Anticipation: Sailing into Conference

rrnerly Pasadena College (Est. 1902), the spiritual, academic and cultural community that would become Point Loma Nazarene University moved to San Diego from Pasadena, California in 1973. Spanish for Hill, the word Loma is both an apt description of the site on which the University rests and an indication of the cultural influence of the Spanish on the region. Located on cliffs above the Pacific Ocean, PLNU is graced by ocean views at nearly every turn

Editorial

August 30 of this year was Heritage Day for my institution. This marks one of three days each year (the others being Baccalaureate and Commencement) on which the entire University faculty come together before the staff, student, and parents dressed in full academic regalia

Thanks

Please join me in thanking Diane for her service to ACL and for the product she has so ably assisted in bringing to the Association 3 times a year for almost a decade

Exciting Changes are Coming to The Christian Librarian

Back in 1996 I came on board the TCL team with a dream. My hope was to make TCL a peer reviewed publication. Now, many years later, I am excited to say this dream will soon become a reality! Beginning in 2009, TCL will carry peer reviewed content

Editorial

For those of us serving in the academic community a new year has just begun - the fall semester or quarter is upon us. Students have returned to campus and summer-quiet library halls are now ringing with stage whispers, book drops filling with materials rediscovered on unpacking day

A Proposed Study on Commitment in Virtual Teams

The conventional way that people work is changing – today’s employees are likely to work in virtual teams at some point in their careers. Today’s companies are more likely to have an employment force spanning the world, and the face-to-face (FtF) aspect of proximal teams is no longer always possible or desirable. But what are virtual teams? Simply defined, teams are a collection of individuals who are interdependent in their tasks and exist for some task-oriented purpose (Cohen and Baily, 1997; Guzzo et al., 1996). A virtual team, in addition to the above, works across time, space and organizational boundaries (Lipnack and Stamps, 1997). Team members are not necessarily located in the same building, time zone, or even country, and communicate with each other through advanced communication and information technology. While research on virtual teams is increasing, many questions remain regarding what is needed to ensure their effectiveness. The FtF meetings and socialization that occur when team members are co- located can serve to strengthen the bond between team members, whereas socialization in teams may be diminished with virtual teams (Chidambaram, 1996; Lipnack and Stamps, 1997). When team members can’t “bump” into each other in the hall, meet informally in the break room, or even see each other, can a bond exist between them? Can team members feel as committed to a virtual team as a traditional FtF team

Commitment in a Virtual Team

The conventional way that people work is changing – today’s employees are likely to work in virtual teams at some point in their careers. T oday’ s companies are more likely to have an employment force spanning the world, and the face-to-face (FtF) aspect of proximal teams is no longer always possible or desirable. But what are virtual teams? Simply defined, teams are a collection of individuals who are interdependent in their tasks and exist for some task-oriented purpose (Cohen and Baily, 1997; Guzzo et al., 1996). A virtual team, in addition to the above, works across time, space, and organizational boundaries (Lipnack and Stamps, 1997). Team members are not necessarily located in the same building, time zone, or even country, and communicate with each other through advanced communication and information technology. While research on virtual teams is increasing, many questions remain regarding what is needed to ensure their effectiveness. The FtF meetings and socialization that occur when team members are co- located can serve to strengthen the bond between team members, whereas socialization in teams may be diminished with virtual teams. When team members can’t “bump” into each other in the hall, meet informally in the break room, or even see each other, can a bond exist between them? Can team members feel as committed to a virtual team as a traditional FtF team