In 1991, a national survey was conducted of institutional research directors at 150 two- and four-year colleges to investigate practitioner perceptions of institutional research effectiveness and productivity. Randomly selected directors of institutional research were mailed a one-page questionnaire, requesting information about institution size and type and the level, composition, and adequacy of institutional research staffing. Major findings, based on an 82% response rate, included the following: (1) four-year public institutions had the largest average staff size at nearly five full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, while four-year private institutions had the smallest average staff size (2.4 FTE) and community colleges fell in between (3 FTE); (2) the highest average ratings of adequacy were given by those directors with staffs of at least 5 FTE; (3) the most frequently cited obstacles to increasing the effectiveness of institutional research were insufficient staff, lack of appreciation of data by top administrators, and lack of an accessible, integrated database; (4) proposed means for increasing office productivity included adding more staff, better mainframe database/access, and better use of personal computer technology; and (5) techniques and tools which increased respondents' effectiveness included PC software, on-line access to mainframe files, and state-of-the-art microcomputer systems. Responses to open-ended questions regarding obstacles, increasing productivity, and techniques and tools are attached. (JMC)