Describes differences between total quality management and self-directed teams in terms of job design, decision making, flexibility, supervision, labor relations, quality, customers, and training. Offers suggestions for which method to choose when. (SK)

Used correctly, teams can increase productivity, raise morale, and spur innovation. Tips for effective teams include using the right team to do the right job, creating a hierarchy of teams, building an atmosphere of trust, and addressing interpersonal issues. (SK)

A research psychologist at Princeton (Ohio) City Schools attributes district success to a polished management by objectives (MBO) approach helping educators set priorities, stay focused, and meet educational goals. Steps for determining district needs, developing objectives, and monitoring progress are provided. Schools have flexibility to tackle…

"Composition analysis" refers to the mathematics of how component measures combine to produce composite measures based on Bookstein's functions. Composition analysis is applied to the different ways group members might work together such that their individual measures can be combined mathematically to calculate an expected measure for…

Preliminary analysis of data collected from trained expert facilitators of ad hoc creative teams (n=43) found that complex analytical techniques such as costed function modeling and decision criteria matrix may have far more impact upon a team's creative effectiveness than frequently researched measures such as idea quantity. (Contains…

Discusses how service courses in technical writing and their user departments, motivated by calls from industry for students with problem-solving abilities, have incorporated higher-level thinking modes into their assignments. Considers how teachers are changing their pedagogical methods from simple transference of information from teacher to…

The purpose of the present study is to look at the senses in which everyday workplace interactions can be considered manifestations of learning at work and the ways in which such activity could be supervised. The data consists of discussions between employees taped in two technology enterprises and three municipal youth centres, analysed from an…

Students often look for real-life situations where they can apply the concepts they learn. A project of measuring the speed of moving cars demonstrates that they learn communication skills, teamwork skills, and develop patience specially when work in a group with a common purpose.

This article describes partner quizzes, presents a process for using them in classrooms, and discusses the work of several students on such a quiz. (Contains 7 figures.)

The collaborative consultancy role proposed for the educational technologist requires moving beyond the linear model of the systematic approach. Instructional developers need to operate on the conceptual level, to see themselves as problem solvers within a dynamic system in which there are no straight paths, but instead, many paths and many…

The article argues that physical education must make more use of games that involve risk and challenge if it is to develop youthful self-confidence and independence. (CD)

The article describes group games which physical education teachers can use to encourage cooperative problem solving, risk taking, and trust among participants, rather than competition. (CD)

Analyzes the relationships between task and team properties, collaborative problem-solving, and team productivity. Results indicate that team cohesiveness and task certainty were robust predictors of collaborative problem-solving and productivity for the 45 research and development project groups studied. (Author/IRT)

This handbook presents a collection of over 35 experiential and adventure-based activities using only a single item of equipment--a 15-foot long section of 1-inch tubular climbing webbing, called a raccoon circle. Some of the activities are quiet, some are loud, and they range from low to high challenge levels. Different-sized groups can be…

The author highlights the enormity of waste due to ineffective business meetings, and describes techniques behavioral scientists have developed to cope with this perennial problem. A case study dramatizes how the techniques are applied. (Author)