bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
External Ties and Program Performance: A Study of Programs for Displaced Homemakers
Authors: Hougland James G.
Published: March 2006

Appropriate relationships with external actors having important resources is usually necessary for organizations, especially "people-processing" ones providing training and placement service& The author sought to determine the effects of extraorganizational ties by studying programs for displaced homemakers in Kentucky, interviewing coordinators of 19 programs in February and March 1983, and examining management information system data on clients. The findings indicate that rates of job placement and wage levels for clients were not much affected by the number, frequency, and regularity of external ties, were positively affected by ties with advisory boards with diverse memberships, were positively affected by ties with advisory board members with business resources, but were negatively affected by ties with organizations offering nonbusiness resources The author concludes that the nature of the external actors with whom organizations establish ties has an impact on program success.
Learning about Bilingual, Multicultural Organizing
Authors: Heskin Allan David , Heffner Robert A.
Published: March 2006

Based on the authors' synthesis of the multicultural literature, this article proposes that for organizing to succeed in bilingual multicultural environments, three roles-organizer, interpreter, and multicultural mediator-must be filled Moreover, the authors consider it difficult and unwise to have the functions of all three roles filled by the same person, as this can lead to conjlicts of interest and a concentration of power in one person that can threaten democratic processes and lead to gatekeeping. The case of the organization of a federation offive housing cooperatives in a multi-ethnic district of Los Angeles is presented to examine how residents and the cooperatives' leadership grappled with the organization problems and learned to solve them through recognizing the importance of the organizers, interpreters, and multicultural mediators and the need for keeping these roles separate.
Exchanging Territories for Peace: A Macrosociological Approach
Authors: Kimmerling Baruch
Published: March 2006

The Israeli public experienced much confusion during the removal of Israeli settlements from the Sinai Peninsula. The author discusses this confusion and its sources: problems and contradictions related to the society's concept of peace and its value, and the conflict between Israel's desires for peace and recognition versus fears of reversing the settlement process and of losing Israel's identity through integration with the Arab states. The evacuation proceeded as scheduled and without civil war, according to the author, because Egypt's offer was highly desirable, because those opposing withdrawal were not as powerful as the government and military and were unable to attract a broad cross-section of the public, and because the government made a firm decision to negotiate with Egypt and offer territory for peace.
Facing the Threat of Removal: Lessons from the Forced Evacuation of Ofira
Authors: Moses Rafael , Rosenfeld Jona M. , Moses-Hrushovski Rena
Published: March 2006

This article discusses the evacuation of Ofira, an Israeli settlement in Sinai as a condition of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. The authors were members of a group of mental health specialists brought in shortly before the withdrawal to act as consultants and therapists. They describe the dynamics of the community and its inhabitants, different reactions to the with-drawal and avenues for addressing the evacuees' psychological plights. Although the authors find they did not have sufficient time to do all they wished to help the Ofirans, their experience has led them to suggest guidelines for assisting other groups undergoing forced removal from their homes.
The Disbandment of a Community: A Psychiatric Action Research Project
Authors: Dasberg Haim , Sheffler Gabriel
Published: March 2006

This article discusses individual and communal responses to the stress an Israeli cooperative agricultural settlement in Sinai underwent as it faced disbandment required by the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. The authors belonged to a team of five mental health professionals who studied 40 families, beginning more than a year before the evacuation to shortly thereafter Using both direct observation and interviews, the team studied sources of and responses to stress. They found the main stressors to be acute changes in the settlers' expectations, roles, and identities, and responses to be both adaptive and nonadaptive. The authors report that although most of the settlers coped with the evacuation welt they generally suffered damage to their abilities to sustain communal relationships, which may have lasting effects. The article presents preventive measures that may have aided these evacuees and could prove useful for others who are to be uprooted in the future.
Prosocial Activity of an Independent Self-Help Organization in Poland: Some Applications of Behavioral Science during the 1981-1984 Socioeconomic Crisis
Authors: Poplawski Witold T.
Published: March 2006

This article discusses the formation of an independent self-help organization to provide aid to the scientific community of Cracow, Poland, during the 1981-1984 socioeconomic crisis. The author, a Polish research psychologist, was one of the creators of this aid group, which sought to apply behavioral science knowledge to the distribution and sharing of material aid In doing so, principles and criteria for aid distribution were devised for distributing aid, developing an organizational structure for satisfying the recipients' basic needs, and creating and applying an organizational style that could meet the recipients' psychological and social needs while protecting their self-concept Nine academic help committees administered aid to as many as 4500 families. In discussing the practice and theory of the organization, activity, and aid-sharing style of this structure, the author presents a hypothetical aid model The author encourages research on group helping behavior and the gradual creation of an interdisciplinary body of applied behavioral science knowledge on organized help.
An Experimental Investigation of the Action Research Approach
Authors: Sommer Robert
Published: March 2006

Four memorial/funeral cooperative societies were studied to evaluate their dissemination and use of membership survey results. For two societies, an action research approach was used whereby the societies participated in survey planning and received both prescriptive results and technical assistance from the researchers, the other two did not participate in planning and received only descriptive results. Two additional societies also conducted surveys, one as part of the pilot study, the other on its own, with the former receiving assistance. Follow-up interviews with the societies' officers provided evidence that those societies highly involved in the survey planning that received technical assistance disseminated and used the results more often, and had more favorable attitudes toward the researchers, than did those societies characterized by low involvement or no assistance. The author finds these results support the efficacy of an action research approach combining self-survey with technical assistance.
The Cultural Context of Negotiations: The Implications of Chinese Interpersonal Norms
Authors: Shenkar Oded , Ronen Simcha
Published: March 2006

This article discusses distinctive characteristics of Chinese negotiating behavior as compared to that typical of the United States. Following a review of relevant research; the authors found that Confucian philosophy continues to provide the foundation of Chinese cultural traditions and values, with the tenets of harmony, hierarchy, developing one's moral potential and kinship affiliation having relevance for interpersonal behavior. An analysis of three key interpersonal norms illustrates the impact of culture on the negotiation process: emotional restraint and politeness as basic to communication, an emphasis on social obligations, and the interrelationship of the life domains of work, family, and friendship. Based on these norms, the authors offer recommendations for preparing, conducting, and concluding negotiations with one's Chinese counterparts.
Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Outcomes of Participation in Quality Circles: Conceptual and Empirical Findings
Authors: Steel Robert P. , Lloyd Russell F.
Published: March 2006

Little reliable longitudinal research has investigated the outcomes of participating in quality circles (QCs). This article reports the results of such a study whose evaluation criteria were developed according to a heuristic model of key cognitive, affective, and behavioral results of the QC process. A sample of 225 military and civilian employees of a U.S. Air Force base was evaluated using survey and performance appraisal measures administered within the framework of a non-equivalent control design. Analyses of covariance yielded evidence that QC participation significantly affected the study's criterion variables. The authors discuss the limitations and implications of their study and offer suggestions for future research.
The Facilitation of Organizational Change: An Empirical Study of Factors Predicting Change Agents' Effectiveness
Authors: Hamilton Esther E.
Published: March 2006

This article presents the results of an investigation of whether the personality characteristics and behavioral tendencies of effective organization development (OD) consultants differ significantly from those of less effective ones. From an extensive review of the literature by the author and a panel of three judges, three categories of characteristics were derived for testing: openness and responsiveness to others' needs and concerns, comfort with ambiguity and the ability to make sense of it, and comfort with oneself in relation to others. The study subjects, 105 OD consultants in the U.S. Navy, completed three personality instruments. Peers, fellow consulting team members, and superiors of these consultants (also OD consultants) also rated the subjects' consulting effectiveness. Multivariate analyses showed a strong, significant relationship between consultant effectiveness and the characteristics assigned to the three categories. The results strongly support the hypotheses that the personality characteristics and individual tendencies of effective OD consultants differ significantly from those of less effective consultants.
Holism and Reductionism within Applied Behavioral Science: The Problem of Clinical Medicine
Authors: Lyng Stephen
Published: March 2006

This article addresses the debate within the applied behavioral sciences over two paradigms:holism versus reductionism. A review of the literature reveals substantial support for the holistic approach, but most of the applied perspectives employed by policy practitioners are reductionist in character. Through a "sociology of knowledge" evaluation of clinical medicine-one of the most successful applied behavioral sciences-the prevalence of reductionism is related to several social structural factors, including the organizational and normative structure of the practitioner group and the broader interest structure of society. The author presents evidence indicating that the same factors account for the predominance of reductionism in all applied behavioral sciences.
The Comparative Analysis and Aggregation of Single-Case Data
Authors: Jayaratne Srinika , Tripodi Tony , Talsma Eugene
Published: March 2006

The use of single-case methodology has been widely promoted in many disciplines in recent years. Although the use of such a methodology by individual practitioners is feasible and desirable, little attention has been paid to the aggregation of such data for evaluating agencies. This article reports a study using single-case clinical data from an agency, and presents several methods for examining such information. The authors explore both the benefits of such analyses and the pitfalls associated with the proposed methods.
The Vertical Construct Validity of Business Economic Performance Measures
Authors: Keats Barbara W.
Published: March 2006

Organizational research has had problems with the concept of business economic performance because this concept has not been adequately developed theoretically, and little attention has been paid to measurement issues. This article discusses a study that formally assessed the performance construct, including the issues of dimensionality and convergent and discriminant validity. The research used data on the performance of 110 organizations, and the guiding hypotheses were that operating and market performance constitute two separate but correlated dimensions of the financial performance construct, and that indicators of operating performance would be highly correlated with and significantly related to that dimension, as would indicators of market performance with that dimension. The study's results supported the multidimensional nature of the construct.
Mitigating Organizational Contradictions: The Role of Mediatory Myths
Authors: Scheid-Cook Teresa L.
Published: March 2006

This article examines the role of mediatory myths in mitigating ideological contradictions of organizations, explaining the nature of such contradictions and how myths act as frameworks for understanding and addressing complex reality. Case study analyses are provided of four community mental health centers in North Carolina involved with outpatient commitment. Data were collected over two years through observation, interviews with personnel, and medical and court records of clients. The author found that a mediational myth concerning the efficacy of medication operates in these centers, and that this enables participants to perform their work despite contradictory goals of patient liberty versus social control of the mentally ill. These findings expand the concept of the mediatory myth by indicating its role in mitigating contradictions in the environment outside an organization, not just within the organization.
Implications of Computer-Aided Design for Work and Performance
Authors: Collins Paul D. , King Donald C.
Published: March 2006

In a study of the implications of computer-aided design (CAD) for work and performance, the authors tested the proposition that CAD not only is superior to manual drafting and design technology, but also leads to job designs and work group structures that further improve the performance of designers and drafters. The sample consisted of 88 current and prospective CAD users at two adjacent facilities of a large research and manufacturing corporation. Based on questionnaire responses and interviews with the designers, drafters, and supervisors, the authors found that CAD's benefits are linked to the characteristics of the dominant technology, job design, and work group. Therefore, fulfilling the promise of CAD depends considerably on how well the concomitant changes in the workplace are managed.
Dealing with Work Stress and Strain: Is the Perception of Support more Important than its Use?
Authors: Jayaratne Srinika , Himle David , Chess Wayne A.
Published: March 2006

The authors conducted a study of the relationship between the perception and use of support in one's work environment and their effects on perceived stress and strain. The analytic sample consisted of 480 social workers drawn from a national directory, who answered a 1O-page questionnaire with items addressing burnout and social support. The resulting data indicate that those who used existing support systems within their organizations generally reported benefiting from this, although the use of support does not necessarily result in positive outcomes. The study also indicated that one is more likely to use support if one perceives the work environment to be supportive. Implications for organizations and individuals are presented.
Role Making among Married Mexican American Women: Issues of Class and Ethnicity
Authors: Williams Norma
Published: March 2006

This article discusses how married Mexican American women are redefining their roles and conjugal relationships. Employing a symbolic interactionist framework, the author held in-depth interviews with 75 Mexican American couples in Austin and Corpus Christi, Texas, and conducted participant observation of many others. The data indicate that contrary to previous reports, married women are not passive, but have actually taken the lead in role making. The working-class women studied were seeking separate identities from their husbands, something the business/professional women had already attained. The women experienced strain from the changes in their lives, and faced discrimination based on both their gender and ethnicity. The author calls for recognition of the diversity among families in minority groups, of the resistance to change minority-group women face by being "twice a minority," and of the need to examine organizational structures not only from management's perspective, but also from that of the social groups involved.
Reactions to Women in Authority: The Impact of Gender on Learning in Group Relations Conferences
Authors: Correa Mary E. , Klein Edward B. , Stone Walter N. , Astrachan Joseph H. , Kossek Ellen E. , Komarraju Meera
Published: March 2006

A study was made of the impact of gender on learning in group relations conferences. Questionnaires were sent to 265 adults who participated in seven group relations conferences. The conferences varied in context and design, but each included a small group event highlighting reactions to consultant authority. Three-month follow-up data were collected from 60% of the participants. When the participants' self-assessed learning in relation to consultant and participant gender was statistically analyzed, 9 of IO significant effects favored the women consultants. Using Eagly's theoretical model of gender role differences in adults and psychodynamic group theory, the authors conclude that a complete explanation of gender's effects on learning must consider the "agentic" and communal dimensions of a group's task, the ambiguity of criteria for evaluating performance, women consultants' status, the gender composition of the group, and transference reactions.
Situational Factors and Alternative Dispute Resolution
Authors: Ross William H.
Published: March 2006

A survey was conducted to investigate the beliefs of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) professionals about the impacts of various situational factors on the likelihood of negotiating an agreement. The author compares the survey responses of 119 labor relations and 44 nonlabor mediators and arbitrators. All respondents reported that when disputants have previous bargaining experience and deadlines are close, agreement is more likely, and that when one disputant has favorable alternatives outside the relationship agreement is less likely. Some differences emerged between the responses of those working in labor relations and those in nonlabor fields, however, and the author discusses the implications of generalizing findings from ADR in industrial relations to other settings.
Theoretical Observations on Applied Behavioral Science
Authors: Nespor Jan
Published: March 2006

Educational theory has developed in a fragmented fashion, with perspectives on the structure and organization of schooling developing in isolation from theories of cognition and learning. In this article, the author argues that for educational theory to have coherent policy implications, these two strands of thought must be integrated. Following an analysis of three major views of the role of schooling-the functionalist, Marxist, and cultural Marxist theories-the author reviews the"constructivist" framework and suggests how this could be used for such integration when augmented by examination of the contextual grounding of learning. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for theory, research, and educational policy.
Characteristics Influencing the Visual Analysis of Single-Subject Data: An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Gibson Gwyneth , Ottenbacher Kenneth
Published: March 2006

A study explored various graphic characteristics associated with the visual analysis of single-subject data. A sample of 20 rehabilitation therapists used visual analysis to rate 24 graphs of data sets using a traditional baseline/treatment (AB) format. Using the intraclass correlation approach, the authors assessed the interrater reliability and found that it ranged from .52 to .66 for each graph. Data analysis revealed that the graphic characteristics of level and mean shift were associated with consistent judgments across the raters, and that changes in slope across the two phases of a graph were associated with substantial rater disagreement. The authors discuss the implications of using visual and statistical procedures to analyze single-subject data, and argue that quantitative adjuncts to visual analysis may facilitate the reliable interpretation of graphed data for a single subject.
"Fix the Women": An Intervention into an Organizational Conflict Based on Parallel Process Thinking
Authors: Smith Kenwyn K. , Simmons Valerie M. , Thames Terri B.
Published: March 2006

This article discusses an intervention into an organizational conflict expressed by fighting between two women in a troubled unit of a state hospital. After gathering data through observations and interviews with the staff, the authors prepared a diagnosis and intervention based on parallel process thinking, which postulates that conflict in one part of a system may surface elsewhere, sometimes in a different form that disguises its source. The women's hostility was thought to be actually fueled by feelings of competitiveness among the three senior men in the unit. An intervention using a microcosm group methodology was conducted, which resulted in the women's repairing their relationship and other improvements in the unit's morale and performance. The authors conclude that parallel process thinking, and methods of diagnosis and intervention based on its tenets, have relevance for managing human behavior in all arenas.
Gainsharing and Organization Development: A Productive Synergy
Authors: Doherty Elizabeth M. , Nord Walter R. , McAdams Jerry L.
Published: March 2006

This article reports a study of two types of gainsharing programs: performance improvement programs and team suggestion programs. To determine the factors influencing the programs' effectiveness, the authors examined the results of four interventions (two of each type of program) conducted by one consulting firm. The quantitative data derived from program measures and archival records indicate that gain sharing led to improved productivity, quality, supply costs, safety, attendance, and development of cost-saving ideas. The qualitative data derived from interviews and archival records suggest the programs also enhanced employees' awareness of organizational goals, personnel growth and development, and lateral and vertical communication. The research revealed the importance of process variables to the programs' successful implementation. The authors conclude that gainsharing and organization development complement each other, and discuss implications for future research.
New Technology, Bureaucracy, and the Social Construction of Medical Prices
Authors: Littrell W. Boyd
Published: March 2006

This article presents an analysis of the social roots of medical service price inflation. The author argues that a struggle between hospital managers and physicians to control medical services has inflationary consequences. The author also contends that new technology acts as a strategic resource for managers in this struggle. Because the technology is new, few data exist for evaluating the demand for it and its medical and financial effects. Managers thus play a "hypothetical game" and set prices through bureaucratic means that reflect their preferences for technology and help pay for the equipment. An empirical case study involving the purchase of nuclear magnetic resonance equipment in Omaha, Nebraska, supports and illustrates the argument.
Using the Culture Concept in an Organization Development Setting
Authors: Bate Paul
Published: March 2006

Following a decade of popularity and widespread appeal, the organization culture concept is now entering a critical period in which it must demonstrate its capacity for useful application in practice. This article discusses a three-year organization development project in a large-scale public bureaucracy in Britain, British Rail, for which culture provided the conceptual focus of a strategy for change. From interviews with senior managers, the researchers consultants generated qualitative data for grounded theories, and found that language is the primary cultural form of any organization. The researchers identified dominant dysfunctional cultural modes of thinking, and used labels ("isms") to facilitate the intervention process. The author concludes that, based on appropriate concepts, models, and theories, the culture perspective can be used to develop novel insights into organizational problems, new directions for change, and appropriate strategic processes.
Ritual Conformity and Organizational Control: Loose Coupling or Professionalization?
Authors: Scheid-Cook Teresa L.
Published: March 2006

A study examined ritual conformity and loose coupling in the responses of community mental health organizations in North Carolina to legal policy encouraging the outpatient commitment of the mentally ill. Data from field notes on patient outcomes, interviews with organization participants, and case study materials indicate that organizations requiring legitimacy in an institutional environment (versus a technical environment) exhibit ritual conformity and are loosely coupled. Loose coupling, however, is difficult to distinguish conceptually and empirically from the professionalization of work roles. Professional organizations are loosely linked (i.e., buffered from the formal structure of the organization) because control over work activities is weak. The existence of professionals rationalizes and legitimates loose coupling, a way to conform with environmental (institutional) demands, and to resolve conflict between professional and bureaucratic elements. Further research is needed to distinguish empirically between loose coupling and professionalization, and to further refine the institutional model of organizational activity in bureaucratic, professional, and heteronomous organizations.
Generative Metaphor Intervention: A New Approach for Working with Systems Divided by Conflict and Caught in Defensive Perception
Authors: Barrett Frank J. , Cooperrider David L.
Published: March 2006

This article proposes that one way to help a group liberate itself from dysfunctional conflict and defensive routine is through the introduction of generative metaphor. By intervening at a tacit, indirect level of awareness, group members are able to generate fresh perceptions of one another, thereby allowing for the revitalization of the social bond and a heightened collective will to act. After exploring insights into the recent literature on social cognition and selective perception, a case is presented in which generative metaphor was successfully used to help a dysfunctional group build (1) liberated aspirations and the development of hope, (2) decreased interpersonal conflict, (3) strategic consensus around a positive vision for the future, (4) renewed collective will to act, and (5) egalitarian language reflecting a new sense of unity and mutuality in the joint creation of the group's future. Stages of the generative metaphor intervention are discussed, and propositions are developed concerning those factors that will likely enhance the generative potential of metaphor as an agent for group development and organizational change.
Fatigue of the Spirit in Organizational Theory and Organization Development: Reconnaissance Man as Remedy
Authors: Weick Karl E.
Published: March 2006

The charge that the OD Division of the Academy of Management is a group from which "the zest is gone" is explored in an address to this division. Several images are presented regarding ways of observing and learning. OD professionals are advised to perform reconnaissance, which is defined as lowering one's defenses, seeing fully, looking again at things one considers already understood, capturing previously undetected nuances, and developing high-variety languages to describe what is discovered. Reconnaissance should also be applied to the values, beliefs, and practices of OD to determine their validity. OD practitioners are encouraged to study and disseminate the findings of theorists, to act incrementally at times, and to identify problems and issues that are not appropriately addressed by those working in OD.
Predicting Organization Development Consulting Competence from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Stage of Ego Development
Authors: Bushe Gervase R. , Gibbs Barrie W.
Published: March 2006

A 77-item Consulting Competence Survey was developed and tested for reliability and validity. During a six-month course designed to help members of a corporate quality staff develop organization development (OD) skills, 64 trainees were each assessed by two of their peers using this instrument. The trainees were also assessed by two trainers using a five-item trainer rating instrument. Two dependent measures-peer rating and trainer rating-were used to test hypotheses about the predictive validity of the eight Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) scales and the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (SCT) of ego development. Only the intuition scale of the MBT1 and the stage of ego development were found to predict consulting competence as rated by the subjects `peers and trainers. When these two measures were entered into the same structural equation, only stage of ego development was found to remain a significant, positive predictor. The study's implications for research and for selecting and training OD consultants are discussed.
A Case Meta-Analysis of Gainsharing Plans as Organization Development Interventions
Authors: Bullock R. J. , Tubbs Mark E.
Published: March 2006

A model of the effects of structural, implementation, and situational factors on the success of gainsharing plans as organization development interventions was tested using a case meta-analysis. Data were derived from 33 case studies of gainsharing plans implemented over 50 years. The authors found that several structural features and implementation practices significantly predicted gainsharing success: employee involvement in plan design, use of outside practitioners, formal involvement structures, and employee favorability toward the plan. With the exception of participative management style, situational conditions did not correlate with gainsharing's success. Success was robust across organizational size, union status, technology, and environment. The authors conclude that case meta-analysis allows researchers to discern patterns of relationships in OD cases and to test specific hypotheses by capitalizing on naturally occurring covariation in OD practice
The Epistemological Struggles of Change Agents Changing Themselves
Authors: Smith Kenwyn K.
Published: March 2006

The field of organizational consulting develops its "knowledge " through direct encounters with naturally occurring changes characterizing organizational life, and through active attempts to produce transformation. The field itself thus is subjected to enormous reformation as it rides the very tides of the changes it promotes. Through one lens, the discipline seems to have grown weary over the years, perhaps worn down by the magnitude of the tasks it has adopted. Through another lens, it appears to be entering a new level of maturity. Using the other articles published in this issue as data points, the author examines some epistemological implications of the field's coming of age, especially the role of self-reflection in maintaining and restoring vitality. Four categories of change delineated in the literature-morphogenesis, morphostasis, development, and adaptation-are applied to the ways some of the authors in this issue wrestle with creating the field `s "knowledge. " Assumptions about certain time-honored practices, such as feedback in social systems and how we deal with measurement, are scrutinized and found to be in need of rethinking
Managerial Strengths and Weaknesses as Functions of the Development of Personal Meaning
Authors: Drath Wilfred H.
Published: March 2006

Based on a theory of lifelong development proposed by Robert Kegan, this article explores the idea that certain important and typical managerial strengths and weaknesses arise from the personal meaning systems of managers. This article asserts that strengths arising from a stage in the development of personal meaning characterized by self-differentiation and identity formation are highly prized by most organizations. In seeking to be effective and successful in such organizations, managers are consequently fixed in this stage of development. The strengths of this stage have concomitant weaknesses that successful managers cannot avoid. The author concludes that further development in the meaning systems underlying organizations and managers will be necessary in the future.
Lessons in Community Development: An Activist Approach to Stimulating Interorganizational Collaboration
Authors: Selsky John W.
Published: March 2006

A distinct type of interorganizational setting -the fractionated organizational community -is identified and development issues related to it discussed. Drawing on the community development literature, the author sought to improve the conceptualization of collaboration among organizations beyond approaches found in the interorganizational literature. A classification of three development patterns -the individual, segmental, and common -basedon an increasing level of shared decision making among participating organizations provided the framework for an action research project involving 148small nonprofit organizations in the Philadelphia area. For 4 years key actors mobilized a network of resource exchange relations among the managers of these organizations, forming the Delaware Valley Council of Agencies. This proved to be an essential catalyst for both a more developed organizational community and an increased ability to manage shared resources within the environment. The lessons learned from the project are formulated into a set of intervention guidelines, and implications for similar types of settings are presented.
Stakeholder Collaboration and Innovation: A Study of Public Policy Initiation at the State Level
Authors: Roberts Nancy C. , Bradley Raymond Trevor
Published: March 2006

A field study was conducted to determine whether diverse, competing stakeholders in a domain can use collaboration to intentionally initiate innovative public policy affecting that domain. The subjects consisted of 61 participants representing 24 stakeholder groups gathered by a U.S. governor that met regularly from 1985 to 1987 to develop a "visionary proposal "for the state's public education. The authors sought to differentiate the substance of collaboration from its result and devised a sociological concept of collaboration with five elements: transmutational purpose, explicit and voluntary membership, organization, interactive process, and temporal property. The results reveal that the stakeholders did collaborate to initiate public policy. The results also show that the collaboration was associated with innovation as hypothesized and that this innovation was incremental rather than radical in nature.
Measuring Motivation to Volunteer in Human Services
Authors: Cnaan Ram A. , Goldberg-Glen Robin S.
Published: March 2006

In this study, 258 volunteers in human services and 104 nonvolunteers were asked to rank in importance 28 motives for volunteering that had been identified in a thorough literature review. According to the literature, most researchers assume that motivation to volunteer (MMV) is a two-or three-dimensional phenomenon, but very few studies have carried out an empirical analysis of the internal dimensionality of MTV. The present findings indicate that when all 28 motives were subjected to various types of factor analysis, most items were grouped together on one factor. In other words, a unidimensional scale was obtained.
"Great Man" (Chün-tzu) and "Small Man"(Hsiao-jen) in the Confucian Analects:A Transformation Approach
Authors: Hsieh Charng-Horng , Jen William
Published: March 2006

To clarify the understanding of human behavior presented in ancient Chinese texts and to investigate the relationship between these texts and modern theories of human behavior, this study analyzes the concepts of "great man" and "small man" in the Confucian Analects. It presents and justifies a transformation approach to these concepts, under which specific descriptors found in the Confucian text are grouped. Two dimensions-whether or not a descriptor involves interaction with others and whether a descriptor refers to a characteristic that is directly observable or only indirectly inferable -are used to group descriptors of the great man and the small man. Descriptors unrelated to behavior or otherwise unidentifiable are excluded Remaining descriptors are classified into four groups: interactive/directly observable, interactive/indirectly inferred, noninteractive/directly observable, and noninteractive/indirectly inferred. Implications for organizational management in general and for the analysis of Chinese organizations in particular are explored
Underestimation of Social Support Buffering
Authors: Koeske Gary F. , Koeske Randi Daimon
Published: March 2006

Most theory and practice in the helping professions assumes that informal social support acts as a buffer against stress, reducing its negative consequences on the stressed individual Despite many social psychological studies, the validity of this assumption has been difficult to establish empirically. This article argues that skepticism regarding the genuineness and importance of this hypothesized support buffering interaction is misplaced. This skepticism has been answered by well-designed and analyzed research. The article offers an analysis of why the significance of this buffering interaction may have been underestimated in earlier research, including hypotheses concerning the effect of stress severity on buffering.
Perceptions of Role Stress by Boundary Role Persons: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Tadepalli Raghu
Published: March 2006

Salespeople/professional change agents (PCAs) interact regularly with purchasing professionals/boundary role persons (BRPs) in marketing endeavors. This article proposes and tests a model of certain hitherto unexplored antecedents and consequences of role stress among BRPs. Empirical data are drawn from 345 BRPs responding to a mail questionnaire. Study findings suggest that important antecedents of role stress among BRPs include the customer orientation of PCAs and their use of closed-influence tactics as well as perceptions of task conflict and ambiguity by BRPs. As for the consequences of role stress, role ambiguity was found to negatively affect BRP satisfaction with a PCA. Further, role stress was found to have important consequences for BRP satisfaction with organizational policies. Implications for role theory and for future research are discussed.
Methadone Treatment and Legal Supervision: Individual and Joint Effects on the Behavior of Narcotics Addicts
Authors: Anglin M. Douglasm , Powers Keiko I.
Published: March 2006

This study investigated the individual and joint effects of methadone maintenance treatment and of legal supervision that included drug use testing (e.g., parole or probation) in improving the behaviors of narcotics addicts. Subjects were 202 clients selected from a sample of admissions to methadone clinics in southern California. The subjects selected had experienced all intervention conditions (methadone maintenance alone, legal supervision/drug testing alone, both interventions simultaneously, and neither intervention) in their addiction careers. Extensive interviewing of subjects provided longitudinal self-report data on various characteristics and behaviors. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to test for statistical differences. Overall, the individual effect of methadone maintenance and of legal supervision was better than that of the no-intervention condition in improving drug use and criminal behavior by narcotics addicts. Methadone maintenance alone showed a broader range of improvement (e.g., in employment) and greater magnitude of improvement than did legal supervision alone. The combined effect of these two intervention conditions was not significantly better than that of methadone maintenance alone, except on abstinence from narcotics use.
Teaching People to Shift Cognitive Gears: Overcoming Resistance on the Road to Model II
Authors: Friedman Victor Jay , Lipshitz Raanan
Published: March 2006

Reflective thinking is an active, conscious mode of cognition that plays an important role in problem solving and in learning. However, most people tend to resist switching from an automatic to a conscious, reflective mode of thinking under conditions of ambiguity and threat. Chris Argyris and Donald Schon have developed a theory to explain this resistance and a method for "unfreezing" automatic reasoning processes so that people can learn a more reflective kind of thinking (Model II). This case study describes problems the authors encountered in using one of the Argyris-Schon unfreezing methods (the X-Y Exercise) and the process through which the problem was reframed and eventually solved. On the basis of this case study, the authors explore the sources of resistance to Model II thinking and critique methods of unfreezing that focus on confronting and working through defensiveness. Finally, they propose an alternative unfreezing model based on the concept of "reconceptualization."
Social Cognition in Organizational Change: An Insider-Outsider Approach
Authors: Bartunek Jean M. , Lacey Catherine A. , Wood Diane R.
Published: March 2006

This article uses a joint insider-outsider research approach to understand the cognitive dynamics associated with implementation of a new empowerment schema. The schema was experientially developed by the founders of a group of teachers in a network of schools. An outside researcher and the two founders (the insiders) collaborated in a study of the dynamics associated with the implementation of the schema, focusing on the founders' implicit expectations regarding implementation and the cognitive processes involved in the teachers' reception of the schema. These expectations and cognitive processes were uncovered through analysis of dilemmas experienced when the founders implemented the schema at a faculty institute. On the basis of these dilemmas, the article suggests that certain cognitive processes are likely to be evoked in a group or organization when a new schema is introduced and that conflicts are likely to arise because of these cognitive processes.
A Portrait of Youthful Leadership
Authors: Hamel Anne
Published: March 2006

This article is a case study of a young elementary school principal at work The intent of the study was to articulate the principal's theory of leadership on his own terms. He was observed over a period of 3 months. In addition, his colleagues were interviewed. The leader is found to be both an instigator of change and a force for stability within a changing school system. He bases his leadership on collaborative relationships that allow others to feel empowered. His ultimate goal is to inspire all participants to be more creative and to learn in their roles. Challenges are encountered when roles or ideals of parents, teachers, and administrators conflict.
Helping Peacocks Show their Feathers: Portrait of an Educational Leader
Authors: Sternberg Juliet
Published: March 2006

This article portrays the approach to educational leadership of a highly effective African American public high school principal in a major northeastern inner city. The under-standing of her work that is presented is based on the author's observations and interviews of the principal, her associates, and constituents and the manner in which this principal forged a partnership with the author. The portrait presents both the philosophy of her leadership as she articulated it and important aspects of her approach about which she was not explicit. The principal's references to herself as a "teamplayer " "uplifter," "link to the past, " and one who influences by example, are presented as the cornerstones of her method.
Social Control and the National Drug Policy: A Critical Analysis
Authors: Aday David P. , Thomson L. Nicole
Published: March 2006

The 1989 National Drug Control Strategy is described and critically examined. The analysis is based on a model of social control and an examination of research on deterrence. Current drug control policies emphasize formal, bureaucratic strategies that are not likely to work In contrast, drug control policies that use informal methods of social control are consonant with democratic ideals and may succeed because they require consensus and promote social integration.
The Impact of Behavior Modeling Training on Self-Reports of White Supervisors in Two South African Mines
Authors: Nunns Christopher G. , Bluen Stephen D.
Published: March 2006

The present study assessed whether behavior modeling training would improve the self-reports of white, first-line supervisors in relation to their black subordinates in two South African mines. Self-reports of behavior were elicited from 50 supervisors equally split into experimental and control groups. Controlling for retraining differences, the 25 supervisors trained in behavior modeling reported significantly greater improvements in supportive behaviors than the control group of 25 untrained supervisors, selected from the same departments at the two mines. Conversely, controlling for retraining scores, no differences were found for changes in abusive supervisory behavior The importance of adopting a broad, multimodal attitudinal and behavioral intervention approach to dealing with improving race relations is discussed.
The Future Search Conference as a Vehicle for Educational Change: A Shared Vision for Will Rogers Middle School, Sacramento, California
Authors: Bailey Darrell , Dupre Susan
Published: March 2006

This article presents an application of a future search conference in a California middle school. The future search conference, detailed by Marvin Weisbord in his book Discovering Common Ground, is an event where large numbers of people from across, down, and outside an organization gather to focus on an issue. In the case presented, the central theme was the clarification of the school's vision for the year 2002. In attendance were teachers, administrators, parents, students, district representatives, union representatives, business, higher education, school board members, feeder school teachers and principles, and school support staff. The article addresses the conditions that made the school receptive to action, the planning process, the conference design components(the past, the present, the future, and planning), successful outcomes, and lessons learned.
Workplace Australia: Lessons for the Planning and Design of Multisearches
Authors: Emery Merrelyn
Published: March 2006

The search conference as a method of participative planning has been undergoing development for over 30 years. Its success depends on careful planning, design, and management. For groups larger than about 35, the multi search has been invented. The Workplace Australia conference was the largest multi search ever tried. This article critically examines the planning and design of Workplace Australia and isolates two interrelated weaknesses. The first was lack of conscious awareness of the organizational design principles and their effects. The second was inadequate appreciation of the need for search conference managers with conceptual knowledge and experience. Both contributed to planning failures, poor conference coordination, and loss of learning opportunities. There were, however; many successful features of this multi search and much to be learned from its mistakes.