NCJ Number
43134
Date Published
1976
Length
126 pages
Annotation
ASSESSMENTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING CONFERENCES WERE MADE BASED ON EVALUATION SHEETS AND FOLLOWUP REPORTS. CONFERENCE EFFECTIVENESS COULD BE IMPROVED BY LATER ON-SITE TRAINING.
Abstract
FOLLOWING A SERIES OF CONFERENCES DESIGNED TO ACQUAINT CORRECTIONAL OFFICIALS WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TO INTRODUCE THESE CONCEPTS INTO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS, A SERIES OF EVALUATION WERE MADE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER A CONFERENCE, TRAINEES AND INSTRUCTORS WERE ASKED TO EVALUATE THE SESSION. A FOLLOW UP CONFERINCE WAS HELD 6 MONTHS LATER. AT THAT TIME, TRAINEES WERE EVALUATED ON THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARD IT, BEHAVIOR INDICATIVE OF RELATED SKILLS, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE RESULTING FROM THIS TRAINING. IN ADDITION, ON SITE FOLLOW UP TRAINING WAS GIVEN AT A SELECTED NUMBER OF INSTITUTIONS. QUESTIONNAIRES USED FOR THE EVALUATIONS ARE INCLUDED IN GENERAL, THE TRAINING MADE PARTICIPANTS MORE SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS, MORE WILLING TO COOPERATE AND WORK WELL IN A GROUP, AND MORE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS AND WILLING TO COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS. POSITIVE OUTCOMES WERE MORE PRONOUNCED WHEN ON-SITE TRAINING FOLLOWED THE CONFERENCE. ON-SITE TRAINING APPEARS TO BE ESSENTIAL FOR SEVERAL REASONS: IT PROVIDES SOCIAL SUPPORT FOR SIGNIFICANT CHANGE, IT FOSTERS CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO A NEW WAY OF INTERACTING, AND PROFESSIONAL EXTERNAL CONSULTANTS TEND TO BE MORE SUCCESSFUL IN OBTAINING COMMITMENTS FOR COOPERATION FROM TOP LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT THAN INTERNAL SPECIALISTS. GRAPHS PRESENT RESULTS OF EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRES.