EFFECTS OF RESTRUCTURING ON THE JOB PERFORMANCE OF EXTENSION EDUCATORS: IMPLICATIONS FOR IN-SERVICE TRAINING

As states restructure their extension organizations, they need to consider how the changes affect job performance of their reappointedstaff out in thefield. WhenIllinois restructured in 1991, reappointedstaff faced four changes: changes in subject matter, geographic service area, primary contact group, and targeted clientele. 7his study generally found negative correlations among job performance and changes inprimav contact group and targeted clientele. After direct effects of thefour changes were separated out, there were indirect effects of the “‘anxieq level just after the reappointment” on job performance. Recommendationsfrom this study can be usefulforplanning counseling and/or in-service trainingprograms for staff when restructuring is considered. A number of organizations have restructured in the last decade and more are likely to do so. Factors that force restructuring include funding crises, societal change, changes in client groups, and technological innovations. Restructuring brings change to an organization. Dalziel and Schoonover (1988) defined this change as “a planned or unplanned response of an organization to pressures” (pp. lo- 12) and stated that it is often a prerequisite for organizational survival. “Restructuring can be conceptualize d as change along one or more of three dimensions: assets, capital structure, or management” (Bowman & Singh, 1990, p. 9). This last change is the common restructuring that can take place in a non-profit, service organization such as the Cooperative Extension Service (CES). Management restructuring is designed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the personnel resources through significant changes in organizationa l structure. Muller (1990) defined organizational restructuring as a planned change due to external or internal pressures. As the world rapidly changes, organizations also change to respond to their environments and to assure their continuity.