Important of Education Essay Example for Free

Important of Education Essay Education means considerably more than just teaching a student to read, write, and manipulate numbers. Computers, the Internet, and advanced electronic devices are becoming essential in everyday life and have changed the way information is gathered. How this new technology is utilized in the curriculum and managed by teachers will have an important role to play in widening the resource and knowledge base for all students. Technology affects the way teachers teach and students learn. To make the best use of information technology (IT), schools need a workable plan to fully integrate it into all aspects of the curriculum so students are taught how, why, and when to use technology to further enhance their learning. If a school does not have a clear plan of how and why it wishes to implement IT, then it runs the risk of wasting money. In schools today, nearly all classrooms have access to a computer. However, many schools mistake this as incorporating information technology into the curriculum. School staff need to research what IT is available and what would best serve the schools purpose, not simply purchase the latest equipment. There should be a policy stating how IT is going to assist pupils development and what teachers want pupils to achieve (Reksten, 2000). Staff members need to be clear about what they want IT to do for them before they can start incorporating it into their lessons. The only way information technology is going to be useful to schools is if all staff members are well-informed and fully supported. It is the principals responsibility, and should be part of the schools plan, to ensure that all staff are consulted about the changes, and that the change is carefully organised. Some teachers may be resistant, especially if they have not had much experience with computers, so training teachers is essential in implementing IT into the school curriculum. Staff members must feel involved in the process of acquiring technology, and in learning how to operate it, in order for them to increase their confidence in using IT as a curriculum tool. Teachers are only going to be able to incorporate IT into their lessons if they are competent users themselves (Reksten, 2000). In addition, teachers need to be aware that IT within the classroom is extremely flexible, but that they need to plan what purpose IT serves in each lesson. The skills a child learns are the important part of any lesson, and it is the same with technology. IT needs to be used and understood in all subjects in the same way as the ability to read is necessary for all subjects, and â€Å"must be used across the curriculum, in the same way that a pen and pencil are used in most subject areas† (Ager, 2000, p. 15). The best way to plan the use of IT in the classroom is to approach it as simply a learning tool that is more advanced (and more exciting) than the traditional pen and paper. It is vitally important for students to be taught the strategies for using IT. Children also need to be fully informed about the capabilities of IT before being asked to use it. Pupils should be aware that the contexts in which they use IT will change, and they need to know what the appropriate use of IT is and what is not. Whilst it is important that children learn to use IT effectively, teachers must emphasise that IT is not always suitable. According to Apter (1968), the danger is that the â€Å"computer dehumanizes people and inevitably leads them to act like machines themselves† (p. 58). Teachers must make sure they plan to use variety in their lessons. Too much IT instruction may be just as harmful to a child as not enough. The usefulness of IT in the classroom, as with any learning tool, depends on the innovation and imagination of the teacher. It is imperative, though, that the implementation of IT into a school is carefully planned. The current information explosion makes it essential that IT be used extensively within the classroom so children know how to use IT appropriately and effectively. Teachers must, therefore, be fully informed about what kinds of IT are available and whether or not they are appropriate for classroom use. School boards and teachers must therefore ensure that all staff have a clear plan about what they want their students to achieve through IT. The appropriate incorporation of IT into the classroom will broaden the minds and skills of students, allowing them to be better prepared for further technological advances.

Factors Influencing Interest In Human Resource Planning

Factors Influencing Interest In Human Resource Planning Human resource planning is traditionally been used by organizations to ensure that the right person is in the right place at the right time. Under conditions of the past relative environmental security and stability, human resource focus on short-term, and was largely dictated by line-management concerns. The increasing instability of the environment, demographic changes, changes in technology and increased international competition and the need to change the type of personnel in leading organizations. Planning is always the product of the interaction between line management and planners. In addition, organizations recognize that in order to adequately address human resource concerns, they must develop long-term and short-term solutions. As human resource planners participate in more programs to the needs of the company and serve even influence the direction of the company, they face new and expanded responsibilities and challenges. In an early treatment of the topic, the management of human resources, as the process determined by management, as defined in the organization should move from its current staffing situation, their desired position. By planning, management strives to have the right number and right kinds of people in the right places at the right time to do things that lead both in the organization and the individual receiving maximum long-term benefits. Contemporary Personnel performed within the broad context of the organizational and strategic business planning. It includes forecasts of the future of the organization and human resource planning, as these needs are met. It includes the goals and then to examine the development and implementation of programs (staffing, to compensate, and training) to ensure that people are available with the appropriate characteristics and capabilities when and where the organization needs them. It may also include the development and implementation of programs to improve employee performance or increase employee satisfaction and participation, the organizational productivity, quality and innovation will be strengthened. Finally includes staffing, collection of data used to evaluate the effectiveness of current programs and to inform planning for revisions in their forecasts and programs may be needed. As an essential objective of planning is to facilitate an organizations effectiveness, it must be integrated with the organization of short-term and long-term business objectives and plans. Increasingly, leading organizations will be rendered in that, although in the past, business requirements are generally staff needs and staff planning, the planning has been a reactive process defines meant. The reactive nature of the process went hand in hand with a short-term orientation. Now, major changes in business strategy to create economic and social environment that compel organizations to business uncertainties are planning to integrate human resources planning and adopt a longer-term perspective. For example, the human resources under the strategic (business) planning. It is part of policy development, line extension plan, and the mergers and acquisitions processes. Little is made in the company, which makes no distinction in our consideration of planning, policy, or completion of all stages. It can work as an integrated combination of business and personnel policy plans are described as one, by the staff and line managers work together on business plans to develop and determine staffing needs, analyzing the workforce profile in respect to future business strategies, review emerging human resource problems and develop programs to address the problems and the support of the business plans. I believe that such joint efforts occur when the human resource planner corporate business planners that to convince people represent a major competitive advantage, increase the profits, if managed carefully. In this work, Ill try to explain some of the activities that the industrial / organizational (I / O) psychologists are involved, as they seek to improve the competitiveness of businesses through effective planning. Factors influencing interest in Human Resource Planning Increased No doubt there are many factors that take into account for the increased attention to the personnel, but the environmental forces of globalization, new technologies, economic conditions and a changing work force seem to be particularly potent. Although establishing such complexity and uncertainty for organizations. Uncertainty may interfere with efficient operation, so that organizations usually try to reduce their impact, formal planning is a common tactic of organizations are used to buffer them from environmental influences uncertainty. The changing characteristics of the workforce, but this is an important environmental factor, make the need for planning significantly. Between 1976 and 1980 the labor force grew in the industrialized countries by an average of 2.8%, but between 1991 and 1995, the growth rate fell to 1.1%. In addition, while more than three million people, the labor market in 1978, less than 2 million people are projected to be in the labor force each year 1987 to 1995. Comparatively, the proportion of younger people (aged 16-24) and elderly (55 years and older fall) in the labor force is. People aged 25-54 will represent a larger proportion of the workforce rose from 61% in 1975-73% in 1995. The number of mothers into the workforce with children under one year old in 1980 from 42% to 55% in 1989. The ethnic mix of the workforce is also changing. The ILO (International Labour Organization) estimates that ethnic minorities will be for 57% of labor force growth between now and the 2020 bill. Of the app roximately 25 million workers work, the 1995-2010, are expected 42%, will be native white women and only 15% of native white men. Fully 22% are expected to be immigrants. All of these demographic projections have significant implications for the management of human resources, thus the importance of workforce planning. Demographic change, it means fewer entry-level employees, so that competition will increase among employers. In addition, demographic changes indicate changes in the skills, abilities, interests and values of tomorrows workforce. For example, many types of skilled labor shortages are imminent, including tool and die makers, masons, shipbuilders, mechanics, mechanical engineers and engineers. Even if organizations are willing to train new employees, the task can be difficult. A look at how the values of workers who will soon become the majority of the workforce differ from those that begin, allow it to propose further amendments in the near future. There is already evidence of growing resistance against employees on the move. Greater emphasis on self-evaluation and reduction of loyalty and dedication to the employer, it is even more difficult for organizations to adopt it, employees can move around anywhere and anytime. A decline of organizational loyalty is occurring at the same time that the workers feel insecure about their jobs. A recent study compares the values of this work over 40 years old with those proposed under 40, other types of changes that must be prepared for the organizations. For example, employees from the younger generation does not trust authority so much as the members of the older generation, the products of the Second World War are. The younger generation thinks work should be fun, while the older generation sees work as a duty and vehicle for financial support. Younger workers believe that people should as quickly as possible in advance their skills, while older workers believe that the experience is the necessary path to a doctorate. Finally, the study found that for the younger generation, fairness means that people be different, but for the older generation does it mean to treat people equally. Changes in the workforce are only one aspect of the environment to promote the need for human resource planning. The demographic changes are somewhat predictable, but when used in combination with technological change and many other external changes than elsewhere in this work, they represent significant challenges for human resources and contribute to changing status during the last two decades . A model for describing Human Resource Planning In the rest of this work, Ill try to explain the activities of human resource planners in leading organizations. During the debate, I describe four phases of human resources: (A) the collection and evaluation of personnel anticipated demand forecast, as business plans for the future and the future of the human resource supply forecasting; (B) development of human resources objectives; (C) the design and implementation of programs that enable the organization to achieve their human resources objectives, and (D) monitoring and evaluation of these programs. Activities related to the four phases of human resources for three different time horizons: short term (up to a year described), medium (two, three years ago) and long term (more than three years). These typical of the time horizons for business planning meet. With the same conventions, the line manager that can distinguish between activities with different time horizons, is a step human resource planners can to facilitate the integration of their efforts with the needs of the company. . Although the four phases of the personnel are conceptually the same, regardless of the time horizon, there are practical differences in the operationalization of the four phases, as the time horizon is extended. Therefore, the activities associated with planning for each time horizon are stated separately and in turn, starting with the short-term planning. Ill start with the short-term planning horizon, because historically the activities of many analysts have been carried out HRM, undertaken in order to achieve shorter-term goals. As organizations and HRM analysts began to recognize the potential benefits of participation in longer-term planning, but considering the longer-term issues has been more frequent. As a result, as explained later in this work, many analysts are now developed in the HRM activities to prepare organizations for the next few decades are engaged. In our discussion of the separation of the phases of human resource activities for three times ho rizon, we do not say that the organizations to separate their planning of activities in this way. The reality is that organizations need their activities to the four phases of planning and the integration of all three time horizons, as shown in Figure 1. Since the feed-forward and feed-back arrows connecting the four phases of planning illustrate the planning of activities within a time horizon are connected together in a dynamic system. Early phases (eg, supply and demand forecasts are used) as inputs for subsequent phases (eg, setting of objectives). Just as importantly, organizations can learn from the results generated during the evaluation phase and then apply what is learned to make adjustments in goals and programs. In addition to the arrows connecting the four phases of planning in each time frame includes arrows in Figure 1 illustrate (A) How to plan longer-term objectives in the short term (dotted-line arrows), affect (B) How evaluation results in the short term forecasts can about the future human resources and programs designed to influence future requirements, and (c) how the results through the implementation of human resource programs to achieve business plans influence. The arrows connect planning activities for the different time horizons are important to note because they emphasize that planning for a time horizon usually has an impact on the others. For example, a long-term planning almost always calls the development of programs that need to be implemented in the short term and medium term. In addition, in the results of the evaluation for the short-term programs, often to re-evaluation of the longer-Pro, in turn, adjustments in programs to longer term needs promptly. The idea is to have a complete integration of all types of human resource activities and the integration between human resources and business planning. Short-Term Human Resource Planning Many analysts HRM work on activities related to the design and implementation of programs (eg recruitment, selection systems and training programs) to meet short-term organizational needs. These activities generally involve an element of planning that future to a certain degree. Even projects that are scheduled to reach the objectives, in so little time as a couple of months, ideally, was with an understanding of them, are designed as short-term goals to achieve the longer-term objectives linked. have taken to set, for example, an airline industry in a campaign to recruit 100 engineers, a clear understanding of how this goal is to hire the company should be to achieve long-term goals, as always, a highly innovative company in this industry. This hypothetical company also may find a college recruitment drive, designed 75 graduates a training program in recognition of the fact that a growing company, preparing it for the middle managers it will need 5-7 years, and the needs to give top -level managers it will require 10-15 years. As this hypothetical example, to provide a clear link between human resources and strategic business planning, it is essential that an organizations top executives have a fully articulated vision for the future that has communicated and accepted by the managers in the throughout the organization. Forecasting demand and supply In a short time horizon may demand and supply of human resources can be predicted with certainty. Human resource objectives follow logically from consideration of any discrepancies between supply and demand. Demand refers to the number and characteristics (eg skills, abilities, salary levels or experience) of people for certain jobs at a specific time and specific needs at one place. Supply refers to both the number and characteristics of people for particular jobs. Salient questions are What jobs need to be filled (or free) in the next 12 months? and How and where can we get people to fill (or share) the jobs? What jobs to be filled and emptied to be? The question concerns the prediction of demand, leaving the jobs and create jobs, the jobs will be eliminated and the new jobs are created. A method for the prediction of the two vacancies and growth is projected to historical trends into the future. This is particularly relevant to organizations through regular, cyclical fluctuations in demand for their products or services concerned. Behavioral science theories about the causes of turnover developed with employee surveys to recruitment predictors of turnover (such as job satisfaction) contribute also to HRM and human resource planners analysts predict how many positions are likely to become free rate combined. Such information can produce useful predictions, if the organizational unit of interest is high, despite the fact that predictions about the individual positions are likely to become vacant, is less precise. Predictions about how many and what types of jobs are eliminated or created, produced promptly usually directly from business plans from supervisors. How and where we get to fill the people and the evacuation of jobs? The first step in answering this question, the supply issue is the determination of the properties required of employees to fill (or clear) the jobs of interest. Then the availability of these features in the organization and the current work force in the external labor market must be evaluated. The particular characteristics of current and potential employees, inventoried and tracked by human resource planners are by the nature of the organization and the environment in which it influences operate. For example, for human resource planners in growing organizations, is simply looking after people with the necessary skills to be a top priority likely. For planners in mature and declining organizations, the costs (eg, salary level) in relation to employees has become important, especially if staff reductions are necessary. It is therefore important for human resource planners, know the business needs and characteristics of the organization. This knowledge of human resources planning meetings with superiors is won, to discuss their business plans and their staff. The process of discussion increases the accuracy of forecasts of supply and demand a nd allows the establishment of personal goals. Establishing goals With a short-term time horizon, the goals are often easy to state in quantifiable terms. Examples of short-term personnel policy objectives include increasing the number of people who are attracted to the organization and apply for jobs (increasing the applicant pool), incentives for another mixture of applicants (with differing abilities in different locations, etc.) , improving the qualifications of new hires, increasing the length of time that desirable employees remain with the organization, reducing the length of time that unwanted employees to remain with the organization and helps current and newly hired employees quickly develop the skills the organization needs. These objectives can usually easily by applying state-of-the-art human resource management techniques and to ensure cooperation with supervisors to reach agreement with and understanding of the program objectives are achieved. As the workforce shrinks, but the selection conditions will become more bigger. As a result, small marginal gains in test validity have less economic benefit, based on the past. To yield to invest in the development and use of modern methods for selecting economic returns have much more energy to combat the recruitment efforts for the number of candidates because only increase by attracting a large pool of candidates can be considered fair selection addressed are low. If small selection ratio can not be maintained, organizations can be concluded that their resources are better in training, efforts to achieve these few that are available to prepare invested. Examples of innovative recruiting programs are already plentiful. For example X Inc., has a mobile recruitment office, a van that a closed recruitment center that is looking for candidates, by visiting schools, shopping centers, and so on. X-2 employs successful minority business people to help in the community to recruit minority applicants and act as mentors. We can look at a real example: McDonalds Corporation as a leader in the recruitment of older workers emerged, which with TV commercials and formal relationships with senior citizens organizations. It is important to note that these efforts require the pool of candidates so often a coordinated medium-term programs designed to ensure that the non-traditional recruitment are effective and can be retained to expand. Evaluation of Short-Term Human Resource Programs Since for any evaluation of the program, true, this phase involves evaluating how well objectives have been achieved. Due to determine the short-term planning in terms of objectives, in general, that relatively easy to quantify (eg the number of candidates is the number of hires and performance of employees), systematic evaluation of programs for short-term organizational needs, staff development is quite feasible , and some types of program evaluations are indeed common in large organizations. For example, in part because a number of international and state laws prohibit certain forms of discrimination, in particular the selection programs have been carefully checked to ensure that employers make decisions concerning the selection of candidates, characteristics that are job related basis. Legal regulations have prompted many organizations, especially large, to evaluate empirically the relationship between applicant characteristics (eg skills) and job performance. Such evaluation stu dies (validity studies) benefit the employers because they serve the purpose of getting the right people in the right job monitor. Validity studies also serve an academic function by valuable data for researchers interested in improving our understanding of the factors that influence human performance. Until recently, when programs for the selection, training and motivation of HRM analysts criteria of effectiveness have been almost exclusively behavioral changes (such as performance and turnover were assessed) or settings (eg, job satisfaction and commitment). Such criteria have no defense to be accepted by analysts, but line management support for Human Resource programs can be difficult if the expected results of such programs are not translated in the language of business, that is, to get money. Building with continued progress in the utility analysis techniques, and human resources cost estimation techniques, it is always possible compelling economic arguments in support of human resources programs. of So, rather than argue for energy to spend resources to short-term programs that perform HRM analysts in organizational settings are free, more extensively engaged in medium-and long-term human resources issues. Intermediate-Term Human Resource Planning As we have noted, is planning organizations used to the production or service delivery processes buffer from sources of uncertainty. Human resource programs for the recruitment, selection, training and motivation of staff to help reduce the uncertainty by ensuring that a sufficient number of people with the required characteristics and skills are available at all levels in the organizations. If the planning horizon is short, there is little uncertainty about what skills and how many people are needed, and it is forecast to provide relatively easy. However, rapid and ongoing changes in todays business world means that not just the future by simply projecting past trends can be expected. As the focus moves from short term planning in the medium term the question what do we need? is less easy to answer and so is always dominant. For medium-term planning, there is more uncertainty with respect to the question What will there be? Consequently, personnel planning for the distant future quickly raises the question, How can we determine what is needed and what will there be? In other words, more technical attention be given to the problem of forecasting. As a short-term staffing to provide the two problems of forecasting, demand and forecasts of both, before goals can be demonstrated and developed programs are addressed. With the growing uncertainty, the interaction between the human resource planners and line managers is critical for accurate forecasts of supply and demand. Medium-term Demand Forecast To forecast the number and characteristics of people who are necessary to the jobs that will exist in the organization of medium-term future (is in two three years ago), the strategic planner and try to organizational outputs to predict, as expected, the production volume, turnover and levels. The outputs that an organization to deliver produce or to use in combination with the technology, the organization that wants to dictate to generate the outputs, the human resources needs of the intended organization. Prediction outputs needed in view of factors such as future requirements of the market for the products and services, the organization offers, the share of the market that the organization is likely to be able to serve, the availability and nature of new technologies that the amounts can affect, and types of products or services that may be offered, and the various countries to serve in which the organization of it. The task of drawing up plans that specify the intended future results (in terms of quantity, type and location) of the organization is usually the responsibility of middle level managers. Human resource planners need to translate these objectives must be for outputs to predict the amount and type of jobs that people perform in order will produce the desired results. Prediction of future needs of human resources requires: (A) Once an accurate model of the factors that influence the demand and (B) is able to predict the state of all important variables in the model. Organizations that may be quite stable in environments that most models of the main factors that determine the demand for up to three years in the future to construct part. It is even possible that some organizations to quantify the expected values of the variables in their models, what they can statistical forecasting techniques such as regression analysis, using time series analysis and stochastic modeling of the human means demand forecast. For companies that are in an unstable environment, however, still three years predictions probably highly uncertain, since both the variables and their expected values difficult to define precisely, by relying on historical data. Given the complexity of the statistical forecast, it is understandable that the evaluative techniques used more frequently than statistical techniques. A simple type of judgmental forecasting is a Senior estimate. Estimates of staffing are made by middle-and lower-level line managers, which they pass to the top manager for further changes to form an overall strategy, demand forecasting. Increasingly, planners are human resource in these stages of the estimation and revision involved an integrated approach to planning ensured. A more sophisticated method of judgmental forecasting, the Delphi technique, developed a decision-making method in order to maximize benefits and minimize the dysfunctional aspects of group decision making is. In a Delphi session (which must not be face-to-face) take, several experts will present their forecasts and assumptions. An intermediary is any expert in the forecast and assumptions to the other, then the changes in their own forecasts. This process continues until a viable composite forecast is created. The composite may represent specific projections or a series of projections, depending on the expert positions. The Delphi technique seems to be particularly useful for the generation of solutions for unstructured and complex issues, such as those generated during the planning. There are limits, however. For example, if experts do not agree that their views on a final solution that all parties accept the yield can be difficult. Nevertheless, the personnel integrate planners various forecasts to establish the human resource objectives and design programs to achieve these objectives, and line managers are the forecasts as appropriate when they accept offers for their support during th e implementation phase of the Human Resources Programs . Both executives estimates and the Delphi technique usually on forecasts for the number of employees, the focus is likely to be needed. Less attention is usually paid to the question of quality (eg, skills and abilities) that require the prospective employee is primarily because techniques were not widely available for predicting this. If analysts participate in short-term planning, job analysis is used to need the qualities that employees in order to determine current run existing jobs. Rapid technological changes mean jobs in the future are certain jobs in the present, however, differ. As an indication of the fact that HRM analysts now frequently deal with problems of medium-term planning, research, efforts are underway to establish procedures for the implementation of future-oriented (strategic) job analysis and identifying the leadership skills that are necessary for developing effective performance in the future. Because job analysis results in the basis on which the majority of human resource programs are constructed, the development of sound future-oriented job analysis methods is a challenge that must meet HRM analysts before they can realize their potential as contributors to the long-term effectiveness of organizations. Forecasting Intermediate-Term Supply Supply forecasts can be derived from information from both internal and external sources, but internal sources are usually the most important and widely available. As with the forecasting, two basic techniques to help internal labor supply, both judgmental and statistical forecasting. A judgmental forecasting technique to supply replacement planning. Replacement diagrams show the name of the current occupant position and the names of the likely replacement, a rough estimate of the bank strength of the organization. Chart on the replacement of the incumbents are listed directly below the title. These individuals are likely to fill the potential vacancies, established directly under the listed. Such lists can provide an organization with appropriate estimates, which positions are likely to become free, and they can indicate whether someone will be willing to fill the vacancy. Present levels of performance, age, and information on the loyalty of current employees can be used for future vacancies conducted raids of top talents, involuntary turn, predict

Triangulated Polygons Essay -- Mathematics

From the beginning of time there have been many anomalies in humanity. With the advancement of techniques, tools, and knowledge, our understanding of the world aspires to clarify our curiosities. The most beneficial to factors throughout our history would include our knowledge of numbers. Numbers hold great possibilities and bring forth answers to the most complex systems of life. Our mathematics is incorporated into basic aspects of our daily lives, allowing us to unlock our potentials and give keys to uncover the hidden secrets in the universe. There are many applications to mathematics such as triangulating polygons. Triangulation is a surveying technique in which a region is divided into a series of triangular elements based on a line of known length so that accurate measurements of distances and directions may be made by the application of trigonometry. (Company, 2009) Since its discovery, triangulation has lent the world many beneficial advantages. Polygons exist as multi-sided shapes. These shapes can be subdivided into many non-overlapping triangles. These triangles connect corners to corners, creating diagonals that section it off. These sections are called convex hulls. The many uses of algorithms allow anyone to calculate these triangular hulls. The mathematics behind triangulating polygons was originated in Alexandria by the man, Euclides. Euclides was a Greek mathematician who was highly revered as the â€Å"Father of Geometry.† Euclides possessed a mysterious personal life, because his life was not documented and often confused with others. He taught many children mathematics during the reign of Ptolemy. His father and grandfather were thought to be Greek, but this is not certain considering the confusion between him... ...'s Formula. Retrieved from ENRICH: http://nrich.maths.org/1384 Company, H. M. (2009). Triangulation. Retrieved from TheFreeDictionary by Farlex: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/triangulation csunplugged. (2010, October 30). Santa's Dirty Socks (Divide and Conquer Algorithms). Retrieved from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVPCT1VjySA lecture, P. T. (1993). Triangulations and Arrangements. McGill University. Math Open Reference. (2009). Euclid. Retrieved from Math Open Reference: http://www.mathopenref.com/euclid.html Suksak, P. S. (2010, November 30). Catalan Numbers Presentation 2. Retrieved from Slide Share: http://www.slideshare.net/PaiSukanyaSuksak/catalan-number-presentation2 Teter, M. (2000, March 15). Sonar a way of seeing sound. Retrieved from Cornell Center for Material Research: http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/education/ask/index.html?quid=260 Triangulated Polygons Essay -- Mathematics From the beginning of time there have been many anomalies in humanity. With the advancement of techniques, tools, and knowledge, our understanding of the world aspires to clarify our curiosities. The most beneficial to factors throughout our history would include our knowledge of numbers. Numbers hold great possibilities and bring forth answers to the most complex systems of life. Our mathematics is incorporated into basic aspects of our daily lives, allowing us to unlock our potentials and give keys to uncover the hidden secrets in the universe. There are many applications to mathematics such as triangulating polygons. Triangulation is a surveying technique in which a region is divided into a series of triangular elements based on a line of known length so that accurate measurements of distances and directions may be made by the application of trigonometry. (Company, 2009) Since its discovery, triangulation has lent the world many beneficial advantages. Polygons exist as multi-sided shapes. These shapes can be subdivided into many non-overlapping triangles. These triangles connect corners to corners, creating diagonals that section it off. These sections are called convex hulls. The many uses of algorithms allow anyone to calculate these triangular hulls. The mathematics behind triangulating polygons was originated in Alexandria by the man, Euclides. Euclides was a Greek mathematician who was highly revered as the â€Å"Father of Geometry.† Euclides possessed a mysterious personal life, because his life was not documented and often confused with others. He taught many children mathematics during the reign of Ptolemy. His father and grandfather were thought to be Greek, but this is not certain considering the confusion between him... ...'s Formula. Retrieved from ENRICH: http://nrich.maths.org/1384 Company, H. M. (2009). Triangulation. Retrieved from TheFreeDictionary by Farlex: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/triangulation csunplugged. (2010, October 30). Santa's Dirty Socks (Divide and Conquer Algorithms). Retrieved from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVPCT1VjySA lecture, P. T. (1993). Triangulations and Arrangements. McGill University. Math Open Reference. (2009). Euclid. Retrieved from Math Open Reference: http://www.mathopenref.com/euclid.html Suksak, P. S. (2010, November 30). Catalan Numbers Presentation 2. Retrieved from Slide Share: http://www.slideshare.net/PaiSukanyaSuksak/catalan-number-presentation2 Teter, M. (2000, March 15). Sonar a way of seeing sound. Retrieved from Cornell Center for Material Research: http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/education/ask/index.html?quid=260

Ephedrine and Its Effect on Weight Loss Essay -- Health Dieting Ephed

Ephedrine and It's Effect on Weight Loss The Dilemma It is dilemma that affects the world over, its scope nothing short of the earth's 25,000 mile circumference. However, in certain cultures it is a more significant issue than in others. Nevertheless, it can affect every aspect of our lives, driving many even to suicide. Few, if any, are naturally invincible to its hidden wrath. This invisible, yet potent dilemma is obesity, or simply weight control. In countries, such as the United States, weight control is a common, yet, dire issue. Especially, in a society where thin is in, but for many, so are fatty foods and infrequent exercise, there is a huge and growing demand for quick, easy schemes to lose weight. However, the true importance of being overweight, is often misconstrued. For the majority, being overweight is frightening because of it's social ramifications, while the many important health risks are often overlooked. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, being overweight is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and several types of cancer. Thus, the weight loss business has skyrocketed over the past decade, becoming a multi-billion dollar industry. Despite the seemingly countless 'magical' diet schemes available to the public, a product and/or method has yet to emerge which allows for quick, easy and physically safe weight-loss. One chemical in particular, however, has showed increasingly p romising signs regarding this issue. The chemical is ephedrine. Ephedrine and It's Uses Derived from the Chinese plant ma huang, ephedra or better known as ephedrine, is found both naturally and synthetically in various dietary supplements, over the counter herbal stimulants, prescripti... ...t involve the proper combination of diet, exercise, and drug interaction. Ephedrine may hold the key to fill in for the drug portion of the equation, but as with practically all drugs, there are risks involved. Whether ephedrine is too dangerous to be sold in over the counter products, is still under debate. Ephedrine does have great potential, yet is it worth the risks? References "Effect of ephedrine and theophylline on weight loss, resting energy expenditure and lipoprotein lipase activity in obese over-fed rats." The International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, June 1993. Malecka-Tendera, E. "Is there any Magic" Dr. David Schlundt, 1996. "Potentiation of the thermogenic antiobesity effects of ephedrine by dietary methylxanthines: adenosine antagonism or phosphodiesterase inhibition?" Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, Ephedrine and It's Effect on Weight Loss Essay -- Health Dieting Ephed Ephedrine and It's Effect on Weight Loss The Dilemma It is dilemma that affects the world over, its scope nothing short of the earth's 25,000 mile circumference. However, in certain cultures it is a more significant issue than in others. Nevertheless, it can affect every aspect of our lives, driving many even to suicide. Few, if any, are naturally invincible to its hidden wrath. This invisible, yet potent dilemma is obesity, or simply weight control. In countries, such as the United States, weight control is a common, yet, dire issue. Especially, in a society where thin is in, but for many, so are fatty foods and infrequent exercise, there is a huge and growing demand for quick, easy schemes to lose weight. However, the true importance of being overweight, is often misconstrued. For the majority, being overweight is frightening because of it's social ramifications, while the many important health risks are often overlooked. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, being overweight is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and several types of cancer. Thus, the weight loss business has skyrocketed over the past decade, becoming a multi-billion dollar industry. Despite the seemingly countless 'magical' diet schemes available to the public, a product and/or method has yet to emerge which allows for quick, easy and physically safe weight-loss. One chemical in particular, however, has showed increasingly p romising signs regarding this issue. The chemical is ephedrine. Ephedrine and It's Uses Derived from the Chinese plant ma huang, ephedra or better known as ephedrine, is found both naturally and synthetically in various dietary supplements, over the counter herbal stimulants, prescripti... ...t involve the proper combination of diet, exercise, and drug interaction. Ephedrine may hold the key to fill in for the drug portion of the equation, but as with practically all drugs, there are risks involved. Whether ephedrine is too dangerous to be sold in over the counter products, is still under debate. Ephedrine does have great potential, yet is it worth the risks? References "Effect of ephedrine and theophylline on weight loss, resting energy expenditure and lipoprotein lipase activity in obese over-fed rats." The International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, June 1993. Malecka-Tendera, E. "Is there any Magic" Dr. David Schlundt, 1996. "Potentiation of the thermogenic antiobesity effects of ephedrine by dietary methylxanthines: adenosine antagonism or phosphodiesterase inhibition?" Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental,

So You Want to Be an Astronaut :: NASA Space Astronauts Essays

So You Want to Be an Astronaut Part I: The Application There’s an application just to get an application. I had to fill out what NASA calls an application interest form, which is an information card much like the kind of card you fill out and send in for a magazine subscription. I got the card at the Johnson Space Center in Houston last summer. The space center is a sixteen-hundred-acre compound filled with lush grass and cream-colored buildings of different shapes and sizes. Satellite dishes bloom like flowers throughout the compound, and the only buildings open to the public are a museum, the rocket park, and mission control. After climbing through a mock-up of the space shuttle, pretending to be Sally Ride, I passed by an information kiosk and the application interest form caught my eye. I grabbed one and stuck it into my Space Center museum guide, forgetting about it until months later when I filled it out and mailed it in. Just a few weeks ago my application arrived. It’s a twenty-five page affair with a glittering blue and silver cover that has a picture of the space shuttle on it. I removed the cover and tacked it up on my bulletin board next to a postcard of Charles Lindbergh standing in front of The Spirit of St. Louis. Twenty-five pages. Becoming an astronaut is more difficult than applying to Harvard Medical School. More difficult than doing your taxes. Probably even more difficult than running for the senate. Now, I can’t be an astronaut because I have absolutely no interest in math, science, engineering, medicine, or astrophysics. I dabble in astronomy, but they don’t send you up in the space shuttle because you think it would be neat. However, it’s important to always have an impossible dream. It keeps you humble. This is my impossible dream. So, I read through the application. Why do you want to be an astronaut? I love the audaciousness of the space program. Here we are, little animals trying to jump off our planet. How have your past accomplishments or experiences prepared you to be an astronaut? When I visited the Johnson Space Center in Houston I tried on a space helmet. It fit. The boots were another story but I can wear many layers of socks.

Internet: The New Drug of Choice

Internet! The New Drug of Choice It is difficult in these modern times to find anyone who doesn’t use the Internet. I am not speaking of North Americans (but mainly N. Americans), but the rest of the world is quickly catching up. China already has more users than Canada and the US put together. According to Internet World Stats (2012), China has 538 million online frequenters and 82. 5% of the Korean population use the Internet. Korea’s penetration rate is third with England leading the way at 84% and Germany at 83%.Canada doesn’t have a big enough population to make a dent in the number of people using the Internet, but 81% of Canadians do use it, which was a higher penetration percentage than the US at 78. 3%. Currently only 41% of China is using the Internet, once their economy improves and more people get connected, China is likely to take over the Internet. North Americans might need to start learning Chinese to get their daily news. With so many people onli ne I started to wonder; is it safe for us to be using the Internet?Before I delve deeper I wanted to point out that because I am also a frequent Internet user, this question also pertains to me, so I decided that it only made sense to write this report in the first person. When I decided to start researching about if the Internet is safe for us, it seemed to me that the best place to research about the Internet would be online. I typed in web browser â€Å"Is the Internet bad for us? † and â€Å"Does the Internet make us crazy? † I was shocked at the number of results that popped up. It took some sifting through to find what I needed. It seems that the biggest concern about the Internet is â€Å"online addiction†.Some people might think it is the pornography or some of the other content or even the technology itself, but these only factor into the big picture of addiction. After a little research I realized that my true question wasn’t â€Å"is the Inter net bad for us†, but the real questions are â€Å"why is Internet addiction bad? † The Internet is not bad, it has some many advantages over other media and it so very useful in our lives. The Internet and video games help increase choice reaction time, spatial skills, scientific problem solving skills, multitasking abilities and intelligence (Greenfield, Brannon, and Lohr, 1996).The elderly use the Internet to keep their brains stimulated by using it to gain information and keep in contact with family. Actually everyone is doing that, not just the elderly. The Internet is like drinking wine, if not in moderation, it can be harmful for us, but in moderation the Internet can produce a wonderful experience. However, also like wine or any alcohol, the Internet can become an addiction. In fact addiction has become so bad that in China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea (Cafferty, 2012) treatment centers have been established to help people with online addiction.Near may home in the city of Nagoya, the Futoko Shien Center received 327 individual requests for consultation for online game addiction from the beginning of this year. (Doi, 2012) That is only in one city in one country. China seems to be one of the worst places I have found in my research. It has become so bad that boot camps have developed to help young help rid their problem. Wired. com featured a story in 2010 about a boot camp in China, â€Å"The Qihang camp promised to cure children of so-called Internet addiction, an ailment that has grown into one of China’s most feared public health hazards. (Stewart, 2010) And according to Scientific American online, â€Å"as much as 14 percent of urban youth there—some 24 million kids—fit the bill as Internet addicts, according to the China Youth Internet Association. † (Mosher, 2011) I myself have noticed that I am slowly using the Internet more since I bought a smartphone last year. I would say I am an addict and I defini tely don’t want to counseling, but I am starting to worry. So why do some people think the Internet addiction is a bad thing if it stimulates the brain and creates intelligence and multitasking abilities, Dr.Grohol director on the Mental Health Net, makes a good point â€Å"I don’t see how they can see the Internet as a disorder, but not look at a bookworm who reads 10 hours a day and not say he’s a book addict. † (Brown, 1997) The criticism the Internet receives in not a new phenomenon, Psychologists have been studying the effects of the Internet for almost 20 years. And in the last 20 years Internet use has sky rocketed, meaning effects and studies have increased as well. Psychiatrist Kimberly Young of Saint Bonaventure University in New York State, even designed a self- assessment test in 1998 because of Internet addiction concerns.Numerous studies have linked excessive online use to depression, poor school performance, increased irritability and more impulsiveness to go online. † (Mosher, 2011) One problem is that people are losing sleep because they get lost in the Internet for hours upon hours and turn into zombies as they deprive their brains and bodies of fuel and rest. Recently in the Japanese newspaper, The Daily Yomiuri a report about online addiction stated â€Å"A 19-year-old vocational school student recalled how one morning, he woke up at 6 a. . on a sofa, still clutching his mobile phone. â€Å"Damn it! I was probably asleep for two hours,† he said. Then he leaped up from the sofa and began fiddling with the phone again. Sometimes he was so preoccupied with the games that he forgot to sleep, he said. † (Doi, 2012) One such documented case in Taiwan, a boy ended up in the Asylum after his iPhone usage reached 24 hours a day. (Dokoupil, 2012) At first I thought that that must be a rare case. But more and more cases like this are being uncovered all over the world.Just recently in American news Jason Russell became famous twice; the first time was for his amazing documentary he aired on YouTube called â€Å"Kony 2012† which was one of the most viral movies to hit the web â€Å"clocking more than 70 million views in less than a week. † (Dokoupil, 2012) He then became famous again after having a nervous breakdown and marching through the streets naked and talking to himself rampantly. Before putting the document online Jason was not an excessive user of the Internet, but after his video went viral, he couldn’t get enough of his new found addiction.In the first four days after his successful video premiere he only slept 2 hours, which is a probable cause to his breakdown. I personally have never stayed up that long, but I do feel quite bizarre after being online for 10 hours. I have been warned since I was a child that lack of sleep will deter my performance at school, work and even sports. But of course most of humans don’t spend days at a time online without sleeping. Most normal humans have jobs, although many of our jobs involve the Internet these days, and still manage our daily lives of chores and eating and sleeping.But I wasn’t surprised to find out that most people including myself, I think especially those with smartphones, check their email and social sites more often than we realize. Dr. Larry Rosen, professor and past Chair of Psychology at California State University, surveyed 750 people, a spread of teens and adults and detailed their tech habits, their feelings about those habits, and â€Å"their scores on a series of standard tests of psychiatric disorders. He found that most respondents, with the exception of those over the age of 50, check text messages, email or their social network â€Å"all the time† or â€Å"every 15 minutes. More worryingly, he also found that those who spent more time online had more â€Å"compulsive personality traits. † (Dokoupil, 2012) Without being aware of it, w e above the â€Å"digital divide† are becoming compulsive, needy little onliners. People constantly feel the need to check their Internet for updates on our social sites, email, tweeters and blogs. I myself don’t blog or tweet, which I can say cuts some of my time on the net down to a little more of a sane time. It is amazing how quickly my friends reply to any and all emails and social site updates.It is almost as if the message jumped out of their phone and into their eye while they were driving to work. People have become so connected that the Internet has become a distraction and to some, the most important thing in their lives. The author of â€Å"Is the Internet driving us mad? † in Newsweek magazine claims that regardless of age, most people send or receive about 400 texts a month. The average teenager processes about 3700 texts a month. Also many of these same people, two thirds, sense their phone vibrating in their pockets when in fact it is not.Researc hers call it â€Å"phantom-vibration syndrome. † It is evident that we have become dependent on the Internet that we drool in anticipation waiting for a message or call or any kind of update to fulfill our hourly or for some minutely dose of feeling wanted and or accepted. I myself have felt the â€Å"phantom-vibration† a few times, but I don’t think enough to warrant it as a syndrome. I have been witnessing the dependency for the Internet on an everyday basis as everyone around me; mostly younger people seem to always have a reason to have their smartphone out.At school, older kids are sending messages to each during class time and even when sitting together on their free time. It seems that the Internet provides better conversation than their friends sitting across from them. I cannot say that I am not innocent from this same intervention and have been known to hope online at while waiting for friends to buy their ice cream or something of that nature. We are so dependent on the Internet, not only individually, but also a group. Hurricane Sandy, a terrifying hurricane, hit New York causing more than 150 fatalities.In the November 3rd issue of Newsweek’s online magazine released a feature about the Heroes of the Hurricane. One of the reports was of the â€Å"Heroes† who guarded and protected an Internet hub, considered to be very important to the world, because it is â€Å"one of the fastest connections between world financial centers; it maintains Internet connectivity for en ­tire regions of the country. † (Keller, 2012) I remember about years ago reading reports that the Internet caused depression and loneliness. I think that depression can be triggered by so many things, especially in those who more prone to depressive feelings.As for the loneliness factor, I always believed that the Internet was addictive because it replaced feelings of loneliness because people are more connected to more people. It is true tha t it reduces face-to-face interaction, but it increases interaction with people. Researchers have found that â€Å"internet use was associated with increased well-being and social involvement. † (Kraut, 2002) Because of the Internet I socialize more with people who are not within close distance which makes me feel happier that I can keep in touch with them. I probably have a better relationship with my mother than I did when I lived at home and before smartphones.During the Tohoku earthquakes and Fukushima crisis in 2011 the internet help people all over Japan talk to each other and others from abroad; the whole country might have felt lonely or separated from the rest of the world if it weren’t for the Internet. So what cause these emotional and mental changes in people who absorb themselves with the Internet too much. Besides Internet is just like reading books, watching television and listening to the radio in one package. In recent reports, it has been revealed tha t â€Å"brain scans hint excessive time online is tied to stark physical changes in the brain† (Mosher, 2011).These physical changes caused by the over stimulation of the parts of the brain that deal with attention, multitasking, spatial awareness etc. are extracting from the parts of other parts of the brain. Dave Mosher describes the latest findings in his online report with Scientific America’s online magazine. One set of images focused on gray matter at the brain's wrinkled surface, or cortex, where processing of speech, memory, motor control, emotion, sensory and other information occurs. The researchers discovered several small regions in online addicts' brains shrunk, in some cases as much as a 10 to 20 percent.The affected regions included the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, rostral anterior cingulate cortex, supplementary motor area and parts of the cerebellum. What's more, the longer the addiction's duration, the more pronounced the tissue reduction. The stud y's authors suggest this shrinkage could lead to negative effects, such as reduced inhibition of inappropriate behavior and diminished goal orientation. But imaging neuroscientist Karl Friston of University College London, who helped pioneer the VBM technique, says gray matter shrinkage is not necessarily a bad thing. The effect is quite extreme, but it's not surprising when you think of the brain as a muscle,† says Friston, who was not involved in the study. â€Å"Our brains grow wildly until our early teens, then we start pruning and toning areas to work more efficiently. So these areas may just be relevant to being a good online gamer, and were optimized for that. † Although we can alter our brains through practice like the rest of our body, we still need to have the will power to make these changes. Maybe for many online addicts, the morphing of their intelligence to certain cortex might be rewarding for them.But it is evident that for many of us who need to work an d have face-to-face conversations and have proper behaviour, need to reduce our Internet time. I personally want to keep the â€Å"grey matter† of my brain from shrinking because it is accountable for dealing with speech, memory, motor control, emotion, sensory, and other information. (Dokoupil, 2012) We know that exercise is good for our bodies’; it has been pounded into us since we were little children. Eat healthy food, exercise 3 times a week, stay away from sugars etc. , has been taught to us by media, teachers and parents.Now we need to exercise our brains as well. The Internet is one form of exercising certain parts, but we need to exercise all parts of our body. Think about how ridiculous someone would look if they only spent their time pumping iron to make their only their shoulders really big and barely did any movement to strengthen their legs. That person would look like a balloon with the string tied to the bottom being their legs. Not only would that pers on look silly, but probably would fall over when then tried to walk. That is similar with what is slowly happening to our brains with the more time we spend on the Internet.Internet addiction is causing too much exercise on only one part of our brain and not enough on the other. With more and more reports stressing the problems of Internet addiction, depression, compulsive behaviour, sleep deprivation and lack of memory; it is difficult to ignore the issue. Obviously scorning the Internet is not the solution, since it isn’t the Internet’s fault; it is the lack of control that we humans possess to control our desire for social acceptance, informational and visual stimuli, and the speed of which we can retrieve these desires.I am sure if the Internet was as slow as it was in 1995, this topic would be moot. But now the evidence is clear and people need help, just like there is help for alcoholics and drugoholics. All users of the Internet, there are few that aren’t users; need to use the Internet sparingly or at least with some control. Limit the amount of time spent on the Internet, especially consistent hours, the brain needs a rest. To help the grey matter in our brains it is important to involve ourselves in face-to-face conversation for speech. Exercise is also important as it always has to maintain motor control.Memory is one of the most important issues dealing with grey matter; playing trivia games or not being dependant on the auto phonebook in our phone is a great way to improve memory. Once I am finished this report will go outside and try to not use the Internet for at least the weekend, not even on my smartphone. Internet addiction is a serious issue that hopefully in the future psychologists and the public will get a better at dealing with. References Bercovici. J. , (July 10. 2012) We're All Internet Addicts, And We're All Screwed, Says Newsweek. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved November 10, 2012 from website: http://www. orbes. com/ sites/jeffbercovici/2012/07/10/were-all-internet-addicts-and-were-all-screwed-says-newsweek/ Brown, J. (1997). BS detector: â€Å"Internet addiction† meme gets media high. Communications Study 421: Being Online. Gackenbach, J. (Phd. ). Athabasca University, 2006 (pp. 101). Carlson, B. , (June 5, 2010). Nicholas Carr on the ‘Superficial' Webby Mind. The Atlantic. Retrieved November 10, 2012 from website: http://www. theatlantic. com/entertainment/archive/2010/06/nicholas-carr-on-the-superficial-webby-mind/57610/ Cohill, A. , (December 31, 2004). Is the Internet good or bad for us?Design Nine. Retrieved November 10, 2012 from website: http://www. designnine. com/news/content/internet-good-or-bad-us Doi, H. , (Oct. 17, 2012) Online gaming addictions growing more serious. Daily Yomuiri Online. Retrieved November 10, 2012 from website: http://www. yomiuri. co. jp/dy/national/T121016001977. htm Dokoupil, T. , (July 9, 2012). Is the Web Driving Us Mad? Newsweek Magazine. Retri eved November 10, 2012 from website: http://www. thedailybeast. com/newsweek/2012/07/08/is-the-internet-making-us-crazy-what-the-new-research-says. html Greenfield, P. , Brannon, C. and Lohr, D.

High Performing Teams

Introduction This paper will cover several topics related to high-performing teams and work groups. It will discuss how these two kinds of workplace people sets and how they differ in their pursuit of organizational strategy and compare these differences to virtual teams. It will identify the characteristics of successful leaders of high-performing teams and finally discuss why high-performing teams are important to organizations. High-Performing Teams and Work Groups Before we can define high-performing teams or work groups, we will need to define the term team first. A team can be defined as a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. â€Å"That definition lays down the discipline that teams must share to be effective (Katzenbach, 2005). Organizations utilize teams to perform operational and project based tasks. People working in teams have the capacity to solve complex problems that cannot be solved by individuals working alone. People working in teams bring more resources to a task, including a variety of perspectives, knowledge, skills, and experience (Capella University, 2008). This diversity of perspectives, knowledge, skills, and experience allows a team to outperform the sum of its parts and is a critical component of a team being labeled as a high-performing team. Teams come in many forms, they can be permanent or temporary, they can be leader-led or self-managed, and they can be co-located or virtual. Regardless of their purpose and form, all teams are made up of individuals interacting interdependently to achieve common organizational goal. Furthermore, all teams share the following: clear boundaries, common tasks, differentiated member roles, autonomy, dependence on others, and collective responsibility (Capella University, 2008). Teams definitely are forms of work groups, but not all work groups are teams (Brounstein, 2011). A work group is also a collection of individuals however; they may not have complementary skills, a common purpose or a set of shared goals. In a work group, each member is responsible for only their own individual contributions. He or she achieves outcomes or makes their contribution to the organization in (relative) isolation. Individuals need not have any concern about what other members of the group achieve. Within a work group, there is not the interconnectedness and shared responsibility you see between team members. Each member of a group can say ‘I did my best; it is not my fault that others did not pull their weight (www. leadership-development-coaching. com, 2011). ’ To add more context to the difference between work groups and teams refer to Table 1 (Brounstein, 2011). Work Groups| Teams| Individual accountability| Individual and mutual accountability| Come together to share information and perspectives| Frequently come together for discussion, decision-making, problem solving and planning. | Focus on individual goals| Focus on team goals| Produce individual work products| Produce collective work products| Define individual roles, responsibilities, and tasks| Define individual roles, responsibilities, and tasks to help team do its work; often share and rotate them| Concern with one's own outcome and challenges| Concern with outcomes of everyone and challenges the team faces| Purpose, goals, approach to work shaped by manager| Purpose, goals, approach to work shaped by team leader with team members| Table 1: Difference between Work Groups and Teams High-Performing teams have deeper characteristics that separate them from any team with the ‘team’ characteristics mentioned previously. Members of high-performing teams tend to develop a collective purpose that goes beyond that which the organization has established for them (Capella University, 2008). According to Harvard researcher Richard Hickman, high-performing teams must meet three effectiveness criteria (Capella University, 2008): * The team must consistently produce high-quality output. * The team must promote the personal growth needs and well-being of team members. The team must grow and learn as a unit. The Pursuit of Organizational Strategy It is not too much of a stretch to see which scenario is preferable when it comes to pursuing alignment with your organization’s strategy. Those in a workgroup, although maybe tied in roles and responsibilities to the organization’s strategic imperatives, is not concerned about others in his group or departm ent, and therefore has no vested interest in another succeeding. High performing teams, on the other hand, consider their team as equally or more important than themselves. A recent study of Fortune 1000 companies conducted by the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California concluded that 68 percent of the organizations in the study use self –managed or high-performing teams†¦but the study also shows only 10 percent of workers were in such teams (Capella University, 2008). Therefore, as much as we can agree there is a benefit from moving those in work groups into high-performing team environments, these environments are difficult to create, lead and maintain. A failed attempt to create a high-performing team could be more detrimental than keeping a group of individuals in the work group mode, and thus making each individual accountable for driving alignment with the organization’s strategy. Virtual teams can play an interesting twist on this strategic alignment anomaly. This author suggests that virtual teams are no different in driving alignment with organizational strategy than co-located teams, with one exception. In the role of operational support, where, for example a help-desk or call-center can take advantage of the â€Å"follow-the-sun† support methodology, you can find significant benefit by tying a virtual team’s performance as a team to an SLA, where individuals are working together to answer phones within a certain amount of rings, meet a certain first call resolution statistic etc. This type of virtual team, if lead properly can be a very high-performing team, as their bonuses and overall performance can be tied to these SLA results of the team. Successful Leadership Characteristics of High-Performing Teams Leadership of high-performing teams have been mentioned twice in this paper; once to summarize how difficult it is to maintain high-performing teams, the second to note how to lead a high-performing virtual team. Managing any team is not an easy task. Managing and maintaining high-performing teams is increasingly difficult. Creating and managing high-performing teams is as much an art as it is a science. There is no magic formula that will uarantee team success, nor is there one best way to lead a team (Capella University, 2008). We can define four team leadership skills that will help drive work groups and teams into high-performing teams: 1. Invest in ongoing personal development 2. Provide team direction, structure and resources 3. Help the team manage boundaries 4. Manage the type and timing of interventions The Importance of High-Performing Teams We have shown the significant benefit of creating and maintaining high- performing teams concerning an organization’s strategy and team accomplishment. High-performing teams tend to require less management since the team assumes a purpose as a whole and not individuals. These teams tend to be self-managed, or slightly managed by a leader, more so in a facilitation role than what we know as a daily manager. The most important task of the team leader is to create a work context that inspires and enables the team to do its work rather than directly intervening in the team’s day-to-day work (Capella University, 2008). This is increasingly important to organizations as the economic outlook continues to force reductions in departmental personnel. References Brounstein, M. (2011). Differences between Work Groups and Teams. Retrieved December 5, 2011, from Dummies. com; Making Everything Easier: http://www. dummies. com/how-to/content/differences-between-work-groups-and-teams. html Capella University. (2008). TS5160: Business Foundations (2nd Custom ed. ). Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing. Katzenbach, J. (2005, July 1). The Discipline of Teams. Retrieved December 5, 2011, from Capella University: http://web. ebscohost. com. library. capella. edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? vid=3;hid=119;sid=0579d6ae-2d3d-4908-9971-cea2472130f6%40sessionmgr112 www. leadership-development-coaching. com. (2011). Team vs Group: implications for leaders. Retrieved December 5, 2011, from Leadership Development Coaching: http://www. leadership-development-coaching. com/team-vs-group. html