Groups and teams in organizational contexts

Groups, Teams

All teams are groups, but not all groups are teams. The primary difference between teams and groups is that the former are highly focused and dedicated towards achieving a common goal. Groups generally looser gatherings of individuals that come together to brainstorm and share ideas but not necessarily to work on a collective project. Often with teams, individual members are "split into parts appropriate to each individual's talents," ("Teams & Groups" 1996). However, the individual's tasks are defined in part by the goals of the team. Tasks may even be shared or rotated to meet team objectives ("Differences between Work Groups and Teams" nd). In a group, task rotation rarely occurs because the individual is a self-contained unit. Tasks, roles, and responsibilities do not vary much because individuals are concerned with their own outcome and challenges rather than that of the team ("Differences between Work Groups and Teams" nd).

A sports analogy helps to envision the way teams function, whereas musical bands are usually referred to as "groups." Although musicians do have common goals in terms of producing, their objectives cannot be quantified in the same way that sports teams can. Sports teams play to win, and so too do workgroup teams. Ultimately, teams are "more effective" than groups in a business setting (Zeff & Higby 2002).

Another core difference between teams and groups in the workplace setting is that team members share a collective accountability. By definition, a team works together to achieve a common goal. Thus, a team also shares collective responsibility for failure. In a group, individuals work together to achieve their own personal objectives such as when a students gets together to study. Teams, on the other hand, get together to produce a collective project. Moreover, team leaders play different roles than group managers. Managers "just assign work with little discussion or collaboration with the staff members" ("Differences between Work Groups and Teams" nd). Group managers are "based on hierarchical positions," whereas the leadership role in a team is "shared by team members," (Zeff & Higby 2002). Team leaders motivate and inspire team members, and share in the collective outcome.

Teams may be more productive than groups for several reasons. For one, the communication among team members is generally more effective than among group members ("Teams & Groups" 1996). Improved communications in a team is due to several factors. For one, individuals are encouraged to participate in team meetings and discussions because they are invested in the outcome. Synergy is also created in a team, because the "group as a whole is greater than the sum of each individual's within the group," ("Teams & Groups" 1996). Synergy is created because of "collaboration and jointly produced outputs," (Zeff & Higby 2002). Team meetings are less formal than group meetings because "groups are focused to accomplish imposed tasks under the strong management of a supervisor," (Zeff & Higby 2002). Zeff & Higby (2002) also point out that respect is a common feature enhancing communication within teams. Therefore, quiet members can be encouraged to participate more readily in the informal and supportive team environment than they might in a group environment.

A diverse workplace benefits especially well from teamwork because of the enhanced communication potential. Moreover, minority voices are more likely to be acknowledged within the respect-oriented setting of a team. The team has no choice but to work together to achieve goals meaningful to each individual. In the group, individuals only care about their own performance. The motivation to help others in the group is low, and the desire to seek help by expressing concerns is also low especially when some members of the group are domineering. Quiet members of a group will feel dominated by the more aggressive ones ("Teams & Groups" 1996). This is especially true when a rigid social hierarchy informs roles. The managerial leadership model of workgroups can also be counterproductive in a diverse workplace environment. Rigid hierarchies will ostracize key members of the group.