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• Lessard, J. A. (1994). 'Learning while working: A study of the learning patterns of extension managers'. Ph.D. dissertation. Michigan State University.

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=740807151&Fmt=2&clientId=44986&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Visionaries interested in maintaining a Cooperative Extension System that remains relevant and responsive to the changing needs and broader issues of society assert the value of continuous organizational adjustment and renewal. At the heart organizational renewal is the capacity for members to be committed to continuous learning and to be able to lead as well as respond to change. Extension managers will play a pivotal role in finding ways to effectively engage in continuous learning for themselves and to encourage and enable others in the organization to learn.

The purpose of this study was to identify learning patterns used by effective middle managers in Extension. The research intended to uncover what role learning has played in manager development and what approaches to learning managers found to have been helpful in their professional development.

This study used a grounded theory research method to generate substantive theory through a continuous procedure of gathering and analyzing data. This constant comparative analysis relied on adult learning and manager development literature review and study participant interviews to discover the central phenomena specifically associated with extension middle manager learning. Managers from state Cooperative Extension Services in Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin were selected for this study based on criteria provided in a commonly understood definition of managerial effectiveness.

This study revealed that distinctive learning patterns are exhibited by extension managers. The conceptualization of central phenomena and processes defining these patterns provided a theoretical framework for the development of several propositions around the relationships of key variables in extension manager learning. These propositions provide a basis for hypotheses formulation and testing and validation of the variables and their relationships.

The adult learning and manager development literature reviewed in this study also provided considerable insight on ways managers learn and how learning may be augmented. Used in conjunction with study participant perspectives relating to their values, learning motivation and learning approaches, recommendations have been drawn from these insights that may have immediate application for those interested in facilitating extension manager development.