A group is a group of people, animals or things that are circumstantially gathered together or that share common characteristics. A team applies to persons specially organized to perform some activity or work.
While group members have autonomy in the activities they perform, in a team the members must act in a cohesive manner.
Additionally, in groups each member can set achievements and obtain results individually. In teams, accomplishments are set to be achieved with the contribution of all members.
| Group | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Persons brought together or sharing certain characteristics. | Persons organized to act together. |
| Objectives | Each member can have particular objectives and achieve them individually. | The objectives are common to all members and are achieved together. |
| Performance | Individual, not dependent on other members. | Collective, depends on the contribution of the other members. |
| Attitude | Passive, usually members just follow established guidelines. | Proactive, it is more usual the participation and contribution of the members. |
| In the work environment | They work with a directional form scheme. | Creativity and novelty in members’ ideas are valued. |
What is a group
A group is a group of people, animals or things that share certain characteristics or that are brought together by some circumstance.
Generally, group members have autonomy, even if they share similar objectives or have the same leader, since they do not depend on others to carry out their tasks.
In the work environment, group members can carry out their tasks by responding in a way that is not dependent on others. individually for the contribution made.
An example of this could be the teachers in a school, who form a group that performs the same work and have a common leader, who is the school principal.
However, each teacher is responsible for his or her work in the classroom, since he or she does not depend on the other teachers to teach, and can be excellent or perform mediocrely without directly affecting the work of the others.
Group types
Groups can be classified as follows taking into account the integration, interaction and norms that govern them:
Primary group: they are made up of a few people and communication is direct.
The relationship between its members is based on affection, commitment and solidarity.
Example: family, friends.
Secondary groupcomposed of many people who do not always interact directly.
The reason that unites them are common objectives and the fact that they are governed by a set of rules.
Example: the workers of a company.
Reference groupused to make comparisons and study behaviors to be assimilated by an external person who does not belong to it.
Example: the artistic group to which a musician would like to belong in the future.
Belonging group: a group of which a person is a member where all members share certain characteristics.
Example: people who share the same nationality, such as Mexicans, Venezuelans or Argentines.
Formal group: it complies with a scheme and rules established for its members, in order to achieve previously formulated objectives.
Example: a discussion group.
Informal groupinformal groups: they usually arise from formal groups due to the integration of members united by affective ties and companionship.
Example: a group of work colleagues.
What is a team
A team is a group of people who act together and support each other equitably to achieve a common end.
In teams, it is essential to cohesion among its members in order to achieve optimal results and fulfill its purpose.
For this reason, team members support one another and collaborate among themselves to improve their performance together. In this sense, they perform their functions jointly, with the participation and contribution of all, responding collectively for the work done.
Examples of teams are those formed in sports, such as basketball, soccer or baseball. Here a collective is formed led by a captain, each of the members occupies a different position, but all make contributions and pursue the same purpose, which is the triumph of the team. To achieve this, everyone must act together.
Types of teams
Taking into account different criteria, equipment can be classified as follows:
According to operating time:
- PermanentThey function indefinitely, regardless of the objectives they achieve. For example: the team of reporters of a newspaper.
- TemporaryTemporary: they are created to meet an eventuality that arises at the moment. When a solution is presented, they terminate their functions. For example: a team that is formed to compete for a bid.
Depending on the degree of formality:
- Formalare created with a pre-established objective and can be permanent or temporary. For example: a soccer team that is formed to compete for a trophy.
- Informal: they are formed spontaneously to deal with a specific issue or for social purposes. For example: some fellow students improvise a debate team to discuss a topic.
According to hierarchy:
- Horizontals: all members are at the same level and position when it comes to decision making.
- Vertical: its members occupy different offices or positions and are at different hierarchical levels.
According to their function in the work environment:
- Conflict resolution: they are in charge of solving specific problems that affect the whole team. For example: the human resources department.
- Decision-makingare those that set the guidelines to be followed. For example: the board of directors of a company.
- Production: they motivate all members to obtain the best results. For example: the managers of each of the departments of a company.
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