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The theoretical framework of vigilant interaction theory is used to examine information exchange and decision-making quality in virtual teams. Groups completed a hidden profile task in one of three geographic dispersion conditions: all members colocated, isolated, or mixed with two colocated and two isolated members. Vigilant interaction—discussion of task information, attention to other group members' information, discussion of positive and negative attributes of the alternatives, and systematic information processing—predicted decision quality. Explicit reminders of information differences predicted pooling of unique information. No evidence was found for difficulties in interaction and task performance due to subgroup faultline dynamics; instead vigilant interaction was highest in groups with mixed distributions, suggesting they exerted compensatory effort. Exploratory analyses suggested that temporal vigilance was lowest in completely distributed groups. Implications for new dimensions of the vigilant interaction theory framework are discussed.

The innovative structure of an undergraduate course on communication and decision making in small groups, based on the framework of Kolb's experiential learning theory, is described. The course involves doing in-class exercises that replicate published research about a given topic. Exercises involve completion of a group task, the manipulation of variables, and collection and analysis of data. Following each exercise, the students read the original research and other relevant materials. In the subsequent class, the students are debriefed through an examination of the class data and a discussion of the reading materials and potential practical applications. This sequence of experiment replication and discussion is repeated with a different exercise each week. The in-class activities are supplemented with written analysis assignments. Variations on the basic course module and other course components are described, and factors guiding design choices are discussed. Evidence of student learning relevant to course objectives is presented.

Anonymity in computer-mediated communication (CMC) is valued in organizations because it can facilitate participation in discussions, especially of sensitive issues. Concerns over maintaining the motivation to participate in such discussions, because of the inability to reward people for their contributions, have led to the development of techniques that allow rewards to be allocated without identifying their distributors and recipients. It was hypothesized, however, that anonymous rewards are not equivalent to identified rewards in the ability to motivate people. Results from a laboratory experiment using a group electronic brainstorming task supported this hypothesis. Task effort was higher when reward recipients were identified than when they were anonymous; comparing rewards further increased the effects of identification. Identification combined with comparison increased task effort slightly more for recipients of the middle level than the top or bottom levels of rewards. Negligible effects were found for idea quality. Implications are discussed for anonymity, comparison targets, task structure, and the intersection of technical and social factors in organizations.

An experiment compared interaction process and task performance of groups composed of members with high or low preference for procedural order, assigned to an individual or group process accountability condition. Procedural order preference did not affect the use of procedures nor did procedures affect task performance. Competing hypotheses on the effects of process accountability were tested: One set of hypotheses was based on higher motivation among high order preference groups because accountability amplifies their natural work predispositions; the other set was based on higher motivation among low order preference groups because accountability induces cognitive dissonance in them. Results supported the amplifying hypotheses. High order preference groups exchanged more information, perceived their discussions as more orderly, and produced more feasible task solutions. Compared with group process accountability, individual accountability led to less information exchange in both high and low order preference groups, but low order preference groups under individual accountability produced the least feasible task solutions of all groups. Implications for the match between individual work habit preferences and task context demands are discussed.

Responses to "in-the-moment" events—defined as events that take an unexpected and potentially negative turn and that require immediate unplanned responses, which may affect the continued integrity and effectiveness of the learning environment—are examined as formative of teaching effectiveness. It is argued that teacher flexibility when responding is a key factor for effectiveness. Using experiential learning theory as a framework, the concept of flexibility in responding to such events is explored. Case studies of actual teaching situations are used as the authors illustrate the application of the framework and offer strategies for increasing response flexibility.

Traditional MBA curricula have been criticized for lacking integration across functional courses. Some schools have responded with expensive wholesale curriculum overhauls. Lower cost approaches may also be effective. The article describes an integrated case assignment between core Finance and Organizational Behavior (OB) classes, involving a merger and acquisition. The OB class assigned student teams to role-play the negotiations of the acquisition deal, whereas the Finance class assigned them to prepare the necessary financial analyses. The assignments were jointly evaluated by professors from both courses. The schedule of the exercise is described, and student reactions and faculty insights are presented.

Psychodynamic theories of groups operate on the fundamental assumption that (a) nonconscious emotional processes shape interpersonal behavior in groups; (b) the lack of awareness of these processes inhibits effective work in the group; and (c) bringing such processes to members' awareness will help remove this inhibition. Psychodynamic theories can be classified into two types of approaches: psychoanalytic and humanistic. These perspectives further assume that social behavior has biological bases and that a group mind exists. The psychoanalytic approach is governed by a medical model and traces its early development to Freud. Humanistic approaches are governed by an education and the human development model and trace their roots to the early social psychological theories of Lewin. Psychodynamic perspectives have influenced the study of groups widely and are notable for their major contribution to theories of group development.

This review illuminated the need for interdisciplinary integration of research on personality and groups. Network analysis of references cited in 13 previous reviews showed that this literature is fragmented; the disciplinary base has narrowed over time; is dominated by psychology, organization studies, and small group studies; and is poorly integrated with other relevant disciplines. Research from an additional seven disciplines is reviewed. Insights from the review help to identify new research directions, based on reconsidering assumptions about the temporal nature and direction of personality causality and the locus of group interaction. Implications for research practices are discussed.

There is a growing belief among managers that ethnic diversity, when well managed, can provide organizations with certain competitive advantages. But the belief in this value-inl diversity hypothesis rests largely on anecdotal rather than empirical evidence. Results are reported ofa controlled experimental study that compares the performance on a brainstorm ing task between groups composed of all Anglo-Americans with groups composed ofAnglo-, Asian, African, and Hispanic Americans. The particular brainstorming task used-The Tourist Problem-was chosenfor its relevancefordiversity along the dimension of ethnicity. The ideas produced by the ethnically diverse groups were judged to be of higher quality-more effective andfeasible-than the ideas produced by the homogeneous groups. Members of homogeneous groups reported marginally more attraction to their groups than did members of diverse oroups. Directions for future research with respect to the degree of diversity, the nature of the task, and group process are discussed.