A study was conducted to determine the important components of a comprehensive staff development program. To guide the investigation, a paradigm was constructed which identified the content areas of staff development as personal/professional, program/instructional, and organizational development; and which specified a statement of purpose or rationale, planning, organization, funding, programming, rewards and incentives, and evaluation as the process functions necessary to carry out staff development programs. The paradigm pointed to 21 identifiable components within the context of the content areas and the processes for staff development. To determine the viability of the paradigm, interviews with staff development personnel were conducted at five community colleges in the midwest and a questionnaire was sent to individuals identified as authorities on staff development. The study found that the components related to personal and program development were commonly found on the campuses studied, and that the organizational development components were notably absent in both quality and number. The study also found that the overwhelming majority of the respondents felt that each of the components was important. The survey instrument and a selected bibliography are appended. (EJV)