This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Kaufman, R. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Organizational Improvement: A Review of Models and an Attempted Synthesis

Organization development and improvement models, like the people they intend to help, come in a bewildering array of sizes, shapes, types, and intentions. Many have been developed, but few seem to do the job for which they were intended. This paper and the conceptual model it offers help to identify the major varieties of models and methods and analyze the characteristics of some of the best understood and recognized among them. The author proposes that most models are only descriptive and fail to offer predictive and control aspects that are considered to be central to success. A predictive "synthesis" termed "Transactional Life-Cycle Theory" is offered: a combination of existing models, including selected aspects of Hersey and Blanchard's Life-Cycle Theory, some role behavior aspects of Transactional Analysis (but not the whole therapy model) and aspects of Greenwald's Direct Decision Therapy. Some additional consid erations of this model are presented, including one relating to sexism and sex-role stereotyping.

Group & Organization Management, Vol. 1, No. 4, 474-495 (1976)
DOI: 10.1177/105960117600100408


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?