Pamela R. Johnson

The “wonderland” of virtual teams

Virtual reality, virtual space, virtual organizations, virtual teams; the word “virtual” is today’s organizational buzzword. One of the fastest‐growing, high‐tech office trends today is “virtual teams”. These teams cross time, space, and cultural boundaries and do so effectively with the use of technology. This paper will look at the changing nature of work, give a definition of virtual teams, discuss the qualities needed for successful virtual team membership, and view the communication challenges existing for virtual teams in the twenty‐first century.

Slings and arrows of rudeness: Incivility in the workplace.

Obnoxious behaviour has become endemic in the workplace. Some of the worst offences are: not turning off mobile phones in meetings; leaving a jammed printer, gossiping, and snapping at coworkers. Yet, it is this small stuff that relentlessly grinds down collegial working relationships. Incivility is at the low end of the continuum of workplace abuse. Workplace incivility is not violence or harassment or even open conflict, although it can build up to any of those things. Links between the work environment and indicators of employee loyalty, commitment, and productivity show this is not a “fluff” issue. In addition, a recent study on workplace incivility reveals that rude employees and managers can cost a company millions of dollars a year. This paper will look at a definition of incivility in the workplace, the causes of poor behaviour, the costs to organizations, and what employers can do to help.

Organizational benefits of having emotionally intelligent managers and employees

In decades past, workers were, in effect, told to leave their emotions at home and most complied. No more. A person with high emotional intelligence (EI) has the ability to understand and relate to people. In fact, this skill is now considered to have greater impact on individual and group performance than traditional measures of intelligence such as IQ. When emotional intelligence is present, there is increased employee cooperation, increased motivation, increased productivity, and increased profits. However, emotional intelligence is lacking in the US workplace. This lack is clearly chronicled in the comic strip, Dilbert, where Scott Adams, the creator, lampoons what occurs in the workplace: vapid corporate‐speak with no guts and no emotionally‐honest message. This article defines emotional intelligence, describes how the comic strip, Dilbert, daily depicts situations where emotional intelligence is lacking, and discusses the organizational benefits of having emotionally intelligent managers and employees.

Brains, Heart and Courage

Uses The Wizard of Oz as a metaphor for a workforce comprising of Scarecrows, Tinmen and Cowardly Lions. Specifically addresses the topics of disempowered workers, barriers to empowering employees, steps to empowerment, and benefits to organizations of having self‐directed and empowered employees. The three qualities to empowerment are brains, a heart and courage; without these the workforce is composed of people who are passive and unmotivated. Employees who are empowered are less risk‐aversive, more creative, and more willing to suggest bolder solutions.

Workplace Violence: An Issue of the Nineties

Workplace violence has become an important issue in the nineties. Bosses, co-workers, spouses, and supervisors are being killed at work at an alarming rate. Stress, drugs, and layoffs are just a few of the factors that prompt such crisis events. This paper examines what leads to workplace violence. It also addresses the tangible and intangible costs of this violence. And finally, the paper discusses what public personnel managers can do to legally protect themselves.

The Organizational Benefits of Assisting Domestically Abused Employees

Domestic violence is no longer confined to the home; it is creeping into the workplace. Whether it is harassing telephone calls to an employee, a stalker in the parking lot, or an angry spouse who attacks a partner while he or she is at work, domestic violence is a problem that leaders cannot afford to ignore. Predictably, people suffering from family violence may quickly become problems in the workplace. And, many of these “problem employees” who have difficulty getting to work on time, focusing on tasks, or who are frequently absent from work, may, in fact, be victims of domestic violence. In addition, the National Safe Workplace Institute estimates that domestic violence affects employers in a number of ways, e.g., decreased productivity, increased legal liability, increased absenteeism, and increased health care costs. In fact, it is estimated that domestic violence costs organizations

Stress and workplace violence: it takes two to tango

5 billion a year. This article gives a definition of domestic violence, outlines the numerous costs of domestic violence to employers, and suggests steps employers can take to assist domestically abused employees.

The wolf pack: team dynamics for the 21st century

Addresses the reasons, costs and kinds of violence in the workplace. Looks at the effects of stress in the workplace, and what managers can do to prevent violence from happening in their organizations. Outlines some preventive strategies, and concludes that it is essential that all levels of an organization receive some form of training about the potential for violence in the workplace.

Stress and violence in the workplace

Today, many companies don’t want employees who merely “do their jobs.” Instead, they want people who will make them profitable. And because profit‐generation is increasingly in the hand of “teams” of co‐workers who collaborate on short‐ or long‐term projects, or even permanently, companies are looking for people who can fit this type of work structure. This article discusses how a high performance team is much like a wolf pack, and gives a background on the purpose of teams, and describes the many reasons for failure of teams, discussing the qualities needed for successful teams in the 21st century.

“The scourge of the workplace”: depression at work

Explores the issue of workplace violence and stress in the USA. Examines the kinds of violence employees must face in the workplace and also looks at different kinds of stressors such as environmental, e.g. family dysfunction, racial oppression and sexual harassment. Addresses the question of employer responsibility and briefly proposes the development of training programmes for managers.