ABSTRACT
Beyond these informal and often unobtrusive processes lie the more formal ones of curriculum or course development, staff development (which may be related to appraisal) and organization development. The need for these seems so patent that it is difficult to see how problems can arise, but they do. The most common one is probably that everyone is so busy coping with immediate pressures and demands that there is simply no time or energy to invest in the longer-term development of staff, courses or the organization. Funds may be tight and those that are available may go to the wrong people or the wrong initiatives. There may be no coherent development strategy, or certain types of staff (eg, part-timers) or activities (eg, traditional courses) may get little support. Staff development may be seen in purely individual terms rather than tied into the work of the department. Staff appraisal may not work well, either because it has no consequences and is therefore not taken seriously, or because of conflicts between appraisal, managerial and collegial roles. New courses may be introduced in a rush with only minimal briefing or preparation of the people teaching them. The organization may engage in repeated restructuring without considering whether the problem is a structural one at all.
