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A Brief Discussion Of The History, Role, And Function Of The School Psychologist In The Former Soviet Union And Russia, Todd W. Knutson

Masters Theses

School psychology in the former Soviet Union and Russia had its beginnings as the field of Pedology which thrived in the early 1900s in Europe and in the former Soviet Union. School psychological services, in Western psychometric sense, have been virtually dormant since Pedology's downfall following ideological conflicts with Communist leaders in 1936 when standardized testing was banned in the U.S.S.R. This paper sketches a brief history of school psychology in the former Soviet Union and Russia, outlines the educational system, reviews the Soviet research on mental retardation, and calls for the sharing of general information related to international school …

New Curricular Categories For The Future: University Of North Dakota School Of Communication, Lana Rakow

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article provides information on new curricular categories of the University of North Dakota School of Communication, as of September 1995. The school historically has had a highly visible leadership role in the state of North Dakota, particularly with newspapers and broadcast stations in the state. Rather than limiting the possibility for change, however, its visibility joined other factors in making conditions for change favorable. The new curriculum streamlines the five into one, communication. This new curriculum is both mission driven and assessment driven. The new mission statement and goals for student learning set out the intellectual integration of communication …

A Concern About... Connecting School-To-Work And Service Learning, Council Of Chief State School Officers

School K-12

As interest has grown in school-to-work transition programs and service learning, the commonalities between the two have become increasingly clear. Service learning and school-to-work are forms of experiential education that extend student learning into the community and the worksite. Both provide students with contextualized learning opportunities. Through service learning and school-to-work programs, students engage in learning experiences that help develop organizational, team, and problem-solving skills as well as the competencies and foundation skills identified as important for employability and responsible citizenship (SCANS, 1992; W.T. Grant Commission, 1988).

The Basic Course In Organizational Communication: A National Survey, Donald Treadwell, Ronald L. Applbaum

Basic Communication Course Annual

This article presents a study describing the current status and characteristics of the basic organizational communication course reported by 285 college or university departments offering this course in North America. This survey is compared with surveys conducted in 1979 and 1988. The results indicate that the course is most typically taught by one faculty member in lecture/discussion format and emphasizes organizational and communication theory over skills. Students are most typically upper-level undergraduates. The course appears to be facing increasing demand. Changes are occurring in the content and structure of the course with the topics of gender differences, organizational culture, communication …

Basic Communication Course Annual Vol. 7

Basic Communication Course Annual

Full Issue (168 pages, 2.147 MB)

Does Gender Influence Leadership?, Stacy L. Jones

Honors Theses

The question of gender's influence on leadership styles is an important topic in the modern organizational world. The face of the organization is changing, with new demands being made of management. Organizations no longer depend on rigid hierarchies to achieve their goals, but rather these organizations seek innovation and communication. To achieve these new objectives, organizations are searching for leadership from their executives, managers, and employees.

It is of primary importance to determine whether men and women demonstrate the same leadership behaviors or demonstrate significantly different styles of leadership. This knowledge may substantially aid an organization in utilizing the most …

The Multiple Sclerosis Society : One Thing People With Ms Can Count On, Chris O'Neil

Honors Theses

In my study of the Central Virginia Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, I have chosen not to focus on the departure of the Executive Director, Jacqui Kozsuch, who is leaving for personal reasons. I have instead focused on the issues that are going to be relevant and important for the growth of the chapter in the future, such as the board involvement, fund.raising strategies and meeting the needs of the clients.

Based on my research and observation, I think that the chapter has made a turn for the better and has the groundwork laid for future success. All …

Virginia Commonwealth University's Plan For A Diverse Community, Matthew T. Corkern

Honors Theses

Having always been intrigued by academic administration, it is only appropriate that I chose to study leadership perspectives within this traditional, yet ever changing context. Desiring the challenge of intellectual development as well as an opportunity to bring an effective change, I researched and assembled a pilot project. With use of this procedure, the Office of Academic Planning at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), may now analyze the implementation of various directions and components of their Strategic Plan over the next months for the September 1995 deadline.

Managerialism-Something Old, Something Borrowed, Something New : Making Government More Business-Like, John Dixon

Centre for Public Policy Studies : CPPS Working Paper Series

The panacea for the public sector's self-evidently inadequate performance is seen by many as the need for civil servants to pursue a results-oriented approach to their management using private sector management principles and practices. This managerialist view now pervades public administration in, most notably, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States) (Caiden, 1994; Dixon, 1988 & 1995; Dixon & Kouzmin, 1994, Kouzmin, Dixon & Wilson, 1995. Hede, 1991; Ingraham & Peters, 1988; Lane, 1985; Mascarenhas, 1993; Peters, 1994; Pollitt, 1990) and, embrionicly, in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Government, 1995). The purpose of this paper is to …

Awakening Intuition: A Delphi Study, Verna Veronica Schmidt Edd

Dissertations

This study was framed by three key questions: How is intuition characterized, how is intuition in adults best developed, and what influence might the development of intuition have on individuals, organizations, and society. The data for the study was collected using the Delphi method. The panel included twenty females and twenty-three males from three Canadian provinces and eighteen American states. Eighty-three percent of the panel had post secondary degrees in over twenty different disciplines. Twenty-three percent of the panel held doctorate level degrees. Thirty-one different occupations were represented. All forty-three participants who started the study completed all three rounds. Data …

The Clinical Sociologist As A Boundary Manager: The Case Of University Administration, John G. Bruhn, Alan P. Chesney

Clinical Sociology Review

Managing conflicts at the interfaces or boundaries at the individual, group and organizational levels is an essential part of the job of a university administrator. As universities become subject to increasing external pressures, especially financial, administrators are called upon to reorganize, restructure and reallocate resources. These interventions substantially challenge academic administrators and the clinical sociologists who occupy these roles to utilize their skills as conflict and risk managers. This paper describes and discusses the experiences and observations of the authors as boundary managers in university settings.

Diversity Management: An Administrative Case Study In A Tax-Exempt Human Service Organization, Jerry L. Johnson

Masters Theses

Diversity management is a business strategy that is intended to create an organizational climate where people from diverse backgrounds can succeed based on their work performance and not their personal similarities or differences with the organization's leadership. Diversity management programs are intended to help business remove barriers resulting from discrimination.; The present study investigated the need for a diversity management program in a tax-exempt human service organization. The perceptions and attitudes of organization employees, measured by survey instruments, in conjunction with an employee compensation study, provided the data for this investigation.; The instrument designed for this study and the random …

Development Of A Participative Approach To Guide Organizational Change: Reviewing The Sawtooth Technique, Port Robert Martin Edd

Dissertations

In a world economy that bears scant resemblance to the one dominated by the United States following World War II, many American companies have found it increasingly difficult to keep pace with their foreign competitors. The public sector, too, has found itself under significant pressure to provide needed services but with significantly reduced resources. In each individual case leaders have been seeking new solutions to both old and new problems, and organizations have been faced with change and its impacts. The purpose of this study was to design a methodology that could be used to structure organizational changes in such …

Analyzing Administrative Experiences: Feminist, Labor, And Organizational Culture Perspectives, Joan L. Arches, Paula Schneider

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A framework is offered for making organizational assessment for change using feminist, labor, and organizational culture perspectives. A vision of a humane work environment is important. The labor literature provides the critical analysis, the feminist perspective provides alternatives, and the concept of organizational culture provides the tool for assessment. Based on an exploratory study with women administrators, the authors look at how differences in values are reflected in the administration and structure of feminist and traditional agencies.

An Analysis Of The Extent To Which Humor Is Accepted And Employed In The Workplace For The Enhancement Of Productivity And Creativity, Jonathan R. Specht, Paul D. Tobin

Theses and Dissertations

Today's business literature is filled with discussions of the many benefits humor can bring to the work environment. Two of these purported benefits, namely, the enhancement of workplace productivity and the enhancement of workplace creativity, have attracted the attention of modern managers challenged with keeping their organizations competitive despite dwindling financial and human resources. Unfortunately, little research has been done to date which actually demonstrates a link between the existence of workplace humor and improved levels of productivity and creativity. Without this demonstration of causality, most managers are reluctant to invest corporate resources in pursuit of workplace humor despite its …

Evolving Sisterhood: An Organizational Analysis Of Three Sororities, Bonnie J. Galloway

Dissertations

From 1851 through June, 1993, more than 2,800,000 women have been initiated into the twenty-six National Panhellenic Conference sororities. Not only are members active during collegiate years, but many continue participation through alumnae groups. Upholding the principles of community service and moral development, sorority women volunteer time and talent in a myriad of ways that benefit local communities and the greater society as a whole. Sororities also provide women important leadership training and experience.

The research design of this project takes a sociohistorical perspective. The study utilizes the population ecology model for organizations to examine three representative sororities: Chi Omega, …

How To Restore Employee Trust In Management: A New Social Contract For The American Workplace, Murray L. Weidenbaum

Murray Weidenbaum Publications

The number of layoffs and the amount of downsizing in corporate America are both happening at unprecedented rates. Firing workers has falsely become the ultimate management tool to success. The old social contract of work in exchange for fair pay and some measure of job security is deteriorating. Accordingly, this paper introduces a new social order that replaces paternalism with partnership, views employees as value-adding resources, and focuses both employers and employees on meeting the customers' needs and desires.

A New Social Contract For The American Workplace: From Paternalism To Partnering, Murray L. Weidenbaum, Kenneth W. Chilton

Murray Weidenbaum Publications

As American business struggles to cope with global competition, technological breakthroughs, and various forms of deregulation, the workplace is being thrown into turmoil. Against this backdrop, 1994 is also on pace to set a record for publicly announced downsizings, most of them justified under the banner of "restructuring." This study is the first comprehensive look at this evolving picture.

An Approach For Representation Of Organizational Mental Models Using System Dynamics, Jörg-Peter Theissen

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The concept of mental models has received much attention within recent years, especially within the context of organizational learning. This research is based on and departs from the Organizational Learning Process as developed by Keating, Robinson, and Clemson (1994). That process, which is based on a verbal representation of mental models, does not call forth the kind of change that is desired in Organizational Learning. This research investigates if mental models can be represented in the form of system dynamics models and inquires if this representation is beneficial to the process of Organizational Learning.

The research was designed as a …

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Profile And The Organization, Kent Hendrickson, Joan Giesecke

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

In this article, we describe how we have used MBTI effectively in our organization as a way to understand the overall "personality" of the organization. We also discuss the implications of this profile for managing the organization to achieve organizational goals.

Beyond Coping: An Empowerment Perspective On Stressful Life Events, Lorraine M. Gutierrez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Research on stressful life events has demonstrated their negative effects on health and mental health. The possibility of empowerment, how individuals can take action to change their situations, has been largely overlooked by this research. Empowerment theory and research suggest that the outcome of stressful life events can be less debilitating when individuals are encouraged to identify with similar others, to develop specific skills, to perceive the societal or institutional components of their problems, and to engage in change on a collective level. This article develops this perspective by proposing how an empowerment perspective can enhance our understanding of the …

Designing Community Social Services, John O'Looney

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The literature is reviewed on the qualities of integrated and non-integrated organizational systems. Social service delivery has changed in recent decades such that organizational strategies and structures that may have once been successful no longer appear to be so. As tasks have changed, so too have the technologies that might assist in the more effective delivery of social services. A discussion of how organizational strategies might be designed, so as to link emerging tasks requirements with the ability to effectively use existing and potential technologies, concludes the paper.

Connecting Productive Schools And Workplaces For A Knowledge Society, Byrd L. Jones, Robert W. Maloy

New England Journal of Public Policy

As American education struggles to achieve new competencies for an emerging information age, popular reforms remain locked in industrial-era metaphors. Testing for basic skills, teacher professionalism, and school-business collaboration assumes that schooling prepares workers with skills for predictable roles. Meanwhile, computers and related technologies make possible low-cost information that is transforming learning and jobs. Hierarchical organizational structures that subordinated most employees have given way to flatter, flexible teams. Quasi-autonomous decision making by knowledgeable professionals extends to more and more workers. When businesses simply offer schools a few extra resources, they stunt interactive partnerships that enable youth and business cultures to …

Inclusion: Educating Students With And Without Disabilities, Bill Henderson

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article presents an overview of inclusion, a practice that is being utilized increasingly in schools across the country. In inclusive schools, students who have disabilities learn together with their nondisabled peers. Teachers and support staff collaborate to serve all students in integrated classes. After reviewing the social and legal background of inclusion, Henderson describes specific strategies for designing and implementing successful programs. He outlines organizational change, curriculum and instruction modification, and school culture transformation.

Recognizing And Managing Multiple Organizational Approaches, Joan Giesecke

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

Organizational theory today includes a number of analytical models which provide descriptions of how organizations function as well as prescriptions as to how organizations should function. Five organizational models seem particularly appropriate to academic libraries. The rational model describes organizations as value- maximizing units which are task oriented. The political bargaining model views organizations as arenas for conflict and bargaining where participants form coalitions and interest groups to achieve their own ends. The garbage can model views the organization as a chaotic mess where independent actors pursue individual, yet changing goals and decisions are mostly a function of timing. The …

Perceived Communication During Organizational Change, Paula Blunck

Dissertations and Theses

Organizational change often involves the creation of work teams. This research examines how the creation of self-managed work teams within a particular organization affects perceived communication. Previous research suggests that self-managed teams would socially construct a different view of the organization especially as it relates to power than would those in traditional organizational departments. Attitudes about communication and power within the organization are analyzed in nine self-managed teams and five traditional departments. This analysis is conducted through both qualitative and quantitative means. Group comments and discussions are used in a qualitative analysis. Multidimensional scaling is used to reveal underlying attitudinal …

The Evaluation Of Organizational Structure In The Rape Crisis Movement In Minnesota From 1970-1990, Cheryl A. Champion

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study documents the changes in the organizational structure of the rape crisis centers (RCC) in Minnesota. It compares the organizational types of similar alternative agencies with those organizational types that emerged in RCC. It considers a framework that predicts at what period in the natural history of a social movement changes in organizational structure and personnel occur. It determines how the evolution of RCC reflects this framework. Finally, it assesses the relationship between feminist ideology and organizational functioning. Several findings emerge from this study. Over time, RCC evolved from grassroot collectives into programs of the Minnesota Department of Corrections. …

With A Little Help From Our Friends: Social Support As A Source Of Well-Being And Of Coping With Stress, Darlyne Bailey, Donald M. Wolfe, Christopher R. Wolfe

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The relationship between one's psycho-emotional and physiological health has long been of interest to social scientists. While many factors have been examined for their impact on causation and prevention, over the past two decades the concepts of social support, stress and well-being have undergone much scrutiny. In this article the authors provide empirical data to enhance our understanding of the interrelatedness of these three concepts.

Based on the findings from a study of stress and health in organizations, a model is proposed which elucidates some of the conditions under which social support networks mediate the impact of stress on psychological …

Alumnews, Spring 1994, Alumni Association, Wright State University

AlumNews

Twenty-eight page issue of the AlumNews newsletter. This newsletter focuses on news about programs, events, and activities for alumni from Wright State University.

Orlando Magic, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

With the NFL having concluded its annual business in Hawaii, the pitchers and catchers about to report to spring training, and the Winter Olympics ready to open in Lillihammer, I want to pause this week and take a look at the Orlando Magic.