Schneider's (1987) attraction-selection-attrition model and Pfeffer's (1983) organization demography model were used to generate individual-level and group-level hypotheses relating interpersonal context to recruitment, promotion, and turnover patterns. Interpersonal context was operationalized as personal dissimilarity and group heterogeneity with respect to age, tenure, education level, curriculum, alma mater, military service, and career experiences. For 93 top management teams in bank holding companies examined over a 4-yr period, turnover rate was predicted by group heterogeneity. For individuals, turnover was predicted by dissimilarity to other group members, but promotion was not. Team heterogeneity was a relatively strong predictor of team turnover rates. Furthermore, reliance on internal recruitment predicted subsequent team homogeneity. Currently; several changes in the nature of work organizations in the United States are highlighting the relative paucity of available knowledge about work group functioning. Relevant changes include new manufacturing technologies designed around work teams (see Majchrzak, 1988; Piore & Sabel, 1984), increasing acceptance of and experimentation with management styles that emphasize the collective over the individual (Walton & Hackman, 1986), and a slow shift toward competitive strategies that are best implemented by redesigning jobs to take advantage of the benefits of group interaction (Banas, 1 988: M. E. Porter, 1990; Schuler & Jackson, 1987). Changes such as these seem to be increasing the proportion of workers whose jobs require teamwork (Sundstrom, DeMeuse, & Futrell, 1 990). At the same time, the work force population has become more diverse (Johnston & Packer, 1987). As organizations have begun to realize, this diversity may change patterns of behavior established during an era when work groups were relatively homogeneous (Jackson, 199 1). Psychologists have traditionally approached the study of behavior in organizations from a perspective that emphasizes individual-level constructs and processes. Contrasting sharply with the psychological approach is the more sociologically oriented research of organization theorists, who attempt to explain macro patterns of organizational behavior through consideration of organization-level constructs, such as structure and technology Research on work groups, which is relatively rare in comparison with research conducted at the levels of individuals and organizations, falls midway between these two extremes

As a new generation of workers enters the workforce and the realms of leadership and management, headlines in the business and popular press are encouraging managers to deal with generational differences that appear to be affecting employees, particularly those in the leadership ranks. This article describes generational cohort theory and summarizes research on the impact of generational differences on work processes. It then explores what differences are occurring among managers in different cohorts in terms of attributes they value in leaders and their actual behaviors as leaders (as perceived by self, boss, and subordinates) using data obtained from 2 large databases, including managers across the country spanning 4 generations. Results of the 1st study demonstrate that managers and professionals in different generational cohorts do value different attributes in leaders. Results

This article draws from the author's larger 1993 study on antecedents and consequences of conflict in teams. It looks at the influence of perspective taking on types of conflict and the influence of conflict on affect. Teams using perspective taking were hypothesized to perceive conflict as task oriented as opposed to people oriented. Although both types of conflict were hypothesized to lead to arousal within the team, people-oriented conflict was expected to lead to a more negative team tone. To test hypotheses on perspective taking, 15 medical teams participated in a perspective-taking training program while 15 teams served as a control group. Perspective taking was also measured using self-report scales. Conflict and affect were measured using observation and self-report. Although the training program had no impact on perceived conflict, teams with higher perspective taking (using self-report measures) were likely to perceive conflict as task oriented and less likely to perceive it as people oriented. Hypotheses on the impact of conflict on affect were supported. This study suggests that conflict and negative affect do not necessarily go hand in hand, and that perspective taking is one mechanism teams can use to help manage conflict.

This article explores relationships between feedback, group learning, and performance. It considers how feedback to individuals and the group as a whole supports continuous group learning. Feedback source, purpose, clarity, and valence may affect perceptions, processing, and outcomes of feedback. How feedback is processed and used may be influenced by group and individual conditions, such as demands and goals, accountability for performance, learning orientation, and whether the group is engaging in adaptive, generative, and/or transformative learning. Implications for human resource development practice focus on interventions to improve the use of feedback. Directions for research include examining the content and process of feedback at the individual and group levels of analysis and exploring the effects of feedback source, feedback specificity, leader behavior, and member interactions on group learning.

The purpose of this study was to describe and examine a model for assessing student learning through reflection in service-learning courses. This model utilized a course-embedded process to frame, facilitate, support, and assess students’ depth of learning and critical thinking. Student reflection products in two service-learning courses (a freshman course and an upper-level course) at a public university were examined at two times for depth of academic, personal, and civic learning and for level of critical thinking. Depth of learning and levels of critical thinking between freshmen and upperclassmen were compared. Results suggest that the model and associated rubrics were useful in documenting student learning. Students could identify, describe, and apply their learning. They had difficulty, however, evaluating their learning and thinking critically. There was some enhancement in depth of learning and critical thinking over time with upperclassmen achieving greater depth of learning and higher levels of critical thinking in some areas. Findings indicate that the model is a rigorous tool that can be used to document and assess student learning in service-learning courses.