Recent advances in networking environments and telecommunications have led to the proliferation of teams that do not work face-to-face but interact over a computermediated communications network. Although some have asserted that virtual teams transcend boundaries of time or distance, others have claimed that working remotely in a mediated team environment differs in significant ways from working face-to-face. In this article, the authors examine the effects of technological mediation on team processes such as cohesiveness, status and authority relations, counternormative behavior, and communication. They discuss conditions under which distance matters in virtual team interaction.

Hand gestures are ubiquitous in communication. However, there is considerable debate regarding the fundamental role that gesture plays in communication and, subsequently, regarding the value of gesture for telecommunications. Controversy exists regarding whether gesture has a primarily communicative function (enhancing listener comprehension) or a primarily noncommunicative function (enhancing speech production). Moreover, some have argued that gesture seems to enhance listener comprehension only because of the effect gesture has on speech production. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which gesture enhances listener comprehension and the extent to which the effect of gesture on listener comprehension is mediated by the effects of gesture on speech production. Results indicated that gesture enhanced both listener comprehension and speech production. When the effects of gesture on speech production were controlled, the relationship between gesture and listener comprehension was reduced but still remained significant. These results suggest that gesture aids the listener as well as the speaker and that gesture has a direct effect on listener comprehension, independent of the effects gesture has on speech production. Implications for understanding the value of gestural information in telecommunications are discussed. Potential applications of this research include the design of computer-mediated communication systems and displays in which the visibility of gestures may be beneficial.

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Despite its importance, there are scant guidelines to assist instructional development experts with the scenario-based training process. In particular, little information exists that links different types of human performance measures with the type of performance assessed and the purpose of training. In an effort to provide new insights on this important issue, the present study examined the appropriateness of four rating formats (i.e., checklists, frequency count, distance and discrepancy, and rating scale) for six performance outcomes, three process variables, and three purposes of scenario-based training. Expert judgments were collected via a short survey. The results indicated that for nine of the 12 variables a single measurement strategy was most appropriate. However, the results also indicated that experts tended to over rely on rating scales as their preferred choice. Implications for practice and suggested requirements for future research are provided.

Knowledge about what to teach teams to improve team-related performance has increased. However, the techniques available to conduct team training are still relatively limited. The most common and most effective form of team training has been to provide teams with an opportunity to practice and receive feedback in realistic simulated team problems. Experience with these methods has increased awareness of the limitations associated with current team-training exercises. Specifically, the feedback provided tends to be over-generalized, and does not sufficiently involve the team members themselves in the process. One possible solution is the application of distributed training technologies that increases the ability of trainers and team members to share, inspect, analyze, and communicate during and after a team exercise.