Virtual Team Collaboration: A Review of Literature and Perspectives

Along with the widespread use of information technologies (IT) and the increasing geographical span of tasks held by various organizations, Virtual Teams (VTs) rose as an alternative organizational form which has the potential to deeply change the workplace. This article provides a review of previously published work on collaboration in VTs. The review is organized around two perspectives adopted by scholars, namely technological and managerial. This analysis underlines two major constructs that leads to an efficient VT collaboration, i.e. the context in which the collaboration is held and the collaboration style. While the former is illustrated by knowledge and team characteristics, the latter is identified by technological media and leadership. Building on this classification, we suggest a model and explore future research directions with a particular attention to the implications for collaboration in organizations.Collaboration, Virtual Team, Knowledge Sharing, Literature Review

Unpacking interactions using Brousseau’s didactical milieu

In this work we used Brousseau’s Theory of Didactical Situation to examine ways in which interactions with a researcher/teacher influenced athematical practices of a child. The findings suggest an extension of teaching actions associated with TDS to include the process of stabilizing mathematical understanding of children as they interact with and engage in taskmilieu

The Cultural Biography of a Western Australian War Memorial

In common with other western countries, there is resurgence in war commemoration in Australia indicating a serious pursuit of identity and a national story on a collective and personal level. A widespread academic and popular interest in war memory and material culture such as war memorials has emerged. War memorials often find their way on to heritage registers. This paper advances cultural biography as an approach to determine the significance of war memorials arguing that this may give a deeper understanding of its community meaning than present methods. Emerging in archaeology cultural biography considers the way that social interactions between people and objects over time create meaning. Using the Katanning war memorial statue in Western Australia as a case study, this paper argues that a cultural biographical approach may uncover a deeper cultural significance resulting from a focus on relationships than from the traditional focus on the memorial as object

Changing the First Lady\u27s Mystique: Defining the First Lady\u27s Legal Role and Upending Gender Norms

This Article explores the lack of formal guidelines governing the First Lady by first considering the history of the role and how the three branches of government have typically dealt with the role. Attention is also given to the possible intersection with the anti-nepotism statute when and if the First Lady acts as an advisor to the President. This Article then goes on to suggest that this lack of formality has allowed gender norms to govern the role. In an era where women’s rights have resurfaced as a central theme in political discourse, this Article concludes by suggesting some possible guidelines that may displace the gender norms that have been governing the role for far too long. Upending these gender norms from the White House would send a message that not only redefines the First Lady’s role but also redefines gender roles for the American public

Knothole November 10, 1993 Vol 46 No 10

The mission of The Knothole publication is to provide its readers with writings that are both stimulating and contemporary; to inform its students of clubs, events, and off-campus happenings; to challenge a world driven by progress to uncover the truth about current environmental policies and innovations; and to express such ideas, ingeniously and collectively.https://digitalcommons.esf.edu/knothole/1595/thumbnail.jp

Everything, and then some

On its intended interpretation, logical, mathematical and metaphysical discourse sometimes seems to involve absolutely unrestricted quantification. Yet our standard semantic theories do not allow for interpretations of a language as expressing absolute generality. A prominent strategy for defending absolute generality, influentially proposed by Timothy Williamson in his paper ‘Everything’ (2003), avails itself of a hierarchy of quantifiers of ever increasing orders to develop non-standard semantic theories that do provide for such interpretations. However, as emphasized by Øystein Linnebo and Agustín Rayo (2012), there is pressure on this view to extend the quantificational hierarchy beyond the finite level, and, relatedly, to allow for a cumulative conception of the hierarchy. In his recent book, Modal Logic as Metaphysics (2013), Williamson yields to that pressure. I show that the emerging cumulative higher-orderist theory has implications of a strongly generality-relativist flavour, and consequently undermines much of the spirit of generality absolutism that Williamson set out to defend

Reliance structures of neophyte principals in rural contexts

The purpose of this study was to investigate the development and establishment of reliance structures among rural neophyte administrators in southern Saskatchewan during their first year as principal. The primary research question was, "What are the perspectives and reflections of rural based second year principals concerning the development and establishment of their own reliance structures during their neophyte year? Specifically the study focused on the contexts of the schools, the reliance structure, the formal and informal socialization processes, and the self-efficacy of neophyte principals. The significance of this study was based upon the lack of coherence between the theory and practice for the preparation of new educational administrators (McKague, 2001; Ferrandino, 2000; Griffith, 1999; Lawson, 1999; Renihan, 1999; Davis, 1998; Restine, 1997). This study addressed a deficiency in the research by exploring the reliance structures of neophyte principals through a multi-method approach. First, a questionnaire was utilized to gain a general perception from the participants on their own reliance structure. Second, in-depth interviews provided more detail on the perspectives and experiences of first year principals with their own reliance structure. The sample included 26 rural-based second year principals, who had no prior administrative experience. Twenty-five of the 26 neophyte principals returned the Reliance Structure for Neophyte Principals (RSNP) survey forms, for a return rate of 96.2 percent. As well, all 26 neophyte principals were asked to participate in an interview that further investigated their perceptions of how they established their supports in a reliance structure. Of the 26 neophyte principals, 24 participated in the interviews for a response rate of 92.3 per cent. A number of contextual factors were seen to influence neophyte principals' development of the reliance structure. These included: the location of the school, the size of the school, the size of the school system, educational background, and the prior experiences of the principal as an educator. Upon further analysis, the data suggested that location of the school, size of the school, educational background, and prior experiences as an educator were perceived as the most critical variables in the development of the reliance structure. In regard to periodization (the time periods between August to December and January to June), supervision of instruction emerged as the most important professional development need for the beginning principals during the first year. During the first term. (August to December), principals perceived that having access to formalized mentoring programs and knowledge of important dates would have better prepared and/or supported them. Another important finding was that respondents felt that budgets, timetabling, and graduation were areas which presented unexpected events and/or surprises during the second term (January to June). Overwhelmingly, the perception of the principals in this study was that there was a need to establish a formal reliance structure for beginning principals. Principals identified mentoring programs, professional development opportunities, longer induction and orientation opportunities, knowledge of the culture, and increased administration time as critical functions in a reliance structure. The most critical relationships were with (in order of frequency of mention) school staff, the director and central office staff, and other in-school administrators. Visiting the school meeting staff, and getting to know the community, were viewed as critical processes in the reliance structure. Beginning principals indicated that the informal socialization processes (casual relationships with others) were more effective than the formal socialization processes. The director and the assistant director were identified as the most frequently involved in orienting neophyte principals to their jobs. However, it was other in-school administrators who were the most valuable in orienting and providing support during the first year. Several implications were derived from the findings of this study. Important among these is the need for consideration of a number of functions, relationships, and processes in the reliance structure. In order for this to happen, socialization processes need to be formalized. Formalizing the socialization process warrants the time, energy, and participation of other in-school principals and central office personnel who play an integral role in developing and establishing the reliance structure. The establishment of the reliance structure for neophyte principals will be crucial to the future development of aspiring administrators. Such an initiative could improve the opportunities for success for beginning principals, particularly those in rural contexts

Virtual Team Collaboration: A Review of Literature and Perspectives

Along with the widespread use of information technologies (IT) and the increasing geographical span of tasks held by various organizations, Virtual Teams (VTs) rose as an alternative organizational form which has the potential to deeply change the workplace. This article provides a review of previously published work on collaboration in VTs. The review is organized around two perspectives adopted by scholars, namely technological and managerial. This analysis underlines two major constructs that leads to an efficient VT collaboration, i.e. the context in which the collaboration is held and the collaboration style. While the former is illustrated by knowledge and team characteristics, the latter is identified by technological media and leadership. Building on this classification, we suggest a model and explore future research directions with a particular attention to the implications for collaboration in organizations