Presents a technique for structuring cooperative learning that enables teams to work together meaningfully on in-class exercises. Includes incentives for students to assist one another, team role survey, skills and duties of team members, and a description of the exercises and the cooperative learning principles they are designed to develop. (SK)

Five teams of postgraduate business students in three countries participate din a business strategy simulation game using e-mail and videoconferencing. The pilot study showed the need for technical support and a game administrator and the importance of making simulated competition conditions as realistic as possible to enable transfer of learning.…

Describes the University of Hartford's All-University Curriculum, which includes 25 interdisciplinary courses, most team taught. Addresses institutional buy-in, resources, team formation, conflict resolution, institutional policies, and ongoing development. (SK)

Describes how parent teacher conferences in elementary schools in Tacoma, Washington, differ from traditional conferences by starting early in the schools year, being held at least twice a year, lasting about 40 minutes, including students, developing goals using conference information, and involving parents and students in developing goals to…

A loose group of individuals working on a task differs from an effective team on nine factors: clearly defined goals, priorities, roles and responsibilities, self-awareness, leadership, group dynamics, communications, content, and infrastructure. Ways to eliminate barriers and speed formation of effective teams could be based on those factors.…

A longitudinal study of factors influencing success or failure of workplace innovations such as teamwork was carried out in two German firms. Success factors included having a team mentor; integrating training, supervision, and implementation of the innovation; and training trainers. (SK)

Defines a virtual team as a group of people who are working on the same business issue but are located at different geographic sites and rely mainly on some form of technology to facilitate the work discussion. Discusses benefits of virtual teams, including reduced travel costs and organizational efficiency; defining roles; selecting technology…

Predictors of the performance of 107 student case teams in a management course were analyzed. Satisfaction with the team was significantly related to team structure. Team structure and spirit were significantly and positively related to project grade; social support was negatively related to grade. (Contains 47 references.) (SK)

Describes problems the author experienced with disfunctionality in student group projects. Describes how she implemented informal and formal peer reviews throughout the term in these groups, which has helped short-circuit disfunctionality, improve student productivity, and help the instructor form a fairer overall assessment. (SR)

Presents the teamwork approach used by Philadelphia's Drexel University to restore an unused historic bank building located on its campus and convert it into a home to be used for alumni relations. Photos are included. (GR)

Supervisors who are effective facilitators use their own learning and interpersonal skills to encourage informal learning in work teams. Use of facilitation skills can be inhibited by lack of organizational support and reluctance to change power relationships. (Contains 66 references.) (SK)

Business students (n=211) rated their organizational citizenship behavior (altruism, courtesy, civic virtue, sportsmanship, conscientiousness). A majority had moderately high levels, but a significant percentage had relatively low levels. Organizational citizenship behavior was significantly and positively related to academic performance. (SK)

Focus groups examined the experiences of staff from British agencies across five practice contexts delivering mental health services. Respondents encountered a wide range of mental health problems. Interagency support in supporting clients was restricted to a minority of agencies within the same practice context. Barriers included reluctance or…

A fun design challenge that can be used in the classroom and across the grades is presented in this article. No special tools, hardware, or supplies are needed, only imagination and teamwork. It is a fun exercise that illustrates technology education principles. This design challenge is a mirror on the world, very similar to how projects are…

Fish dissections are a great way to introduce the concepts of food webs, predator-prey relationships, and ecosystems, but these labs are expensive, messy, smelly, and require a lot of supervision because of the tools involved. The author has developed an inexpensive, safe, and clean alternative where students "dissect" simulated fish…