A STUDY OF CONFLICT, CO-OPTATION AND ADAPTATION IN A FEDERAL PROGRAM By FRANK WILLIAM SUMMERS
A STUDY OF CONFLICT, CO-OPTATION AND ADAPTATION IN A FEDERAL PROGRAM By FRANK WILLIAM SUMMERS
No Thumbnail Available
Date
1973-05
Authors
SUMMERS, FRANK WILLIAM
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The study examines the operation of the three variables—
conflict, co-optation and adaptation within the
context of a program to t r a i n l i b r a r i a n s operated by the
U.S. Office of Education under the authority of T i t l e II-B
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (Public Law 89-329).
The program studied was administered by the Division of
Library Programs of the U.S. Office of Education and the
years 1968 and 1969 form the data base for the study, which
i s exploratory in nature.
Data sources for the study are unstructured interviews
with directors of t r a i n i n g programs, regional and headquarters
staff of the Division of Library Programs, deans
and directors of l i b r a r y schools and s t a f f members of the
American Library Association. In addition, program records
and f i l e s and published materials r e l a t i v e to the Higher
Education Act were consulted. A thirty-one item questionnaire
was sent to a 20% random sample of the 4,620 t r a i n i ng
program p a r t i c i p a n t s . There were 670 responses providing a
76% response r a t e . A questionnaire was also sent to the 120
persons who had served as a director of one or more of the
t r a i n i n g programs and seventy-eight responses, or 67%, were
received.
Significant conclusions of the study are:
(1) Closed decision making eliminated many real organizat
i o n a l conflicts but generated a high level of apparent
conflict with actors in the process.
(2) A proposition developed by James L. Price, that centrali
z a t i o n of decision making lowers conflict in organizations,
was supported but found to be too s i m p l i s t i c.
(3) Actions of an i n t e r e s t group resulted in pre-co-optation
of the program and insured that the training program would
serve primarily the i n t e r e s t s of a single i n t e r e s t group
within the library profession.
(4) Centralization of decision making produced a very low
level of adaptlveness within the administration of the
program.
Description
Graduate School of Library Service
Keywords
STUDY OF CONFLICT,, CO-OPTATION AND ADAPTATION,, FEDERAL PROGRAM