Kurdistan Regional Government – Iraq

Ministry of Higher Education and

Scientific Research
Lebanese French University
College of Business Administration Management

Title: Group work vs Team work

Prepared by: aram sarbast
Supervised by: Dr.sohail khan
Academic year: 2019-2020
Semester: first
Trail: second
date:17/7/2020
Lecturer email: sohailkhan@lfu.edu.krd
signature:

Mark(number) Mark(written) signature

Introduction
In the business world, we have work groups and work teams. A work team has members who
work interdependently on a specific, common goal to produce an end result for their business.
A work group is two or more individuals who are interdependent in their accomplishments and
may or may not work in the same department. Once again, the differences are subtle, but the
main thread is a team works together and shares in the outcome, while a group is more
independent of each other.

Team
A group of people with a full set of complementary skills required to complete a task, job, or
project.
Team members
(1) operate with a high degree of interdependence,
(2) share authority and responsibility for self-management
(3) are accountable for the collective performance, and
(4) work toward a common goal and shared rewards(s).
A team becomes more than just a collection of people when a strong sense of mutual
commitment creates synergy, thus generating performance greater than the sum of the
performance of its individual members.

Five Different Types of Teams

Different types of teams prepare an organization for different reasons. In this section, I will run
through the five different types that exist currently, and look at some of their pros and cons.

Here are five different types of teams that currently exist:

1. Working Teams
Working teams are teams that are basic to any organization: Marketing teams, Human
Resource teams, Finance Teams. They are divided according to their function and they
perform ongoing tasks for any organization. Traditionally, majority of organizations are
organized in such a way.
Pros: Efficient, functional and task-oriented. Each department fulfills a clear role in the
organization. Little mis-communication about cross-functional responsibilities.

Cons: Little communication between department leads to inter-department rivalry. Clashing

interests causing conflict. Lack of innovation on better procedures.
2. Special Purpose Teams
Special purpose teams are teams that are formed to fulfil a special purpose or a one time
off project. These teams include working committees for a particular event, or a committee
that comes together to solve a particular problem.
Usually, these teams are not permanent and they are usually disbanded once the purpose
of the team is served.

Pros: Synergistic, multi-disciplinary team set up to achieve a special goal. Members are
chosen according to what is necessary; will be essential.

Cons: Takes team members away from their current responsibilities due to conflicting
schedules and objectives. Takes time to build synergy.

3. Multi-functional Teams
These teams consist of members formed from different areas of expertise. They may come
together for a short term basis or sometimes they’re formed permanently. This depends on
the nature of the organization they work in.
Pros: People with different disciplines will offer multiple points of view. Expect innovation
and different ideas to come out of meetings. Brings out potential in each individual.

Cons: Only useful for project-based organizations, or for a project purpose. Make take time
to build synergy.

4. Self-Directed Teams
Self-Directed Teams do not have a clear leader. They have shared leadership and share
responsibility of their work. We do not often see self-directed teams in companies and big
organizations; they usually exist in small music groups like bands.
Pros: Members are motivated volunteers. Shared goals, objectives and responsibilities.
Good environment for open feedback.

Cons: May not have clear vision. Without a leader, conflicts may lead to separation. Leader
is usually determined by popularity more than ability.

5. Management Teams
Management Teams are like the board of directors of a company. The directors or
managers come together to deliberate on strategic and macro-issues that affect the whole
organization. This function is traditional and an necessary extension if the organization has
work groups.
Pros: Important function in organizations with work groups and cross-communication is
needed. Able to see the organization in a big-picture with perspectives from different
departments. Effective in making things happen.
 Cons: May not see what is happening on the ground; out of touch with realities. May turn
into a fight for political power if leader does not manage it well.

Group
A group is a collection of individuals who interact with each other such that
one person’s actions have an impact on the others. In other words, a group is
defined as two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have
come together to achieve particular objectives.

What is a Group?
Groups where people get along, feel die desire to contribute to the team, and
are capable of coordinating their efforts may have high-performance levels.
Group can be defined as a collection of individuals who have regular contact
and frequent interaction, mutual influence, the common feeling of
camaraderie, and who work together to achieve a common set of goals.

The definition of a group can be given by some other simple ways like:

 Several people or things that are together or in the same place.

 Several people who are connected by some shared activity, interest, or

quality.

 Several individuals assembled or having some unifying relationship.

 A set of people who meet or do something together because they share the
same purpose or ideas.
 The term group can be defined in several different ways, depending on the
perspective that is taken.

A comprehensive definition would say that is a group exists in an organization,

its members:

 Are motivated to join.

 Perceive the group as a unified unit of interacting with people.

 Contribute in various amounts to the group processes (that is, some people
contribute more time or energy to the group than do Others).

 Reach agreements and have disagreements through various forms of

interaction.

Differences Between Group Work & Team Work

Nowadays, group or team concept is adopted by the organization, to

accomplish various client projects. When two or more individuals are classed
together either by the organization or out of social needs, it is known as
a group. On the other hand, a team is the collection of people, who are linked
together to achieve a common objective.
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.
Comparison Between Group Work & Team Work

BASIS FOR
GROUP TEAM
COMPARISON

Meaning A collection of individuals A group of persons having

who work together in collective identity joined
completing a task. together, to accomplish a
goal.

Leadership Only one leader More than one

Members Independent Interdependent

Process Discuss, Decide and Discuss, Decide and Do.

Delegate.

Work Products Individual Collective

Focus on Accomplishing individual Accomplishing team goals.

goals.

Accountability Individually Either individually or mutually

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.

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.

Refrences

1)http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/team.html?fbclid=IwAR2hEvrGQdfEFb45GUM5T57R4q
Yje8umXxFzvSBUi7zES2Lrqj-03T4MnlI

2) http://www.leadershipgeeks.com/types-of-teams/?fbclid=IwAR1RqQ2IddtJYDUv75ePP7lxtcIRjWWW-
JsHX-nLXCOf4Ckx3YQHovlAGak
3)https://www.iedunote.com/group?fbclid=IwAR2n3oFRNjnylBsdyYhAIPwdTqW1Dm020wpGhOsuCx2kp
VU5UxG7DB6V9QU
4) https://businessjargons.com/group.html?fbclid=IwAR27pi3mY-
IJP_Es6kH3z44f21lRhp3LGhtQow4nDclKWFRTdJ74FMAGm-o

5) https://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-between-group-work-team-work-
11004.html?fbclid=IwAR3ec3tdylqy4cPU70dowhO3yWFX14TuKmvWQ5yoFE2UXcVg6F0TMkZit6Q