The study is based on the premise that if one is able to identify the areas of behavior in which professionals require competence, one can link this behavior to a related structure of concepts which may serve as logical teaching and learning objectives in the development of training programs. A sample of 211 extension agents (in agriculture, home economics, and 4-H work) in 30 counties in New York State provided 419 incidents of behavior which identified the behavior respondents thought to be critical to the achievement of effective or ineffective outcomes in extension activity. A structure of categories of agent behavior was developed and linked to the concepts within a structure of related concepts. The four functional areas derived were: systems, their growth and development; planned change and development; management of change and development; and influencing adoption and innovation. Use of the general systems concept as an ordering mechanism has provided a general model or a series of models of aspects of the different functions and processes involved. It also provides a way of perceiving the role of the extension agent within the general extension education process. (Author/NL)