Organizational development in education views the school as a social system and is directed toward growth of the school's internal staff relationships so that the school can attain and sustain an optimum level of organizational performance. During a 1-week training session, involving administrative and teaching staff members at an experimental…

This paper argues that research on innovation and organizational change should shift its focus from the impact of individuals to that of organizational structure and environmental factors. The results of two research projects carried out in 1968-69 and 1969-70 on organizational change in school districts are presented to support the premise that…

This article is excerpted from Principals and Open Education, a study of two principals at work in schools making the transition from traditional to open education. These principals, along with many open classroom teachers, view change as a slow process. (Author/AM)

The concepts of the university as an organic whole and faculty structures that further their organic relationship are questioned. Suggestions offered include those concerning flexibility of faculty organizational structure and methods of organizing disciplinary departments to combat fragmentation. (Article originally published in 1959.) (AF)

Presents the first William Walker Oration given to the the New England Association for Educational Administration in Armidale, Australia. Following a history of the establishment of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration, the role of leadership in the education system is described; particularly the transformational leadership. (22…

The recent movement to restructure schools has raised fundamental questions: Can changes in school structure improve student performance? Under what conditions might some structures be more effective than others? This document presents findings from Lee and Smith's study that examined the role of school restructuring on student performance.…

Findings of a study that examined teaching culture patterns in two Ontario secondary schools are presented in this paper, with attention given to the outcomes of "balkanization." In this form of the teachers' organizational culture, teachers work in smaller subgroups within the school community. The two schools were drawn from a study of…

In response to an unstable economy and diminishing resources, Lansing Community College, in Michigan, initiated a college-wide reorganization in July 1993 to improve institutional effectiveness and increase efficiency. This paper provides a description of the reorganization process and organizational structure before and after the change. First, a…

This paper explores the relationships among policy, structure, and culture of educational organizations, specifically, the relationships between policy-mandated educational change and the organizational variables of coupling and culture. A framework for research on policy implementation is presented, which illustrates the interactive relationships…

This study is based on an external assessment of the School Self-Renewal Program in New York City. The program represents the largest and longest running Organization Development (OD) program in the country. Twelve of 24 high schools participating in the program in 1977 were sampled. The renewal model employed for school based change was found to…

Because a main educational function is to prepare children for workplace roles, education's organizational forms and functions tend to correspond to those of the workplace. For instance, as the U.S. economy moved from agricultural through industrial to service bases, U.S. education moved from nonpublic schools to public schools to mass higher…

One important variable used in measuring organizational health is the domain of the organization. For schools, the domain of the organization can be described by (1) the population served (clientele), (2) the problems treated (output), or (3) the services rendered. Organizational effectiveness can be successfully determined only if the domain of…

Organizational effectiveness must rely above all else on the development and interaction of human beings within the organization's context. This basic premise set the stage for a joint research project on institutions of higher education which was completed in 1971. The researchers examined institutions from the perspective of members of…

Since evaluations have shown that organizational development is a plausible and useful vehicle for improving school climate, it needs to be extended in various ways, including (1) further scientific study of organizational development in schools; (2) more research into the processes and effects of organizational development training; and (3)…

THE USES OF SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND COMPUTER SIMULATION OF SCHOOL ORGANIZATION WERE EXPLORED TO FIND NEW WAYS TO IMPLEMENT INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA. THE USES OF SYSTEMS ANALYSIS RECOMMENDED WERE--(1) TO FACILITATE IMPROVEMENT OF PRESENT INSTRUCTIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL PLANNING SYSTEMS AND (2) TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY OF PROPOSED SCHOOL ORGANIZATIONS. THE…