Manager Coaching Skills: Development and Application

The concept of “manager as coach” is increasingly popular in the management literature as a mechanism for improving employee involvement and performance. This paper summarizes a study to evaluate the effectiveness of a “coaching skills” program for sales managers. The program began with a five–day coaching skills course and was followed by on–the–job activities that called for application of the coaching skills covered in the course. The study used telephone interviews with managers' subordinates to collect data regarding managers' coaching effectiveness prior to the program. Follow–up interviews were conducted three months later. The interviews focused on the eight coaching behaviors identified by Schelling (1991). Quantitative analyses showed statistically significant increases on the follow–up ratings on five of the eight coaching behaviors. Further analysis revealed that subordinates who had not worked with their supervisors long tended to give lower ratings. Additionally, those managers with fewer subordinates often received higher scores on the eight coaching behaviors.     

A computer-mediated support system for project-based learning

Project-based learning places demands on learners and instructors that challenge the traditional practices and support structures of schools. Learning from doing complex, challenging, and authentic projects requires resourcefulness and planning by the student, new forms of knowledge representation in school, expanded mechanisms for collaboration and communication, and support for reflection and authentic assessment. This article describes a computer-mediated learning-support system designed as a suite of integrated, internet-based client-server tools to provide (a) intelligent support both for the processes of doing a project and for learning from doing a project, and (b) a shared dynamic knowledge base for working and learning in a community supporting project-based education. The article describes the architecture of the system, its current state of development, and findings from an initial deployment. This articulation of the system components and findings can benefit several groups. It can help (a) educators envisioning the role of technology in augmenting authentic forms of learning, (b) developers of other support systems as they compare features and implications, and (c) researchers as they frame questions about human-computer interactions in learning systems.     

Science and technology in Sweden: The fabians versus Europe

Sweden's technological development based on big science supporting high politics is turning to more welfare-oriented technologies. The tension between the university reform performed by an inward-looking government and industrial innovation carried out by an outward-looking business community is discussed.The paper covers the time span of the quiet postwar years, the attempt to institutionalize science policy in the 1960's and the sectoral approach to science and technology advocated in the 1970's. The implications of the polarization of science policy between the government and the technological community at a time of European integration is discussed.     

Future issues of computer-mediated communication: The results of a delphi study

Although applications of computer-mediated communications (CMC) continue to evolve, most colleges and universities have no plan to prepare for future development. In order to develop such a plan, a vision of the future of CMC needs to be formed. This study attempted to create such a vision by predicting which CMC applications will become prevalent, the resources required to support these applications, and the major obstacles that will need to be overcome. To address these issues, faculty around the world who extensively use CMC in instruction participated in an electronic Delphi study. Findings indicated that future CMC applications will be those that support common classroom activities such as sending and receiving assignments and distributing electronic handouts. Network access, new teaching skills, and additional time to integrate CMC into the classroom were identified as the resources required to support these applications. Faculty resistance to CMC was identified as the major obstacle.     

Instructional design project success factors: An empirical basis

Instructional design and development (ID) projects are undertaken every day, with project stakeholders attempting to concentrate their efforts and resources on the factors leading to a successful project. What are the factors that contribute to ID project success? Are they equally important to all stakeholders in an ID project? This article addresses these questions regarding ID project success. Using a variety of data-gathering techniques and incorporating the perspective of four stakeholder groups, this study identified twenty-three ID project success factors that were grouped into four categories. Data analysis revealed significant differences among: (a) the four stakeholder groups in terms of the importance they attached to the factors; and (b) the four success factor categories in terms of their importance to ID project success. Also, an interaction was found between stakeholder groups and success factor categories.     

A layers-of-necessity instructional development model

Instructional design and development models are sometimes criticized for being unnecessarily complex and for requiring an unrealistic amount of precision. To counter this criticism, some will argue that the complexity and precision are necessary to help ensure a quality instructional product. This article offers a solution to the problem of practicality versus precision by introducing a “layers-of-necessity” model of instructional design and development. By recognizing that instruction evolves over time rather than emerges fully developed, the model offers an alternative means of achieving quality instruction.     

Special Education in Comprehensive Schools: Extent,Forms and Effects

The present study aims to describe the extent and forms (integrated versus segregated) of special education support offered to pupils in comprehensive schools in Sweden over a period of 29 years and to study relations between support, background variables and goal attainment in Grade 9. The study is based on about 35,000 children born in 1972, 1977, 1982, and 1987, participating in the ongoing longitudinal project “Evaluation Through Follow‐Up”. The findings reveal that boys and pupils from lower educational home‐backgrounds and with non‐Swedish backgrounds are over‐represented among the groups that have received special education support. The findings also suggest that pupils who have received support, in general, tend to achieve educational goals in core curriculum subjects to a lesser extent than those who have never had any kind of support.     

Manager Coaching Skills: What Makes a Good Coach?

The concept of “manager as coach” is increasingly popular in the management literature as a mechanism for improving employee involvement and performance. This paper summarizes a study we conducted to evaluate “coaching skills” among sales managers. The study used telephone interviews with managers' subordinates to collect data regarding managers' coaching effectiveness. During the interviews, subordinates rated their supervisors' coaching skills and provided a rationale for their rankings. This study analyzes the ratings and the comments, and outlines the behaviors associated with both high and low ratings of manager coaching skills.