The locus of operation for management and support of linking agents in Florida is the Teacher Education Center (TEC), with the linkage strategy being the Florida Linkage System (FLS). FLS is a problem-solving model being field tested in eight TECs incorporating twenty-eight site schools, through an R&D utilization project funded by the National Institute of Education. The linking agent, a member of the TEC staff, assists schools at any point in the problem-solving process. This assistance ranges from making arrangements for technical assistance from a university or state education agency (SEA) consultant to providing such technical assistance himself or herself, depending upon the expertise of the linker. The effectiveness of linkers in working with a school site is highly contingent upon the principal's commitment to the problem solving/change process. Training of linkers has been both formal and informal. The formal program involves training teams, composed of linkers, two or three school facilitators, and university and SEA technical assistants. Activities include assessing organizational needs in a school, use of individual strengths to maximize teamwork, communication, and group process skills and use of force field analysis to clarify problems and develop problem statements. A network of management and support is necessary for the evolving role of linker. Financial support, ready access to someone who can help solve a problem or just be sympathetic and encouraging, and management of support resources are among the ways Florida is attempting to contribute to the institutionalization of the vital role of linker. (Author)