Internet Communities and Social Networks

Introduction The global technological advancement has led to many changes in the ways of interaction among people. The advancement in information technology, which led to the development of social networking websites, clearly evidences this fact. There has been a gradual yet significant development of social networking sites. The development of these sites started with ‘Friendster’ established in 2002 followed by ‘LinkedIn’ and ‘Bebo’.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Internet Communities and Social Networks specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More ‘Facebook’ and ‘MySpace’ invention took place in 2004 and 2005 respectively. It is important to mention that majority of the people in the world use Facebook. As a result, it is the social networking with the largest number of users in the world. For a social network to function effectively there is a need for a s ystem that controls the flow of information from one member of the internet community to the other. Social networks have led to an increased flow of information globally as well as building of relationships among different entities. Communities and Web 2.0 Web 2.0 allows members of internet community to exchange information as well as ideas interactively. Social networking sites are examples of Web 2.0 (Fraser, Dutta, 2008, p.27). Other examples of Web 2.0 include video sharing sites, wikis, blogs and mashups among others. All these enhance the formation of internet communities. Of much concern are the social sites that have been instrumental in bringing people from different geographical locations as well as races come together for a common goal.  Several factors enhance the success of internet communities. The social interactions of internet communities require great support, which should include a means to enhance grounding and social presence among members. Members should hav e access to information concerning their joining, trusting, participating and leaving an online community (Kim, 2000, p.12). Owing to the fact that internet communities are greatly involved in solving social dilemma, some strategies help members achieve this goal (Kollock, 1996, p. 41). These strategies include community attraction, rules and regulations, governance on group information as well as infrastructure. In addition, members should be able to find answers to their questions easily.  However, internet communities face some challenges. For instance, there have been cases of internet bullying whereby a member is psychologically tortured making such members quit the society (Boyd, 2007, p.12). This usually occurs among teenagers. There have also been cases of tolling or rather inflicting emotional stress among some members of an internet community. These instances lead to lose of members from the community. There has been a concern about the safety of children due to their ex posure to crude information in these sites. Such information may include pornographic materials and vulgar language (Moreno, Fost, Christakis, 2008, p. 159).Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Social networks Social networks originate from social networking sites. This helps to connect people who share the same interests, activities, political ambitions as well as economical views. The networking sites require the users to create user-profiles Boyd Ellison, 2007, p.27). This involves providing their personal information to the sites. Other sites allow users who have common interests to create groups and thus enhance more interaction. Most internet users are members of one or more groups. It is also important to mention that most people acquire scientific knowledge through social networks (Lieberskind, Porter, 1996, p.430). Students and teachers use social networks as a com munication tool in colleges because of their high speed as well as their ability to reach a large number of the members at once (Mazer, Murphy, Simonds, 2007, p.15). Activists have employed social networks to mobilize people at the grass-root level. As a networking tool, college students use it to contact professionals for internships and job applications (Arabie, Yoram, 1994, p. 266). It is also important to mention that most companies nowadays use Facebook and Twitter to build their brand image. They also use social networks in recruiting new staff as well as learning new technologies from their competitors. This helps to build healthy business growth within companies. Governments also use social networks as a tool to get the people’s opinion on different state issues before making major decisions.  Too much of everything is dangerous. A number of social network users have grown into addicts (Boyd, 2006, p.62). They spent too much time on these social networks to the ex tent that they overlook other important aspects of their life. Addiction is prevalent among Facebook users. It is important for members of any internet community to use these social networks wisely. The impact of online networks on the community As earlier mentioned online networks lead to increased flow of information in our communities. Online networks have been of much help to people with ill health especially those with chronic diseases (Battles, Wienner, 2002, p. 52). On social networking interaction, these people are able to help each other to manage their ill conditions. It is important to mention that they get to know people who they can identify with and helps to build a sense of acceptance. Online networks have also helped people to participate adequately in community activities by mobilizing people to attend activities leading to improved civic participation. The large numbers of people who join internet communities help to facilitate the mobilization.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Internet Communities and Social Networks specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, according to a study carried out by The Centre of the Digital future, three quarters of Americans have internet access and spend 8.9 hours online weekly (Carvin, 2006).College students mostly practice this.  Social networks also lead to formation of relationships between members of a given internet community. The issue of online dating came in from well-established ties between two members of a given online community (Romm, Setzekon, 2008, p. 271). They also help to increase communication between friends and family. According to Nielsen (2000), over 70% of online communities interact with their geographical communities on regular basis (p. 52). It is therefore evident that online communities enhance cohesion between members of geographical communities as well. Online gaming is a feature of most social network s. Parents have had a difficult time in controlling their sons and daughters when it comes to computer games especially those who are still schooling (Knapp, 2006, p. 6). They believe that their children will perform poorly due to dedication of much of their time on these games. This therefore calls for parents to monitor the levels of their children’s involvement in online gaming. However, when well managed it is a good leisure activity. Conclusion Since invention of social networks in the late 1990s, online communities have both shown an increasing trend and wide acceptability. Social networks connect people sharing the same interests in life. For these networks to succeed there has to be a strong team supporting the networking sites. In addition, members of a given online community have to relate well in order to attract more people to these social networks. Consequently, social networks will exhibit tremendous growth. Reference List Arabie, P., Yoram, W. (1994). Marketin g and Social Networks. California:  Sage Publications. Battles, B., Wienner, L. (2002). Star bright World: Effects of Electronic Network on  The Social Environment of Children with Life-threatening Illnesses. Children’s Health Care, 31(1), 47-68. Boyd, D. (2006). Friends, Friendsters and MySpace Top 8. Writing Community into Bery  on Social Network sites, 11 (12), 60-67.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Boyd, D. (2007). Why Youth (Heart) Social Networking Sites. The Role of Networked  Publics in Teenage Social Life, 2(4), 9-12. Boyd, D., Ellison, N. (2007). Social Network Sites: Definition, History and Scholarship.  Journal of Computer-mediated Communication, 13 (1), 23-30. Carvin, A. (2006). Understanding the Impact of Online Communities on Civic  Engagement. Retrieved from https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/ Fraser, M., Dutta, S. (2008).Throw Sheep in the Boardroom. How Online Social  Networking will Transform your Life, Work and World. New York: Wiley. Kim, A. (2000). Community Building on the Web. Berkeley: Peachpit Press. Knapp, E. (2006).A Parent’s Guide to my space. New York: Day Dream Publishers. Kollock, P. (1996). Design Principles for Online Communities. Harvard. Lieberskind, K., Porter. J. (1996). Social Networks, Learning and Flexibility. Sourcing  Scientific Knowledge in New Biotechnology Firms. Organization Science, 7(4), 428-443. Mazer, J., Murphy, R., Simonds, J. (2007). I’ll see you on Facebook: The effects and  Classroom Climate. Communication Education, 56 (1), 1-17. Moreno, A., Fost, C., Christakis, A. (2008). Research Ethics in the MySpace  Era.Pediatrics, 121(1), 157-161. Nielsen, J. (2000). Designing Web Usability. The Practice of Simplicity. Indianapolis:  New Riders Publishing. Romm, L., Setzekorn, K. (2008). Social Networking Communications and E.Dating  Services: Concepts and Implications. New York: Information Science Technology. This essay on Internet Communities and Social Networks was written and submitted by user Elvis Hodges to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Poverty Values essays

Poverty Values essays I watched through the window as the men gathered the tree stumps and tirelessly threw it into the back of their truck. The three men, maybe only four years my senior, were sweaty, dirty, hungry from the arduous work of cutting, cleaning and trimming the trees in my front lawn as well as in the backyard. The wife of one, six months pregnant, watches in the heat as her husband works endlessly in hopes of making ends meet. Poverty is all around me, I wandered, and yet it hasnt been an issue that has aroused in our government. In reading Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens, I found that the difficulties the poor faced in Dickens time affect that of us today. I see children my age, and younger, who are on the news because of being forced doing things in order to survive. Some are lucky, like Oliver, to have a home and food. Yet, the contract they signed in stealing and committing crimes overpowers the life of living decent. The men that catered my lawn and my yard are Mexican immigrants who believe America is the land of opportunity. Coming from a poverty-stricken country to rich, harbored nation in hopes of making a better life only makes their dream tougher. As well as Olivers dream to get out of the hardships in living in a dangered and cruel society to achieve major domination. Therefore, it is to believe that many are labeled into a specific social class, and in the end, it will be difficult for them to succeed into a possibly higher social standing. There are many reason as to why people suffer, why no one decides to do anything and why people of poverty try and find alternatives in order to survive. Many live and suffer because they have no choice. Like Oliver, whose mother died trying to give birth, he has no family status, and his mother was his own real relative. Oliver is an orphan who is released and entered into the real world. He is manipulated thinking tha ...

Pick an ethnicity that lives on Long Island and discribe how the have Essay

Pick an ethnicity that lives on Long Island and discribe how the have adapted to life on long island - Essay Example In Long Island, the presence of the Chinese people in the area can hardly remain unnoticed and their impact to the ever-changing culture of the island can never be understated. Historical Background Based on government data, the first Chinese settlers of the United States arrived in 1820. During the California Gold Rush of 1848, a significant number of Chinese workers increased to over a hundred in the hope of finding their fortune in a foreign land. Years passed, more Chinese were transported to the country to do menial labor in the household, in the industries and in large projects such as the Central Pacific Railroad (1863). Practically, the early Chinese immigrants only sought for better economic opportunities in the New World; however, they were confronted with harsh discrimination and brutal treatment that they endured for decades (Zhao â€Å"Remaking† 39). The culmination of all the racism that the Chinese suffered occurred in 1882 when the Chinese Exclusion Act took ef fect. Until 1943, Chinese people were banned from immigrating to the ‘land of milk and honey.’ In the 70’s and 80’s, which is considered as the Second Wave of the Chinese immigration to the United States, citizens from Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China traversed the Pacific in search for a better life. Through the years, issues on illegal immigration and the threat of deportation were faced by the Chinese in the US. In 1992, the Chinese Student Protection Act, sponsored by Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was enacted to grant permanent residency status to all Chinese nationals who came to the US on or before April 1990 (Zhou 55-61). Vis-a-vis with California, New York has been the haven of the Chinese in this western soil where they continually grew in number and gradually established their communities. In fact, the New York Metropolitan Area has recently been hailed as the district outside Asia where the largest concentrations of Chinese populations reside. In 2008, there were approximately 659, 596 Chinese in the metropolis (Zhao â€Å"†The New Chinese† 41). Long Island’s Chinatown The Chinese Diaspora has stretched in the entire globe and reached almost all corners of it. In Long Island, such phenomenon can be affirmed through the myriad testaments that can be seen not only in the streets but also on how people live. True to it, its diverse cultural environment has incorporated the Chinese Way, which can be perfectly gleaned from its ethnic enclave called Chinatowns. As vibrant as the one in Lower Manhattan and would be comparable to the one in San Francisco and Vancouver, the Chinatown in Flushing, Queens is the new home for Chinese businesspersons and workers. Until the 70’s, Flushing was mostly dominated by Italian and Greek nationals who left the place due to an economic downturn. As large groups of people departed from the area and the housing prices dropped, the Chinese immigrants, and the oth er East Asians, started to settle and prevailed in the area since the early 80’s until today (Tsui 53). The busy Chinatown in Flushing is a fusion of the East and the West. There are American stores as well as Chinese stores, restaurants and supermarkets. In fact, one hotel in the area prides itself of its ‘distinctly Asian flair.’ Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese business enterprises can also be seen in the area. Another Chinatown can be located in the Sunset Park at Brooklyn. Purported to be one

Treadway Tire Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Treadway Tire Company - Case Study Example This high level of dissatisfaction by the line-foreman segment was being manifested through an increased trend of employee turnover. In 2007 alone 23 line-foremen left the Lima plant both voluntarily and involuntarily. This high turnover has negatively implications on the plant’s productivity and cost. It prevents the Lima tire plant from realizing its potential of being Treadway’s lowest cost producer and number one plant for productivity in North America. Four elements of the work system that contribute towards the problems at Treadway are: (1) inadequate training and development for new hires; (2) poor communication from upper management; (3) a poor organizational and/or power structure; and (4) a performance review system. From the case it is clear that for one to effectively perform the duty of a line foremac one needed skills in areas such as understanding union contracts, employee and production scheduling, pay and so on. However, at Treadway’s Lima plant new line foremen received only informal training, which was conducted at the discretion of the general supervisor and area manager (Skinner and Beckham 5). This situation is aggravated by the poor or limited communication between upper management and line-foremen segment. In such a scenario it would not be far-fetched to expect the quality of this informal training to be inadequate. The line foremen were expected to take charge of the hourly employees and were held responsible over the hourly-employees’ actions yet they lacked the authority needed to do so. This reflects a poor power structure – which reflects poor organizational structure. In a good organizational structure the person who bears responsibility has to be given the authority to perform whatever needs to be done with regards to that responsibility. This in a way made line-foremen to be undermined by their charges. Lastly, we are informed that in order to get a good review, line foremen were expected to meet targets without

Task 1 Essay Example for Free

Task 1 Essay Second it will discuss the definition of Constructive Discharge and its relevance to this claim. Third it will provide the specific areas under the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Fourth it will offer recommendations and supporting legal references. Fifth it will recommend proactive steps to avoid future legal issues in relationship to the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And finally any references used in this research will be provided. A. Definition of Constructive DischargeSummary of Claim and history:In January 1, 2013 a new policy was implemented to support exponential company growth. This policy impacted all production employees. The impacted employees were notified of the changes two months in advance of the January 2013 implementation to allow for assimilation and training on the new shifts schedules and there impacts. Production employee schedules were shifted from a Monday through Friday schedule, 8 hour shift to a Monday through Sunday schedule, 12 hour shift, four working days can occur any day of the week. This schedule requires all production employees to work on holy days regardless of religious affiliation as the production now runs seven days a week. Office staff members were not impacted by this policy change. AA23 quit on January 2, 2013 after new policy was in effect. There was no reason given in the resignation as to why AA23 was resigning or that it was related to having to work on holy days. AA23 filed a Claim #1-2013 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on February 3, 2013. Toy Company was notified via our legal department on March 10, 2013. Constructive discharge is when an employee resigns from their job because the employer makes conditions so bad or lets bad conditions continue; that a reasonable employee would also have resigned in the same conditions. If proven it is treated as an unlawful firing. There are rules that an employee must follow in order to make a claim of constrictive discharge. First they must provide written notification of the cause of their resignation. The employer than has 15 days to provide a written response to the allegations. This type of claim is very difficult to prove; especially in Washington state which is an â€Å"At Will† state. â€Å"At Will† means that the either the employee or the employer is free to sever a working relationship for any reason; as long as the separation was not due to discrimination. Or there was a contract in place that overrides the â€Å"At Will† mandate. There are two main considerations when working with a constructive discharge claim. The first is regarding whether other production employees felt compelled to resign. The second is whether Toy Company’s intent was to force AA23’s resignation with the new production work schedule (Finnegan, 2013). The following assumptions are being made at this time: 1) there haven’t been any other resignations reported that are related to this issue. 2) The documented intent of the schedule change was created to address increased demand not to create religious discrimination. ) The claimant filed the claim with EEOC. 4) The claimant didn’t follow the company procedures to report and resolve issues. B. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (relevant areas)Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was created to address the civil rights conflicts that were occurring during this 1960†™s. It is considered one of the most important pieces of legislation related to Civil Rights. This act was setup to address discrimination of protected classes (e. g. African Americans, Asian, Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and women). The part of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that applies to employment decisions; mandates that employment decisions not be based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (Gmoez-Mejia amp; Cardy, 2013). † Discrimination is about the making of distinctions; in the context of human resources, it is about the making of distinctions among people. There are two type of discrimination. Disparate treatment is when an employee is treated differently because of his protected status. Adverse impact is when the same standard is applied across the board; however it impacts a protected class more (Gmoez-Mejia amp; Cardy, 2013). In the case of #1-2013 adverse impact could apply to the shift changes that were implemented in January 2013. As the shift changes applied to all production employees. This could be construed as unintentional discrimination. However we haven’t had any other complaints to date. The company must reasonably accommodate religious beliefs or practices; unless it creates undue hardship (e. g. costly, compromises workplace safety, decreases workplace efficiency, infringes on the rights of other employees, or requires other employees to do more than their share of potentially hazardous or burdensome work). There are several ways to make accommodations (e. g. flexible scheduling, voluntary shift substitutions or swaps, job reassignments, and modifications to workplace policies or practices) (Religious Discrimination, 2013). C. Recommendations for Toy Company response. The facts before us are that Toy Company provided information on the new schedule several months before it was implemented. AA23 or any other employee didn’t inform Toy Company of any issues with the new schedule before the implementation at the beginning of 2013. When AA23 resigned AA23 did not document the reason for the resignation as due to scheduling impacts impacting religious beliefs either in writing or in person to the appropriate Human Resources personnel. Since this schedule change impacted all production employees it clearly was not created to personally force AA23 to resign. The EEOC will likely find in favor of the company and not send the case to trial. However it is in our best interest to work with AA23 and try to resolve this case through conciliation. This will require us to enter mediation with the EEOC, AA23, and company representatives. C1. Three legal references that support recommendations 1. In Liebermann V. Genesis Health Care – Franklin Woods Center (2012), Grace Liebermann worked at Genesis Health Care. Ms. Liebermann started working there in August of 2010. Ms. Liebermann constantly stated that she Jewish and needed to leave early on Fridays. Genesis agreed with the understanding that she would work a full 40 hours a week. Almost immediately her schedule became an issue. She repeatedly emailed her supervisor to leave earlier and earlier on each Friday. Each time attributing to her daycare’s adherence to the Sabbath. The court ruled in favor of the defendant; due to the fact that her issue was due to daycare requirements not religious requirements. This supports our claim because AA23 has not previously stated any issues due to religious observances. 2. In Pennsylvania State Police V. Suders (2004), a formal complaint was filed by Suders citing that she was subjective to sexual harassment by her supervisors. Suders’ hostile work environment claim was untenableas a matter of law, the District Court stated, because she â€Å"unreasonably failed to avail herself of the PSP’s internal procedures for reporting any harassment. †¦Resigning just two days after she first mentioned anything about harassment to Equal Employment Opportunity Officer Smith-Elliott, the court noted, Suders had â€Å"never given [the PSP] the opportunity to respond to [her] complaints. † Ibid (Pennsylvania State Police V. Suders, 2004). As with our claim Suders never notified the State Police of the se xual harassment issues by utilizing the available internal grievance procedure provided by her employer. This supports our claim because AA23 has not previously stated any issues due to religious observances. It also supports our position that this is not a constructive discharge case because As with Suder and the PSP, Toy story didn’t specifically single out AA23 with the new schedule policy to force her to quit and no other employees have complained let alone quit. 1. In Johnson V. Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 (2012), Barbara Johnson brought charges of disability discrimination and hostile work environment. Johnson had epilepsy and was asked to provide additional information from her neurologist to ensure that she would be able to manage volatile situations in here classroom. After she was not able to provide that information an additional meeting was setup to discuss the schools concerns over this issue. The plaintiff choose to resign and treat it as a constructive discharge. The defendant requested a summary judgment which was granted due to insufficient support for her claims with the court determining that just because she was uncomfortable and was being asked to provide more information than other employees it did not mean she was constructively discharged. AA23 may have felt uncomfortable with the new schedule and may have even felt harassed; but AA23 didn’t follow internal procedures to report her concerns. A reasonable person would not have expected that a change in the work schedule for the whole production area was created to force AA23’s or anyone’s resignation. C2. Recommend steps to avoid future legal issues around Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 1. Review internal grievance policies and procedures. i. Ensure that all complaints are put into writing ii. Ensure that all complaints are responded to with 48 hours. Either to start an investigation or to provide a response. iii. Provide anonymous reporting phone number 2. Train all managers and supervisors on internal grievance polies and procedures. 3. Post grievance polies and procedures all general work areas and online on Toy Company internal employee site. 4. When considering schedule or other changes include make sure decisions are informed through the lens of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and other appropriate acts. Include HR personal in these discussions to ensure compliance with laws. D. ReferencesFinnegan, S. 2013). Constructive Dishcarge Under Tittl VII and the ADEA. The University of Chicago Law Review, 561-562. Grace Liebermann V. Genesis Health Care Franklin Woods Center, CCB-11-2770 (District Court of Maryland 2013). Johnson V. Lacaster-Lebabib Intermediate Unit 13, 11-cv-01598 (District Court for the Eastren District of Pennsyvania 2012). Pennsylvania State Police V. Suders, 542 US 129 (Supreme Court 2004). Religious Di scrimination. (2013, 03 24). Retrieved from U. S. Equal EMployment Opportunity Commision: http://www. eeoc. gov/laws/types/religion. cfm | | |

The American Dream in Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun and Arth

Centuries ago, Americans were fighting for their freedom from Britain. Then, the American dream was to have freedom. To American then, being free and having their own individual country was enough. Up until a few decades ago, African Americans were fighting to have equal rights. They thought this was all they needed and they would be truly happy. Somewhere over the course of time; happiness had a new meaning for all Americans. Now material possessions are what it takes to be happy. The American dream is to be rich. A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, and Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, both address the American Dream. Both plays discuss the desire for wealth and how the desire may lead to one’s downfall. However, each play is very different in addressing issues such as race and feminism. A Raisin in the Sun and Death of a Salesman have the same major theme of the American Dream, but address other issues differently along the way. A Raisin in the Sun is about an African American family in Chicago. Living in the same old broken down house is Lena Younger, who is the mother to both Beneatha and Walter, who also live in the house. Walter is married to Ruth and is the father of Travis. As the play begins, the family is about to inherit an insurance check for 10,000 dollars. This money comes from the death of Lena’s husband. Each member of the family wants to do something different with that money. Lena wants to buy a bigger house in a nicer area, and Ruth agrees with her. Beneatha wants the money to go to tuition for medical school. Walter wants to invest the money in a liquor store, so he can own the store, and become successful and rich. He is tired of just being a cab driver. However, Lena inten... ...e almost called Mr. Linder and made that deal with him when he found out that he lost the money, but his family was there to help him figure out that that would not be the right thing to do. On the other hand, Willy’s relationship with his family is what led him to suicide. The role of woman is also handled differently in the two plays, along with the role of age and race. The two plays had similar points, but were also quite different. Works Cited Cleage, Pearl. â€Å" Black Issues Book Review†. Playright’s Choice 3 (1995): 20- 23. Evans, Everett. â€Å"What’s Hot on Stage†. Houston Chronicle. 28 Oct 1994: Pgs 10- 12. Laban, Linda. â€Å"Raisin in the Sun Raisin’s in the Rounder†. Boston Globe. 5 Apr 2001: pgs 8-11. Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Penguin Books, 1992. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Books, 1949.

The Different Methods and Styles of Leadership

In a seminal and much-cited article on the subject of lead-ership, Lewin, Lippitt, and White (1939) coined the term demo-cratic-style leadership to refer to a method of managing that involved give and take between leaders, or managers, and the people whose jobs they were guiding. Later identified with group leadership, democratic leadership was valorized vis-a-vis auto-cratic leadership on one side and laissez-faire leadership on the other. One may readily infer the bias in favor of democratic leadership style from the mere naming of the other style terms. The autocratic style of leadership has been linked to the so-called scientific management methods envisioned by Frederick Taylor, who in the early part of the 20th century was influen-tial in devising a strategy of workplace behavior meant to elim-inate uncertainty and chaos in the workplace. The problem was that managers tended to leave employees out of the policy-imple-mentation equation. Supposedly, scientific management would eliminate the adversary relationship between labor and manage-ment. Instead, â€Å"science, the impartial arbiter, would decide† (Kanigel, 1996, p. 45). Yet â€Å"science† inevitably meant top-down, hierarchical management practices: â€Å"Taylor's experts and engineers did the thinking, while you were consigned to mindless doing† (Kanigel, 1996, p. 51). Laissez-faire leadership, as the term implies, fully em-powers the group members. The actual leader recedes, but the group is responsible for its decisions. One trouble with that style is that the leader also withdraws as a resource, unless the group specifically asks for help, and intragroup rivalries and compe-tition can develop that can limit group effectiveness (Lewin, Lippitt, & White, 1939). There may be no shared vision about the group's objective. One may also infer the potential for the tyranny of the majority, a term attributed to Tocque-ville in his 1839 book Democracy in America. That idea also sur-faces in democratic-style management, but a leader changes the anarchic process by guiding the group away from internal power plays and toward unified group objectives. After World War II, influential management philosophy shifted toward ideas of democratic-style leadership with the work of W. Edwards Deming, whose famous Fourteen Points of man-agement included calls for management, not labor, to assume re-sponsibility for quality and for managers to act as leaders who clearly articulated work objectives and supported labor in im-plementing them (Walton, 1986). Yet Deming's management ideas were more wide-ranging than leadership per se, and the style associated with group dynamics is the focus of this research. Democratic-style leadership is consistent with management theory that views workers, or members of the leader's group, as resources rather than as drains or something to be coped with or otherwise got over. Even where some hierarchical struc-tures are in place, communication processes are meant to travel up, down, and laterally within an organization, and management practice diffuses decision-making events â€Å"throughout the organization. Even important decisions involve input from employees at all levels† (Hamiton & Parker, 2001, p. 58). The democratizing influence of such practice implies that communication will be interactive, not simply a matter of transmission of messages (commands) from managers to employees. The implication, too, is that such communication must take place in an environment of openness, honesty, and shared confi-dence (Hamilton & Parker, 2001, p. 58), which tends to yield cooperation and productivity. Because enterprise activity is necessarily collaborative, communication effectiveness is of paramount concern. Openness for leaders involves disclosure (sharing) of information with subordinates plus the reception or feedback from them. The authors of the best-selling One Minute Manager valorize simple, direct, and honest explanation of what is expected by management of workers, together with regular follow-up and evaluation of performance, and a commitment on the part of management to both people and results (Blanchard & Johnson, 1981, p. 8). That is, the more a manager facilitates subordinates' work (p. 19), the more likely the workers as members of the leader's group are to be productive and to produce high-quality work. Leadership that focuses on facilitating rather than defining the details or methods of the work of employees starts with making clear â€Å"what our responsibilities are and what we are being held accountable for† (p. 27). Realism about goals feeds realistic work habits and attention to achievement of those goals. As leaders, managers must both permit and enable disclosure and/or feedback by group members in an environment of psycholo-gical safety (Hamilton & Parker, 2001), which is also a hallmark of democratic systems. Equally, managers must be alert to non-verbal as well as verbal cues that may supply information about a group's performance and attitude. Hamilton and Parker give the (nonverbal) example of the prestige attached to corner offices as having the potential to affect the quality of workplace morale. Time management, too, sends messages about the kind of equality associated with democracy: Being late for meetings may stigmatize employees (Hamilton & Parker, 2001, p. 160) but send the message that some people (for example, managers) who are late when others (for example, secretaries) are on time are en-titled to be so. To be effective, democratic styles of leader-ship lead by example, with leaders asking nothing of subordi-nates that they are not equipped to do themselves.