THE ROLE OF THE MANPOWER COUNSELOR AS PERCEIVED BY EMPLOYMENT SERVICE PERSONNEL AND COUNSELOR EDUCATORS

This study investigated how manpower counselors, district office supervisors, and counselor educators in the state of Wisconsin perceive the role of the manpower counselor. Questionnaires were mailed to the 26 district office supervisors, to 26 manpower counselors—one from each district—and to 11 counselor educators. Analysis of the data reveals that the perceptions of each group are quite similar. However, the rankings produced an “ideal” rather than a “real” picture. It is suggested that a concentrated and combined effort be made to make the “ideal” “real.”     

PROGRAMMED INSTRUCTION AS A SOURCE OF GAIN IN COUNSELOR COMMUNICATION

This study investigated the effectiveness of programmed materials in interpersonal relations in improving the facilitation levels of counselor communication. Thirty Employment Service counselors were pre-tested by assessing response levels to representative client stimuli expression. The subjects were then given 10 hours of written, programmed instruction. Post-test scores indicated that statistically significant gains were realized in the communication of empathy and respect.     

INVOLVEMENT IN COMMUNICATION NETWORKS AS A PREDICTOR OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT

This study examines the relationship between involvement in a job-related communication network and organizational commitment. The findings indicate a complex relationship that is moderated by the degree of job involvement. For employees who are not involved in their jobs, involvement in the job-related communication network functions to foster commitment to the organization. Two major conclusions are drawn: (1) the impact of involvement in communication networks on employee attitudes and behaviors may occur only for individuals with certain characteristics; and (2) previous studies that have reported main effects for individual variables on organizational commitment may need reinterpretation in light of the disordinal interaction obtained here. The possibility that different commitment processes operate for different kinds of employees is explored, with special emphasis on those employees for whom communication is a potent factor in determining attitudes. Implications for future research on the relationship between communication network involvement and other employee responses are discussed.