Which of the following describes the difference between a group and a team?

Most of the work in a business entity is performed in groups. Although the individual personality of an employee is important, their effectiveness depends on the teams in which they are working collectively to achieve any objective. In a particular team, there can be several groups in which the group members individually help their leader to accomplish the goals. Below you can see the difference between group and team in an organization, explained in tabular form.

Content: Group Vs Team

Comparison Chart

Basis for ComparisonGroupTeamMeaningA collection of individuals who work together in completing a task.A group of persons having collective identity joined together, to accomplish a goal.LeadershipOnly one leaderMore than oneMembersIndependentInterdependentProcessDiscuss, Decide and Delegate.Discuss, Decide and Do.Work ProductsIndividualCollectiveFocus onAccomplishing individual goals.Accomplishing team goals.AccountabilityIndividuallyEither individually or mutually

Definition of Group

A group is an assemblage of persons who work, interact and cooperate with one another in achieving a common goal in a specified time. The identity of the group members is taken individually. The members share information and resources with other group members.

In an organisation, the groups are made on the basis of common interests, beliefs, experience in common fields and principles, so that they can easily coordinate with each other. There are two kinds of groups:

• Formal Group: These groups are created by the management of the organisation for performing a specific task.
• Informal Group: The formation of these groups is done naturally in an organisation, to satisfy the social or psychological human needs.

For example: Ethnic groups, trade unions, friendship circles, airline flight crew, etc.

Definition of Team

A group of people who are joined for achieving a common goal within a stipulated period, having collective accountability is known as the team. The agenda of the team is “one for all and all for one”. Apart from sharing information, the team members also share the responsibility of the team task. The team is always responsible for the outcome (i.e. Result of the collective efforts of the team members).

The team members have a mutual understanding with other members. They work jointly to maximise the strengths and minimise the weakness by complementing each other. The most important feature of a team is “synergy” i.e. the team can achieve much more as the members can achieve individually. The three key features of team functioning are:

• Cohesion
• Confrontation
• Collaboration

For example: Cricket team, team for accomplishing a project, team of doctors, management team etc.

Key Differences Between Group and Team

The difference between group and team in the workplace can be drawn clearly on the following grounds:

1. There is only one head in a group. A team can have more than one head.
2. The group members do not share responsibility, but team members share the responsibility.
3. The group focuses on achieving the individual goals. Conversely, the team members focus on achieving the team goals.
4. The group produces individual work products. As opposed to, the team who produces collective work products.
5. The process of a group is to discuss the problem, then decide and finally delegate the tasks to individual members. On the other hand, a team discusses the problem, then decide the way of solving it and finally do it collectively.
6. The group members are independent. Unlike a group, the team members are interdependent.

Similarities

• Two or more than two persons.
• Interaction of members.
• Face to face relationship.
• Focus on the achievement of an objective.
• Leader
• Sharing of information and resources

Conclusion

A team is qualitatively different from a group. A team plays a very vital role in the life of the members. The team members as it motivates the members for working creatively and actively participating in the team tasks. Moreover, a team stimulates the members to work for/with one another in an achieving an objective.

The Group is also not less; the group also helps the members in developing a sense of conformity between the members and respect the group values. It increases their resistance to change. Above all, the power of a group is always more than an individual.

We all belong to groups or teams; being in a group is part of everyday life. Although the two terms group and team both refer to a number of people who share a common characteristic, there is a slight difference between group and team, especially in a management and business context. The main difference between group and team is that the members of a group share common characteristics whereas members of a team share a common goal or purpose. A team is a group, but not every group is a team.

This article explains,

1. What is a Group? – Definition and Characteristics 

2. What is a Team? – Definition and Characteristics 

3. Difference Between Group and Team

What is a Group

The term group has a broad meaning. It refers to a number of people who are connected by some shared activity, interest, or quality. Group can also refer to a number of people or things that are together or in the same place.  Groups may be brought together for a particular purpose, or they may be informal such as a group of friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc.

Although individuals in a group have common characteristics, they may not have a common goal or task. For example, a group of students in a class has a common feature – they all have come to learn, but these students are not necessarily working towards a common goal. Similarly, the term group is also used to refer to the people who belong to an ethnicity, or religion. Although the people in these groups share common characteristics, there is no shared cause or goal. The absence of a specific, shared goal or purpose is a main factor that differentiates a group. Moreover, the members of a group are independent; they do not rely on each other since roles and responsibilities are not assigned to each member.

What is a Team

Team refers to a number of persons associated together in work or activity. Members of a team work together towards a common goal. They have to coordinate the tasks and activities to achieve this shared goal. The roles and duties are defined and specified in a team, i.e., each member is assigned a specific task. Members of a team are interdependent since each member is responsible for a certain task. If one task or duty is not done properly, it may affect the whole activity or task.

In addition, members of the team usually have a good awareness of each other’s characteristics. In other words, there is mutual understanding between team members. This attribute helps to maximize the strengths and minimize weaknesses in the team. Some examples of teams include research and development teams, fast food restaurant crew, product development team, soccer team, etc.

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