Themes from the special issue on group learning are highlighted: perceptions of learning, process versus content, the facilitator's role, power relations, and learning communities. (SK)

Discusses being aware of other members of a team in a collaborative environment and reports on a study that examined group performance on a task that was computer mediated with and without awareness information. Examines how an awareness tool impacts the quality of a collaborative work effort and the communications between group members.…

Comparison of the performance of two information systems development teams similar in demographics and cognitive ability revealed that significant differences in personality type, as measured by the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, determined performance differences. Better performance was influenced by balance of types, good match between…

Research interest groups may be a desirable option for individuals in nursing education and service who have not previously conducted research in a particular clinical area. Team efforts are part of the growing attention now being paid to balancing individual and collective interests. (Author/JOW)

Reviews group behavioral issues from past space missions and simulations such as the Skylab Medical Experiments Altitude Test, Skylab missions, and Shuttle Spacelab I mission. Makes recommendations for future flights concerning commandership, crew selection, and ground-crew communications. Pre- and in-flight behavioral countermeasures are…

Discusses the psychological forces that may damage group performance and offers advice for human resource managers on making ineffective groups successful. Examines in detail the cultures of four workplace groups: homogenized, institutionalized, autocratic, and intentional. (JOW)

Denying the considerable differences between men and women only emphasizes them. Men and women tend naturally to have dissimilar goals, priorities, values, and communication styles. Those differences, unaddressed, forecast failure for both sexes in establishing effective roles in business and family life. (JOW)

A leader's motivation tasks include recognizing followers' needs, helping them devise goals to meet these needs, and giving them confidence to accomplish these goals themselves. The small work group fills important social and emotional needs; its attitudes affect productivity, morale, and product quality. (MLH)

Describes why group therapy is fun and entertaining, focusing on three elements: irony, paradox, and the absurd. Defines each of the three elements and provides examples of each in therapy. (ABL)

Focuses on the process of operating self-development groups within a structured program. Includes aims, problems, group characteristics, and conclusions. (JOW)

Computer simulations are described in which pairs of simulated individuals in groups play a prisoner's dilemma game, with the choice to cooperate determined by one of three simple heuristics. Results reveal that the prevalence of cooperation depends on the heuristic used, value of the payoff, and the social comparison process. (SLD)

Using a group method in a creative writing course, the facilitator ("consultant") learned about group process, writers and the writing process, and the appropriateness of the method in educational settings. (SK)

Investigated the differential effects of task design and reward system design on group functioning in a large U.S. corporation; the effectiveness of "hybrid" groups (having tasks and rewards with both individual and group elements); and how individuals' autonomy preferences moderate their responses to interdependence. Groups performed…

Electronic brainstorming uses computer-mediated communications to replace oral communication. Its advantages are parallel entry of ideas, anonymity, novelty, no size or location limitations, and equality. It has disadvantages: better for large groups, loss of social interaction and power, disparity in keyboarding skills, no credit for ideas, and…

Study of the creation of six diverse intergenerational programs identified four common components: (1) a need, crisis, or problem; (2) a committed, responsive leader; (3) a source of encouragement and support; and (4) an accessible linkage system bringing young and old together to solve problems or address needs. (SK)