Trust and organizational development in research and development laboratories were studied, using a multiple time-series, natural quasi-experimental research design. Nine focal groups from three organizations, each with five to 10 members, participated in the project. Most individuals completed two batteries of questionnaires several months apart. Two hypotheses were supported. First, the more an individual trusts his workgroup and the more he generally trusts others with whom he interacts during his work, the greater will be his self-actualization. Second, a "proper" organizational development program will increase an individual's feelings of trust toward his own group and toward others, while maintaining awareness of the demands of his tasks. A third hypothesis received mixed support: the more the members of a group trust that group, and the more they generally trust others with whom they interact during their work, the more effective the group will be in its goal accomplishment. From this mixed support, it appears likely that the organizations in this study had conflicts between the norms of self-reliance and obedience.
Explicit and implicit design assumptions in the founding of Hampshire College are reviewed, especially as they relate to contradictions and problems evident in practice now, 20 years after its initial design. Issues include: • the role of ideology in distorting perception and impeding problemsolving; • the role of alternative institutions in the diffusion and implementation of educational innovations; • the backsliding from an experimenting institution; and • the difficulty of shifting from a founding to a self-renewing orientation. Historical analysis finds that Hampshire was not structurally designed or enacted as a national experimenting college, but acquired this style and image in exploiting the environment for financial and human resources. The College is also found to embody a major contradiction of American society: that between norms of individual freedom and responsibility and norms of social responsibility and community. Three conclusions are offered to designers of alternative organizations: • there are semantic entrapments in the phrase "alternative organization"-its use may often obscure quite traditional ideologies; • there is a need for explicit feedback and evaluation systems monitoring the planners and the plan; and • the wise fool should be welcomed back as a valued member of design and management groups.
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