The purpose of this paper is two fold: to look at Mornington U3A in organisational terms and then look at U3AM as a loosely coupled system. One outcome of the study would be to undertake further analyses of U3As in Victoria to determine the levels of bureaucracy under which each operates. Questions to be asked: are U3As in Victoria operating as…

Responsive evaluation honors democratic and participatory values and intends to foster dialogues among stakeholders to include their voices and enhance mutual understandings. The question explored in this article is whether and how responsive evaluation can offer a platform for moral learning ("Bildung") in the interference zone between…

For decades, advising practitioners and scholars have worked toward developing an identity for advising as a unique field of scholarly inquiry and practice. To date, the identity crisis in advising remains. This study presents an examination and description of the function, purpose, and identity of a university advising system through comparisons…

Although there has been substantial research and reform in Vocational Education and Training (VET) over the past 30 years, it is argued that this has ostensibly had limited effectiveness on practices in TAFE colleges. Many policy changes during this period have not resulted in the requisite changed practices by TAFE teachers. This paper reports on…

An algorithm or decision chart is presented which provides basic decision steps to help management decide what data should be collected to derive valid and correct objectives, and to determine what levels of objectives will be selected relative to products, outputs, or outcomes of an organization. (MBR)

British Columbia remained committed to its decision to host a world's fair (Expo 86) despite rapidly increasing deficit projections. Expo is examined as a prototypical example of the escalation of commitment. Theory is proposed that integrates determinants of escalation from several levels of analysis over time. (CJH)

Efforts to make substantial and substantive improvements related to mental health in schools and student/learning supports requires much more than implementing a few demonstrations. Improved approaches are only as good as a school district's ability to develop and institutionalize them equitably in all its schools. This process often is called…

This four-chapter report explores the possible contributions of a systems approach to institutional planning. After introductory comments, Chapter I reviews the management theory of Henry Fayol, which emphasizes management tasks, such as planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling, which are "universal" regardless of the level…

Explores the five general patterns of entropy in organizations and shows how they can be conceptually mapped onto a single model. Elaborates on the model to indicate the broad utility of this concept for persons responsible for organizational control. (Author)

This paper compares the formal and non-formal education systems currently operating in Israel, describing the special features of curriculum planning in non-formal education. The central argument is that the non-formal education system fulfills functions that constitute a critique of the formal education system. The non-formal system offers the…

This is the inaugural issue of the Emergency Response and Crisis Management (ERCM) Technical Assistance Center's "ERCMExpress," and it focuses on the new technical assistance center. The center will support 243 grantees funded under the Emergency Response and Crisis Management program in managing and implementing their projects, and in sustaining…

Presents a method for holistic organizational analysis that provides developers with a rationale to obtain data and decision bases for successful internal and extraorganizational intervention and change. The analysis, based on the Organizational Elements Model, relates organizational resources, efforts, results, and organizational impact. Presents…

Scholars studying organizational communication tend to feel that all organizational problems are rooted in communication, but it is difficult to diagnose the particular problems of an organization without an explicit model of what constitutes a healthy organization. Organizational effectiveness is goal-related, multidimensional, perceived…

The conference paper explores a unified institutional effectiveness planning model which allows for outcomes assessment linked with strategic planning and budgeting through all levels (departments, divisions, and offices) of the institution. The use of an organized reporting system as part of a systematic planning process provides a useful and…

Organizational effectiveness is not a clearly defined concept. The author illustrates how the four most widely used models are not uniformly applicable. He states the evaluator must make explicit certain critical choices when measuring effectiveness. These criteria reveal the definition of effectiveness and what is being measured. (DWH)