Differences between groups and teams and workplace diversity effects

Individual Groups and Teams

To most people, the terms group and team mean one and the same thing. This is however not the case. When it comes to their application, most particularly in the corporate world, these terms differ on several fronts. In this text, I will highlight the main differences between a team and a group. Further, I will examine the relevance of workplace diversity within an organizational setting and how the same relates to team dynamics.

Groups and Teams: The Differences

While a group is taken to be a collection of individuals interacting with each other on a regular basis for the attainment of common goals, a team is taken to be a group of individuals (usually small) whose skills are regarded complimentary and whose purpose is to work together for the accomplishment of a specific purpose for which the team (as a whole) is accountable (Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn, 2008). Hence in terms of definition, the two terms largely differ. Further, it can be noted that while it is a requirement that individuals within a team possess complimentary skills, the same requirement is not apparent when it comes to a group. Next, teams and groups can be distinguished in regard to accountability. As I have already noted in the definitions above, collective accountability is a key characteristic of teams. When it comes to a group, collective accountability does not come across as a key characteristic. Finally, in regard to the number of people in either, a team tends to have fewer subscribers in comparison to a group (Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn, 2008). For instance, the entire workforce of a company or firm can be referred to as a group. With that in mind, a group can be made of many individuals (perhaps thousands) as long as each individual makes a contribution towards the accomplishment of various organizational goals. A team on the other hand could be set up to bring on board people with special skills so as to address a certain issue considered important.

The Relevance of Workplace Diversity in an Organization

Workplace diversity can be taken to be the differences that exist between individuals in terms of race, marital status, gender, culture etc. Further, it should be noted that as Murray, Poole and Jones (2006) point out, diversity in the workplace today goes beyond the traditional measures of diversity. According to the authors, diversity could also be viewed in terms of weight, background (in socioeconomic terms or otherwise) or even sexual orientation.