The purpose of this study was to understand how shared norms are developed in the early phase of multicultural team (MCT) formation. The development of shared norms is recognized as critical to MCTs' contributions to organizations, and they are a result of the cognitive adjustment of the team members in recognition of their differences (Brandl…

This article describes the use of scenarios as a tool to assist a large distance learning library service in its strategic planning. Through a description of the scenario process from beginning to end, the authors detail the steps that the library director and the consultant took initially; their missteps; and the successful conclusion. This study…

The aim of this article is to exemplify the value of using a phenomenological approach when investigating graduates' lived experiences of vocational learning. For this study, qualitative data was obtained during a series of email interviews with 35 participants. As a group they are highly aspirational and, during their graduate studies, were…

This ethnographic study answers calls for research into the ways that virtual organizations (or innovation-driven collaborative teams) form and develop, what supports and constraints their development, and the leadership models that support the organizations' work. The study examines how a virtual organization emerged from an intersegmental…

This paper reviews and integrates best practices for online teamwork for students and instructors from current and classical literature as well as the author's own six years of online teaching experience (over 40 online courses). A qualitative reflection of six graduate and six undergraduate courses in management, human resource management and…

Belbin's theory that teams with a wide range of roles are more effective than those with role imbalance was tested with six teams composed of individuals with homogenous roles and six with mixed roles. Mixed teams performed better on team tasks. (SK)

In a previous ethnographic study (Sebrant, 2000) a social constructionist view of how social identity is produced among professional groups in Swedish healthcare was developed. Looking at the workplace as an important environment for identity construction suggested that these processes were conditions for learning. The purpose of this paper is to…

Examines three theses: (1) work teams should be analyzed as object-oriented activity systems; (2) the nature of teams depends on the type of production in which they are implemented; and (3) fluid forms of collaborative work organization are displacing stable teams. (SK)

Created in response to requests from organizations across the country that wanted help in establishing teams for many purposes, this guide is an easy-to-use recipe book on the essential areas of teaming. It does not cover all the aspects of teaming, but focusses on the essential components of team development necessary for a team to function. The…

In today's workplace, organizations are moving from top-down, hierarchical decision making to team decisions based on consensus. This guide offers advice on setting the stage for team consensus to grow and on establishing an environment that fosters consensus. Topics of the four sections, the components of full consensus, are: (1) "Purposeful…

The management field of Organization Development approaches institutions from the social, technical, and economic systems with major emphasis on group process. Organization Development contains many possibilities for libraries and their staff to meet the challenge of our greatly changing environment. This paper outlines the methods by which an…

Creating an integrated curriculum requires a collaboration that balances the personal, professional, and production aspects of a project. This paper describes interaction within a team of teachers whose focus for developing an integrated curriculum emerged from a community-arts organization. Topics examined include: the tension between team…

This monograph is designed as an introductory guide to developing effective educational teams in school districts. Aimed at both preservice and inservice educators, it shows how teams can be used to support collaboration and mutual problem-solving at all levels of the school district and describes various issues related to the development of…

A framework for diagnosing real groups focuses on group origins and membership differences. This perspective is offered as an aid to interpreting communication behavior of groups in organizational settings. (Author)

Experience shows that teamwork produces powerful results. Working in a team environment, however, presents its own set of challenges. This handbook provides U.S. Department of Education managers and employees with guidance to develop high-performing teams. Based on input from agency employees throughout the country, the handbook was designed to…