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Groups are important part of individual life. An organization or an institution are larger groups and within them there could be several sub-groups performing different tasks. The work or task gets organised through groups based on the organizational priority and choice. Work as such is a group activity. Group dynamics refers to the behavioral and psychological processes that occur within a group or between groups. It examines how individuals in a group interact, influence one another, and work towards achieving common goals.
Many times, students seek clarification on the confusion – whether groups and teams are same, are different, and if so, how are they different. Though in some cases while we study organizational dynamics, the terms – Group and/or Team are used interchangeably, there lies a significant difference. This piece attempts to explore the difference and bring some clarity.
While a group is a collection of individuals who may or may not work together to achieve a common goal; a team, on the other hand, is a subset of a group where the members are committed to a shared purpose, have collective responsibilities, and work interdependently. The individuals within a group focus primarily on their own tasks and responsibilities whereas in a team they work towards attaining a common goal.
For example, in an ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services) company dealing with providing services to industry and business, their software development department may have several groups of programmers working on separate projects. Each group could have different goals and outcomes, and the individuals within each group work on their own pieces without much of concentrated collaboration.
But if this IT company brings together developers, quality analysts, project managers, architects, and designers to work on a specific client project, this becomes a team. They have a shared goal—to deliver a project that meets the client’s needs—and they depend on each other to succeed. They function collectively rather than individually.
Whether it is a group of employees working in the finance department or a team in the marketing department, they consist of individuals contributing to the overall function of the organization. For example, at TCS, you might find a group of analysts in the finance department and a team of engineers working together to develop software for a client. Both are collections of individuals (group and team) working in the same organization.
The purpose of existence for a group is to perform routine tasks and to maintain prescribed standards, however it could be specific in case of a team. The activities of a team are more goal-oriented and target-driven however it may not be a case for a group. Like in Mahindra & Mahindra the design group is responsible for innovation at a broader level, however a specific team is focusing on developing efficient electric vehicles. Groups and teams, both have purpose but with different levels of alignment and focus.
The group members enjoy independence in most cases; however, the teams are supposed to be interdependent. Though there is sharing and collaboration in groups as well, however in teams the reliance on each other’s skills and roles is crucial because the failure of one team member impacts the performance of others and that of a team as a whole.
A group may not have clearly defined unified goal. In a group there is focus on individual performance – members having different targets. For example, in a FMCG company, the R&D group may consist of researchers working on various products without a common objective. However, a team is goal-oriented and target-focused. The marketing team at Zomato, for example, would work together to increase app downloads or promote a new feature. Every member contributes to a single, shared goal, and their success is measured collectively.
Leadership is an important aspect of group dynamics. Teaming and taming are part of an astute art of a leader. In an organization whenever an individual is elevated to the position of a leader, many aspirational managers begin to throng around him/her in the want of being part of the core or close team, though they remain part of the larger group or organization. These managers develop proximity with the leader to be part of the close team. (also read – what makes a good leader)
Effective leaders operate through teams and use their prerogative to make a team of close people based on experience, mutual trust, loyalty, intelligence, and ability. Leaders are often appreciated to have chosen excellent team members to achieve shared goal and at times blamed to have made wrong choice.
Group leadership is hierarchical though team leadership is participative.
In groups the members are held accountable for any lapse, however in teams the accountability is collective. In groups, decisions are taken by the head of the group whereas in teams decision making is relatively collaborative and participative. The former Chairman of Tata Sons, Late Ratan Tata strongly believed in teamwork which made him launch Tata Nano through shared vision and interdependent collaboration.
Teams and groups work together and could function simultaneously. Many organizations are shifting from traditional organizational dynamics and practices to innovative, non-hierarchical, flat structures to push performance and achieve targets. We have many great companies of yester years and of modern times having self-managed teams (SMTs). There have been a good body of research in the domain of SMTs in the later half of the 20th century.
It was Toyota that spearheaded the idea of SMTs in the late 1960s. SMTs operate with high degree of freedom and often set goals themselves, make appropriate decisions, and even conduct self-appraisals. SMTs can work effectively when all the members are highly empowered and responsible. At Google, they work through Self-Directed Teams.
So Groups, Teams, and Self-managed Teams are all part of larger organizational reality. Groups and teams are part of broader organizational architecture and system. The communication among the team members is more frequent and informal as compared to a group. A team is a smaller group, relatively and broadly groups stay longer as compared to teams.
The organizations have defined objectives and goals to look after the interests of all the stakeholders. Depending on the priorities and purpose; nature of work and workers, products and services; mode of operation and level, they may decide on the ways and means to develop groups, teams, and/or SMTs. Within an organization they may coexist.
The domain of group dynamics has crucial behavioural and psychological underpinnings that keep employees and team members driven and motivated for the cause of improved organizational outcomes. In the process, their individual interests get pursued and served. In organizations, effective group dynamics can lead to better collaboration, innovation, and problem-solving. A positive leader can practice positive group dynamics and encourage members to collaborate, trust each other, and work towards the organizational objectives with strong conviction and determination.
Also read :
Why and Why not Hierarchical Structure
How hope is related with optimism
Education, Students, and Motivation
2 thoughts on “GROUPS AND TEAMS”
Thank you, Sir, for sharing your insightful writing on the distinction and dynamics of groups and teams. As you mentioned, “in-team, decision-making and accountability are collective, collaborative, and participative.” Thus, I could associate it with one of the most well-known story narrated by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam: The Story of the SLV-3 Launch.
Very Insightful Sir.