Showing papers on "Skills management published in 1997"

Predicting immediate and longer-term transfer of training

Abstract: Describes an exploratory investigation conducted to examine factors affecting the initial and sustained transfer of interpersonal skills training to the workplace. Demonstrates the ongoing role of trainee motivation in the immediate and longer term transfer of learned skills to work. Suggests that initial transfer of skills is an important prerequisite of subsequent skill application in the workplace. Concludes that factors which promote initial transfer of training, such as the perceived relevance/usefulness of the course, appear to have an indirect effect on later use of trained skills. Also concludes that, in the long term, individuals with more autonomy in their jobs are more likely to apply learned skills, perhaps because they are more able to create opportunities for using trained skills at work. This may be especially true for those with high levels of motivation. Discusses the implications of these findings both for individuals learning new skills, and for organizations optimizing the utility of t...

Social Skills of Children and Adolescents: Conceptualization, Assessment, Treatment

Abstract: This scholarly yet highly readable and practical text systematically covers the importance, development, assessment, and treatment of social skills of children and adolescents. Combining scientific rigor with a highly approachable and readable style of writing to create a practical and unique book, this volume provides a comprehensive overview of the increasingly important topic of child and adolescent social skills. A wide variety of tables, figures, and practical step-by-step guides enhance the material presented, making it particularly useful for practitioners while offering an extensive array of recent research and models of interest to researchers. The authors present a solid foundation of scientific knowledge written in a manner accessible to nonscientists and having ample practical implications and examples for educational and clinical practice. The book is divided into two parts--the first features a foundation for conceptualizing and assessing child and adolescent social skills, whereas the second focuses on the arena of intervention. An up-to-date and unique addition to the literature, this volume will be of interest to professionals who work with or study children across several disciplines including school and clinical child psychology, special education, counseling, and social work. Although many books and other professional materials on the social competence of children and adolescents are presently available, the knowledge regarding these social skills is expanding rapidly, and there is a tremendous need to keep it current. This book helps meet this need by not only synthesizing a great deal of recent work in the field, but also by providing new information and evidence that has not yet been published. It also bridges an important gap that sometimes exists between research and practice. For instance, some books on child and adolescent social skills are clearly written for the academician or researcher, and may have little apparent application for the clinician or practitioner. Other materials are written as practical assessment or intervention guides for the clinician/practitioner, yet sometimes lack supporting evidence and rationale. This book is aimed at both arenas.

Teaching Self-Determination to Students With Disabilities: Basic Skills for Successful Transition

Abstract: This book offers guidance for teaching self- determination skills to students with disabilities during th e transition to adulthood, identifying essential characteris tics of self-determination and addressing the skills related in detail. '

Social Skills Training for Schizophrenia: A Step-by-Step Guide

Abstract: Part 1: Principles, Format, and Techniques for Social Skills Training of Clients with Schizophrenia Schizophrenia and Social Skills Social Skills Training as an Evidence-Based Practice Assessment of Social Skills Teaching Social Skills Starting a Skills Group Using Curricula for Social Skills Training Groups Tailoring Skills for Individual Needs Troubleshooting: Common Problems and Challenging Clients Working with Clients Who Abuse Drugs and Alcohol Reducing Relapse by Creating a Supportive Environment Parting Tips for Social Skills Trainers Part 2: Steps for Teaching Specific Social Skills: Curricular Skill Sheets Appendix A: Materials Useful to Group Leaders Appendix B: Materials Related to Assessment

Evidence-Based Healthcare

Abstract: Prologue: The globalisation of healthcare problems and their solutions. Evidence-Based healthcare. Doing the right things right. Making decisions about health services. Searching for evidence. Appraising the quality of research. Assessing the outcomes found. The evidence-based healthcare organisation. Evidence-based public health. Developing the evidence management skills of individuals. The evidence-based consultation. Epilogue: Evidence-based healthcare in the post-modern era. APPENDICES: Finding the Evidence. Filtering. Appraising. Storing. Implementing

The Financial Conditions for Swedish SMEs: Survey and Research Agenda

Abstract: This paper shows that in two important sectors of Swedish industry in the early 1990s the existence of finance demand (internally generated) constraints in addition to the familiar finance supply (externally generated) constraints on businesses are a significant empirical phenomenon. Firms are aware that relinquishing some control would improve performance. However, the returns in growth, profits and survival are not sufficient to offset the utility of control loss. Owners of younger firms, especially in Business Services, regard very favourably the added expertise of new (preferably angel) equity holders, with one in three such firms having actively sought new owners. Equity finance is therefore to be regarded as a ‘package’ from the viewpoint of the smaller firm, with transfer of management skills from venture capitalist to firm sweetening the bitter pill of control-loss.

Skillstreaming the Adolescent: New Strategies and Perspectives for Teaching Prosocial Skills

Abstract: This newly revised book is divided into six skill groups: beginning social skills, advanced social skills, dealing with feelings, alternatives to aggression, dealing with stress, and planning skills.The authors provide strategies for teaching 50 specific prosocial skills, such as starting a conversation, apologizing, expressing your feelings, standing up for a friend, responding to failure, and setting a goal.Appendices contain program evaluation forms and a 42-page annotated bibliography of Skillstreaming research.

Social Competence and Students with Behavior Disorders: Where We've Been, Where We Are, and Where We Should Go.

Abstract: Social skills represent a class of behavior that is perhaps the most important and functional for children and youth with emotional and behavior disorders. It could be argued that the inability to build and maintain satisfactory relationships with peer and teachers virtually defines an emotional and behavioral disorder. This necessarily brief and selective article attempts to trace the evolution of the social competence concept from the 1970s to the present. Three definitions were noted in the social skills literature of the 1970s: the peer acceptance definition, the behavioral definition, and the competence-correlates definition.Substantial contributions and sophistication of the social skills concept in the 1980s were made by Hill Walker, Richard McFall, Gary Ladd, Jacqueline Mize, Kenneth Dodge, John Coie, Philip Strain, and Richard Shores, to name a few. Narrative reviews of the effects of social skills training showed that it was effective with a variety of mild disability groups (e.g., behavior disorders, learning disabilities, mild mental retardation). Meta-analyses of the social skills training literature have shown mixed effects depending on the populations studied with effect size estimates ranging from.20 to.50. Four future directions were recommended for the enterprise of social skills training of children with emotional and behavioral disorders: (a) matching social skills interventions with studentsi social skills deficits; (b) establishing the proper context for social skills training; (c) facilitating the functional generalization of trained social skills; and (d) using socially valid outcome measures. Language: en

Do Employers Need the Skills They Want? Evidence from technical work

Abstract: Changes in the modern workplace, brought about by technology and management innovations and by increased global competition, raise many concerns about the adequacy of workforce skills. In the US and elsewhere, these concerns have led to new ideas about skills, in particular the need for ‘generic skills’ like problem solving, teamwork, and communications. Many employers and policymakers in the US believe that these skills are necessary for work across most jobs and support school reforms to teach them. This article presents empirical evidence from a study in technical work which challenges conventional wisdom about skills and skill requirements and has broad implications for school reform.

Information skills for an electronic world: training doctoral research students

Abstract: The electronic library/Internet intensifies the need for information skills in academic research, in three categories: judgement; knowledge and operation of resources; linguistic/logical skills. There is a corresponding quantum leap in the information skills training requirement. Strategies for training within the doctoral supervision process are outlined. Qualitative data, from the Information Access project, on current practice among supervisors suggest that to train researchers successfully: (i) recognition of the size of the problem is required; (ii) a different model of library skills training needs to be adopted; (iii) the developmental nature of training needs to be recognised; (iv) research supervisors have an important role to play along-side librarians; (v) explicit discussion of metacognitive aspects of these skills is necessary; (vi) national and local institutions need to formulate training policy; (vii) supervisors themselves need training and support; (viii) academics and students need to t...

Do employers really need more educated youth

Abstract: In this article, the authors use qualitative data from interviews with 51 diverse employers to examine what actions, if any, employers take in pursuit of their stated need for young workers with skills. Contrary to Berg's model, employers often describe a clear need for specific academic skills, specific conditions that require such skills, and costly actions they take to obtain these skills. However, contrary to the economic model, in attempting to achieve productivity goals, employers respond to shortcomings in skills by taking previously unnoted actions that increase labor market stratification. They increase supervisors' responsibility for explaining tasks at considerable cost to themselves, adjust jobs to match workers' skills, offer special accommodations to retain workers with valued skills, and use on-the-job screening and recruiting linkages to select workers. These findings explain some puzzles in segmented labor market theory and extend sociological network models

Procedural skills in medicine: Linking theory to practice

Abstract: Emergency departments offer a unique educational setting where housestaff can be exposed to and learn a variety of procedural skills. However, procedural skills are often overlooked as an assumed activity without a formal educational context. The clinical educator's understanding of the educational principals of teaching and learning procedural skills is minimal. This review offers further insight. The "psychomotor domain," which represents a hierarchy of learning motor skills, and relevant motor learning theory extracted from the educational psychology literature are reviewed. These theoretical considerations can be adapted to and provide useful information relevant to procedural medicine. Issues of curriculum content, methods of teaching and learning, and issues of competence relevant to the creation of a procedural skill program are reviewed and discussed.

Skills to Enhance Problem-based Learning

Abstract: Problem-based Learning (PBL) has become a popular method of instruction among educators in the health professions. Central to the effectiveness of PBL is the ability of students to work together to solve problems. When these abilities are lacking, PBL outcomes can be compromised. Since these skills have not been emphasized in public school or higher education, students are often forced to muddle through group processes in the effort to learn. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the interpersonal skills necessary to enhance PBL, and suggest how these skills can be improved and incorporated into the curriculum.

Education in Production: Measuring Labor Quality and Management

Abstract: Production function studies have used the education of the head of the household or the average education of farm workers to assess the contribution of schooling to farm efficiency. In this paper I critically examine the information content of these measures by developing a team production model which suggests separate education measures to approximate labor quality and managerial skills. Empirical analyses based on Chinese farm household data show that the new measures are statistically superior to the existing alternatives. There is evidence of centralized decision making on the farms where the highest schooling contributes the most to production efficiency.

Basic Skills in Adolescents' Occupational Preparation

Abstract: Occupational preparation is directed at giving young people access to continuing and rewarding employment. It attempts to impart personal qualities and competencies that will attract potential employers and provide the particular skills necessary for employment in different kinds of jobs. This article addresses the first of these two issues: what are the basic elements of employability, and how do young people acquire them?

Explanations of Managerial Career Advancement

Abstract: This article reviews and evaluates major theories explaining managerial career advancement, and summarises findings from recent empirical research. The major theories include organisational theories of internal labor markets, career tournaments, statistical discrimination, and resource dependency; interpersonal theories of mentors, informal social networks, homophily, and politics; and individual theories of leadership traits (ambition, motivation to manage, general cognitive ability, instrumentality), human capital, managerial skills, and multiple roles. An integration is presented to show how the theories and empirical research fit together. Methodological issues in research on managerial advancement are discussed.

Learning Technological Concepts and Developing Intellectual Skills

Abstract: The increasing complexity of work and social life demands that people possess conceptual understanding and intellectual skills in order to gain the desired level of competence. Unfortunately, the development of high level cognitive skills is a complex task that has not been sufficiently addressed in education. This chapter discusses the nature of intellectual skills and identifies numerous problems that educators face when they attempt to emphasize these skills in their curriculum. Through a comparison of the characteristics of formal and informal learning environments, the author identifies four elements of informal learning that guide the creation of high level intellectual skills. Incorporating the four elements of informal learning in formal instruction can lead to robust opportunities for students to gain conceptual understanding and develop their intellectual skills.

Managerial Skills Training from a Critical Perspective

Abstract: In the past decade, managerial skills training has become an increasingly important part of management education. In this article, the authors propose that the current model typically used for managerial skills training would benefit from a significant review and revision. They illustrate how a critical perspective can make managerial skills classrooms both more relevant and more lively. In particular, they suggest that managerial skills training be designed to encourage students to learn two broad categories of skills, self-reflexivity and cultural critique, so that they can become more effective managers and more critical consumers of managerial knowledge.

Medical students' self-assessment accuracy in communication skills

Abstract: No abstract available.

Changing skill needs: what makes people employable?

Abstract: Many of the skills needed to make people employable are specific to particular occupations. However, increasingly employers are defining a set of “generic”, usually personal, skills which they seek when recruiting new employees. These “generic skills” include, for example, communication skills, the ability to apply basic literacy and numeracy in a work situation, being a “team player”, the ability to relate to customers and clients, taking initiative (for one’s own work and personal and career development), taking responsibility and making decisions. Occupational skills may be seen as necessary but not enough, or as “easily trained in”. Although these “generic skills” are not new needs in many workplaces, they do appear to be receiving greater emphasis as organizations change and adjust to meet new competitive pressures and develop new working practices. There is some debate about the extent to which these types of skill can be developed in people, or whether certain characteristics or predisposition are necessary for their development. Many organizations are adapting their recruitment processes and internal appraisal systems to explore more fully the abilities of potential recruits in these areas. Discusses the nature of these “skills” and their relevance in different workplaces and jobs, and in relation to occupation‐specific skills. Also looks at why they are currently receiving emphasis and likely current trends. Finally, explores how these “skills” are examined in the recruitment process. Draws on the findings from a series of projects conducted by the Institute for Employment Studies on employers’ skill needs in different occupations and how and why these are changing.

Social skilling through cooperative learning

Abstract: Summary The lack of social skills on the part of some school students has been identified as one contributory factor in student misbehaviour. Experience and theoretical studies indicate that corrective models of behaviour management are not, in themselves, sufficient. Research suggests that cooperative learning contributes to the fostering of social skills in students of all ages. The first author implemented a 10‐week programme of cooperative learning in a class of 10‐12‐year‐olds, to develop their social skills alongside their academic skills. Classroom activities provided specific training in, and required pupils to use and monitor the use of, identified social skills. Task‐oriented skills included sharing, persuading and managing time; and person‐oriented skills covered being positive, valuing others and conflict resolution. Pupils worked in pairs, and later in larger groups, with each pupil responsible for a specific academic or social task. Although the period of the study (10 weeks) was too short t...

Management experience and management expertise

Abstract: Is there such a thing as management ‘expertise’? What are its characteristics? This paper examines four aspects of how management expertise is developed from management experience: the task specificity of experience, multiple types of experience, depth vs. breadth of experience and the impact of experience over time. It identifies issues associated with the study of management expertise and suggests approaches for further behavioral and technical research in this area. In particular, a situated learning approach is appropriate to formulate and explore the relationships between management experience, expertise and performance and a case-based reasoning approach is appropriate as a representation and modeling mechanism.

Personnel interviewers' perceptions of the importance and adequacy of applicants' communication skills

Abstract: Personnel interviewer perceptions of job applicants' oral and nonverbal communication skills and the effect they have on hiring decisions were investigated. A questionnaire sent to personnel interviewers at 500 businesses in a Midwestern city asked the extent to which: (a) oral communication skills significantly impact hiring decisions, (b) higher level positions require more communication skills, (c) job applicants currently display adequate communication skills, (d) increased communication skills are needed for jobs in the 1990s and 21st century. Although over 90% of the 253 respondents indicated that communication skills are essential for success, only 60% reported that applicants were prepared with effective communication skills in job interviews. Interviewers were also asked to identify the 5 most prevalent communication inadequacies; these included the oral skills of topic relevance, response organization, response clarity, grammar, and response feedback.

Middle management in schools : how to harmonise managing and teaching for an effective school

Abstract: A poor business often has poor management. Yet effective management is just as vital in education - if not more so - than it is in business. "Middle Management in Schools" is a practical and informative book which is a must for all head teachers, deputy head teachers and students on education management courses. It provides you with: *an introduction to management and middle management issues *guidance on team management and leadership *information on recruitment and selection *a framework in which to develop your skills *advice on how to advance your career. "Middle Management in Schools" gives you the management skills you need to advance your career and improve your school.