into a self-referential organization. The process of self-learning is based on a repeating cycle of knowing, reflecting, understanding,…

College and university strategic planning works best when staff performance appraisal and development are used together to bring about both organizational and individual change. However, these must be more than bureaucratic exercises unrelated to daily staff management. Individual staff must be able to see themselves as important in carrying out…

Describes the development of a distance education program at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) which will meet several needs: lifelong learning; adult education; service to remote populations; and continuing education for faculty in remote campuses. Provision of large-scale education depends on addressing issues dealing with…

In response to marketplace and organizational changes, Owens Corning Corporate Library developed a strategic plan to secure its function within the organization. Describes outsourcing transactional services, creating an Intranet/Internet tool for users, redefining the library as a knowledge resource center, and achieving team commitment. A sidebar…

For a higher education institution to sustain excellence in the fundamental missions of teaching, research, and service, it must have a cultural context that encourages clarity of purpose, flexibility, creativity, tolerance, intelligence, meaningful communication, and willingness to learn new things and from past mistakes. All are characteristics…

Privatizing college services, however attractive, may come at a price. Institutional concerns about losing control of services, too much outside presence on campus, and loss of collegiality are real issues. Each institution must assess its own situation and monitor its movement toward contracting out services to private business, balancing…

Pennsylvania State University will turn 14 of its two-year campuses into four-year colleges, changing the face of higher education in the state and raising concerns for competing institutions. Three campuses will retain two-year status. The change is due to overcrowding at the University Park flagship campus, and because too few two-year campus…

Explores three dimensions of student services'"place" in rising administrative costs: (1) student services' share of administrative expenditure increases relative to other branches of administration; (2) the extent to which student services are being cut or privatized; and (3) the extent to which student services are reconceptualizing…

Traces program development at the North Carolina Outward Bound school from 1967 to 1987. Describes changes in the standard three-week challenge course, evolution of short intensive courses, and introduction of tailored contract courses in response to changing market demands. Discusses implications for institutional mission, identity, and…

Examined is the fairly broad consensus that the break with the traditional centralism of Australian public schooling is a progressive move. The social and ideological meaning of this change in the direction of administrative policy against the background of contemporary Australian society is discussed. (13 references) (SI)

Discusses the use of political power within an organization to effectively implement training and performance improvement solutions. The nature of organizations is discussed; political strategies dealing with co-workers, bosses, committees, and the red tape of bureaucracies are described; and methods to increase chances of success are suggested.…

Conflicts often are symptoms, not causes, of organizational problems. As school budgets shrink, the budget process becomes a battlefield. A systematic approach to revising the budget process involves clarifying the school vision, identifying leadership, clarifying participants' roles, organizing processes, exploring history, implementing change,…