Organizational Behavior - Teams vs. Groups: What Is the Difference?

Teams can

make products, provide services, negotiate deals, coordinate projects, offer advice, and make decisions

Research results on the effectiveness of self-managed work teams have

not been uniformly positive

It is not unusual at some companies for employees to

spend three-quarters of their day communicating with co-workers

Team Attributes

1)team members share leadership. 2)Both individuals and the team as a whole share accountability for the work of the team. The team develops its own purpose or mission. The team works on problem solving continuously, rather than just at scheduled meeting times. The team's measure of effectiveness is the team's outcomes and goals, not individual outcomes and goals.

Group vs. Team

A group is a collection of individuals who coordinate their individual efforts. A team is a group of people who share a common team purpose and goals.

Types of Teams

Problem-solving teams Self-managed work teams Cross-functional teams Virtual teams

performing stage

The stage that occurs when team members adopt and play roles that enhance the activities of the group.

problem-solving team

a team from the same department or functional area that's involved in efforts to improve work activities or to solve specific problems

When these teams are established, former supervisory positions can take on

decreased importance and may even be eliminated

Management has found that teams are more

flexible and responsive to changing events than are traditional departments or other forms of permanent grouping

Teams allow for

greater task identity, with team members working on tasks together

Self-Managed Teams

groups of employees with the authority and skills to manage themselves, typically made up of 10 to 15 employees

self-managed teams are responsible for the

planning and scheduling of work, assigning tasks to members, making operating decisions, taking action on problems, and working with suppliers and customers

Teams have the capability to

quickly assemble, deploy, refocus, and disband

performing stage

the fourth stage of group development when the group is fully functional and works on group task

bonding stage

the stage of relationship development when people publicly announce their commitment to each other

norming stage

the third stage of group development, which is characterized by close relationships and cohesiveness

Teams also can be more motivational

true