Kathleen Simione, Rowena Ortiz-Walters, Julia M. Fullick-Jagiela and Patricia S. Kelly
Team-based assignments must be constructed to contribute to the effective development of teamwork skills, an important learning objective for most schools of business. The purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
Team-based assignments must be constructed to contribute to the effective development of teamwork skills, an important learning objective for most schools of business. The purpose of this paper is to understand how students view the usefulness of team assignments in order to inform more effective pedagogical techniques related to team-based assignments and the development of student teamwork competencies.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from Likert-scale online surveys administered to students upon completion of the first-year team-based introductory business course. Survey items were developed to assess the team-related activities and components in the course and students’ perceived usefulness of team-based assignments. Results from exploratory factor analyses are presented.
Findings
Data analyses indicated that survey items contributed to students’ perceived usefulness of team-based assignments. Across three studies, the authors developed a new measure to evaluate effectiveness of team-based assignments.
Practical implications
For those educators who utilize team-based assignments in their courses, this study provides a much needed measure to assess the effectiveness of assignments intended to develop students’ teamwork competencies. The findings also serve to provide evidence of assurance of learning, and evidence of how students are developing in the area of interpersonal skills and abilities to manage interactions that most schools of business and universities deem as essential learning outcomes as a result of Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business requirements.
Originality/value
Evidence from online surveys of 755 students in a pilot study and two additional studies conducted longitudinally over a two-year period support a new measure to assess the usefulness of specific team assignments.
Details
Keywords
Rowena Ortiz‐Walters, Kimberly‐Ann Eddleston and Kathleen Simione
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of gender identity on protégés' satisfaction with mentoring relationships. More specifically, it aims to investigate whether or…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of gender identity on protégés' satisfaction with mentoring relationships. More specifically, it aims to investigate whether or not a protégé's feminine or masculine identity, by virtue of emphasizing different criteria, roles, and preferences, impacts his or her satisfaction with the performance of a mentor.
Design/methodology/approach
Managers and/or professionals, identified by in‐career MBA students at large universities in the East, completed surveys to assess relationship satisfaction as a mentoring outcome.
Findings
The results of this study indicate that masculine protégés, who strongly identify with their career roles, report being more satisfied with mentors who provide career development support. Conversely, feminine protégés, who measure career success using socio‐emotional‐based criteria, report being more satisfied with mentors who provide psychosocial support.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited in its generalizability due to the type of sample studied. The sample consisted of managers from a variety of male‐dominated occupations. In addition, since the data were self‐reported on a single survey, common method bias may also be an issue.
Practical implications
Despite limitations, the study implies that assessment of gender identity and related skills can provide organizations with more effective guidance and matching of mentors and protégés to maximize perceived satisfaction on the part of the protégé.
Originality/value
Although many studies have investigated a variety of factors that affect mentoring, few have examined the influence of gender identity on the functioning of these relationships.