Reviews research on group problem solving and offers suggestions for improving participation and task accomplishment in the workshop format. (JOW)

Focuses on the legal status of employee-participation programs, such as quality circles, that coexist with but are not controlled by unions. Suggests changes in public policy to protect participation programs that do not threaten the bargaining agent. (JOW)

In this study participativeness, centralization, and organizational autonomy were analyzed conceptually and operationally, and subsequently related to five indicators of organizational effectiveness. Participative, decentralized, and autonomous organizations are more effective. (Author)

This report presents a study that examined the desired roles and characteristics of faculty co-governance bodies. The study was conducted as part of the creation of the National Data Base on Faculty Involvement in Governance Project at the University of Alabama which was developed as a collaborative project among individual scholars from across…

Because most research done on the influence of participative management on library performance is ignored and an invalid measure of participation in decision making is used, this study provides no basis for the generalization that an increase in the library staff's participation in decision making will increase the library's effectiveness. (29…

Participative management is not the abdicating of responsibility by top management and allowing staff members to do whatever they wish; rather it forces decisions down to the level best suited to determine them by virtue of availability of relevant information and the effect of the decision on the operation. (21 references) (Author/NH).

Outlines a practical approach to planning for office automation termed the "Focused Process Approach" (the "what" phase, "how" phase, "doing" phase) which is a synthesis of the problem-solving and participatory planning approaches. Thirteen references are provided. (EJS)

Presents a case study of team management at work in the Hicksville (New York) school district, which was based on a program for organizational renewal that incorporated the idea of developing goals by consensus. (Author/WD)

Describes how members of the English Department at Texas Tech University redesigned their site as an open system in which control is distributed among department members. Describes the conversational approach they used to redesign the site, applies it to a critique of the original web site, then describes changes they implemented to remake the…

Provides an example of how HPT (human performance Technology) helped provide value in a community situation in Montreal. Describes a problem with graffiti that a neighborhood merchants association was having and explains how an HPT (human performance technology) professional suggested defining the reasons for the problem before solutions were…

Discusses the new roles to serve changing populations that schools constructed for the 21st century must fulfill. Describes a collaborative facilities planning process developed by the National Center for the 21st Century Schoolhouse. (EV)

Information requirements specification (IRS) constitutes an Achilles heel in the system life cycle of management information systems. This article establishes a systematic overall IRS technique applicable to organizations of all types and sizes. The technique's integration of brainstorming and theory Z principles creates an effective, stimulating,…

Advocating development for all continuing education staff, the author asserts that staff who understand adult education theory, the goals and visions of the organization, the environmental context of continuing education, and the roles of other staff members will be more effective. Also essential are support mechanisms that facilitate change. (SK)

A central challenge in education is involving teachers more fully in decision-making processes. This article explores the conceptual advantages of examining teacher participation in decision making using a multidomain, evaluative approach. Findings suggest that this approach offers the greatest overall utility for both practitioners and…

Discusses the need for change in higher education and the problems that institutions are having in dealing with it. Discusses the change process and uses case studies to illustrate it. (JOW)