Psychological Effects of Training in Organization Development on School District Personnel in Key Line Positions.

DOCUMENT RESUME EA 005 491 Porter, Catherine M.; Schmuck, Richard A. Psychological Effects of Training in Organization Development on School District Personnel in Key Line Positions. Oregon Univ., Eugene. Center for Advanced Study of Educational Administration. National Inst. of Education (DREW), Washington, D.C.1 CASEA-TR-14 BR-3-0083 May 73 NE-C-00-3-0083 16p. Publications Department, CASEA, 1472 Kincaid Street, Eugene, Oregon 97403 ($1.00) MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29 *Administrative Personnel; Change Agents; *Communication Skills; Educational Programs; Hypothesis Testing; *Intervention; Organizational Change; *Organizational Development; School Districts The purpose of this study was to assess any changes in cognitions and attitudes in relation to Organizational Development (OD) goals and procedures that may have occurred among the 65 participants who attended an initial training event. The goals of this event were to establish widespread understanding and favorable attitudes about organization development, to identify intergroup problems (especially across hierarchical levels) that would provide the content and motivation for subsequent communication skill training and problemsolving, and to establish norms for collaboration within and across the various participating role-groups. Questionnaires were administered to these participants and and to a matched comparison group from two nearby school districts during the spring terms in 1968, 1969, and 1970. Although interpretations of the data are not unequivocal, the authors are convinced that experiencing the imaging procedure so early in the total OD design did predispose most of the key line personnel to look favorably on subsequent OD training for the entire district. (Authors/WM)