This essay reviews major trends in methodological and theoretical approaches to the study of organizations since the mid-sixties and espouses the political analysis of organizations, a position representing a middle ground between comparative structuralism and the loosely coupled systems approach. This position emphasizes micropolitics as well as…

The relevance of Richard E. Neustadt's presidential choice making theory to a university presidency is analyzed. This theory, which was introduced in Neustadt's 1960 publication "Presidential Power," is examined in regard to situations that occurred at Kent State University (KSU): the KSU Black United Student (BUS) confrontation with the…

Merry Perry teaches English courses (both writing and literature) where the majority of the students are white, middle class, and conservative. Perry begins the article by saying that in such an academic environment, her most challenging task is not teaching grammar, punctuation, or editing skills, but challenging these students to think about and…

Drawing from the theoretical background of Schon's concept of the "reflective practitioner," this study compares the ways in which superintendents and school board members view the future and examines their differing perceptions in order to identify possible loci of conflict between them. Board members and superintendents were asked to identify…

This paper examines the relationship between demands for site-based management and restructuring as they bear on recent theory and research on power in organizations. It also defines and describes the new face of power in the schools--facilitative power, power exercised through, rather than over, subordinates. The bulk of the paper consists of an…

The sociology of education is concerned with the study of groups of people within educational institutions. This book analyzes the sociology of American education from a historical viewpoint. The chapters in the book derive from social theory, the sociology of organizations, the sociology of work and professions, and the study of class, race, and…

An analysis of the relationship between the history of the word "supervision" and the evolution of the American public education system, with a focus on women's roles, is presented in this paper. A historical overview of the role of educational supervision in the United States is followed by discussion of an alternative way of viewing supervision,…

The administration of athletic programs at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-A universities was studied in 1985. The study consisted of three parts: a survey of 65 university presidents concerning leadership and athletics, a historical look at problems in intercollegiate athletics; and a comparison of four universities…

The Canadian population's belief in the values of effective leadership, proven competence, and responsive representation of society's interests have led to the development of an educational system in which (1) the central provincial government exercises greater power over education than do local boards, (2) local boards generally bow to the…

An integrative approach to departmental design proposed for the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of the District of Columbia is described. The proposed curriculum classification framework for faculty assignment consists of three matrices: social behavior and humanities courses, technical courses, and philosophical courses. For the…

This learning unit on supervising in the system is one in the Choice Series, a self-learning development program for supervisors. Purpose stated for the approximately eight-hour-long unit is to enable the supervisor to understand organizations as systems, understand how authority and responsibility work in the workplace, distinguish between types…

This book is an introduction and guide to school-based management, a decentralized form of organization in which decisions that have traditionally been made by a superintendent or school board are made by the local school. Chapter 1 provides an overview of decision-making in public school systems starting with a brief history of the trend toward…

This paper reviews the work environment surrounding integrated office systems, synthesizes the known effects of automated office technologies, and discusses their impact on work efficiency in office environments. Particular attention is given to the effect of automated technologies on networks, workflow/processes, and organizational structure and…

Challenge to organizational authority, publicly presented in the local newspaper, can be either enlightening or trying for organizational managers and their public relations staff, depending on their viewpoint. Using a large public university as the organization, a study looked at these challenges and at what factors determine whether an…

This monograph describes and compares the membership, organization, and policy-making responsibilities of state boards of education in the 49 states that have them. First, board members' characteristics, their civic activities, and their reasons for serving are discussed. Second, a total of 10 distinct governance models are identified, although 3…