Team and Group
Team
A team is small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals and approaches which they hold themselves mutually accountable
Group
A group is a number of peoples, usually reporting to common superiors and has some face-to-face interaction, who have some degree of interdependency in carrying out task for the purpose of achieving org goals.
Difference between team and group
Team
- Members recognize their independence and understand both personal and team goals are best accomplished with mutual support.
- Members feel a sense of ownership for their jobs and unit.
- Members work in a climate of trust and are encouraged to openly express ideas, opinions and thoughts.
- Members contribute to the organization's success.
- Members practice open and honest communication. They make an effort to understand each others' point of view.
- Members are encouraged continually to develop skills and apply what they learn on the job.
- Members realize conflict is a normal aspect of human interaction. They work to resolve conflict quickly and constructively.
- Members work in a structured environment; they know what boundaries exist and who has final authority.
- Team member may share a common commitment to purpose.
- Members participate in decisions affecting the team but understand their leader must make a final ruling whenever the team cannot decide, or an emergency exists.
- Positive win/win results are the goal at all times.
- Decisions on a team are typically made by consensus.
- To achieve a real team is difficult and time-consuming. It takes time to develop the skills to work well together and understand how to solve problems and make decisions effectively.
- Multiple, diverse view points are represented.
- Performance of the team depends on both individual contributions and collective efforts.
- Members hold themselves accountable.
- Teams are autonomous and self managing.
Group
- Members think they are grouped together for administrative purposes only.
- Members tend to focus on themselves.
- Members distrust the motives of colleges because they do not understand the role of other members.
- Members are told what to do rather than being asked what the best approach would be.
- Members are so cautious about what they say, that real understanding is not possible.
- Members receive good training but are limited in applying it to the job.
- Members find themselves in conflict situations they do not know how to resolve. Their supervisor may intervene until serious damage is done, i.e. a crisis situation
- Members tend to work in an unstructured environment with undetermined standards of performance.
- Group members may share common goals, though member too shares a common interest.
- Members may or may not participate in decisions affecting the team.
- Win/lose situations are common.
- Decisions in a group are made by voting or implied agreement
- Groups are far easier to create than teams.
- A dominant view points are represented.
- Work group performance typically depends on the work of individual members.
- The superiors hold individual members accountable for their work.
- Groups are required to be responsive to demands regularly placed on them by the management
Groups further details
Group Dynamics
- To identify and analyze the social processes that impact on group development and performance.
- To acquire the skills necessary to intervene and improve individual and group performance in an organizational context.
- To build more successful organizations by applying techniques that provides positive impact on goal achievement.
- To express individual viewpoints
- To develop social relationships
- To ensure everyone participates
- For individual recognition
- Ensure that all skill sets are included
- Examine the impact of a poor performer on group achievement
- Ensure a combination of leaders and followers
- Examine the potential for personality conflicts
- Impacts of member diversity
- Task behaviors
- Maintenance behaviors
- Self-interest behaviors
- Initiating
- Information seeking/giving
- Clarifying ideas
- Bringing closure
- Consensus testing
- Encouraging
- Improving group atmosphere
- Harmonizing
- Compromising
- Gate-keeping
- Dominating/controlling
- Blocking
- Manipulating
- Belittling
- Splitting hairs
Group Norms
- Social standards and acceptable behaviors
- Collectively held expectations of group functioning
- Provide regularity and predictability to group functioning
- Conduct
- Work performance/attendance
- Rearranging personal space
- Assisting co-workers
- Loyalty
- Dress codes
- Rewards
Roles
- Factors That Impact Effectiveness
- Status
- Group Cohesion
- Support
- Training
- Reward system
- Empowerment/self e management
- Organizational representational/diversity
- High skills, high motivation
- Have a clear picture of group goals
- High performance
- Success attracts others
- Opportunity for individual recognition
- Recognition of professionalism
