Groups and Teams in This Text, I

Groups and Teams

In this text, I highlight the main differences between groups and teams. Also, I examine workplace diversity and its relevance in an organization. Further, I determine how diversity relates to workplace team dynamics.

Groups and Teams: Key Differences

It is important to note that although the terms teams and groups are in most cases used in the same context, they do not mean the same thing. When it comes to their definition, a work group according to Griffin and Moorhead (2011) "is two or more persons who interact with one another such that each person influences and is influenced by each other person." On the other hand, in the authors' opinion, "a team is a small number of people with complimentary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable" (Griffin and Moorhead, 2011). Apart from having distinct definitions, teams and groups also differ on several other fronts. Differences in this case according to Griffin and Moorhead (2011) could be in terms of the systems of reward, authority and job categories.

Regarding job categories, it can be noted that the tasks of groups are usually understood in the context of jobs requiring moderate effort as well as minimal training. Griffin and Moorhead (2011) note that in this case, we may have a large number of individuals holding job descriptions that are largely similar. Further, the relationship between the final/end product and group effort is rather weak. When it comes to teams, those who constitute the same possess different skills which could in one way or the other be categorized under a few job categories (one or two). As Griffin and Moorhead (2011) note, as long as a team successfully accomplishes its goals, there are no concerns from either the management or team members regarding who does what task.

When it comes to authority, it is important to note that in a work group, the daily activities of employees are directly controlled by the supervisor. However, when it comes to teams, it is the team that decides or controls the activities to be accomplished. In this case, the team highlights activities to be accomplished and allocates tasks in accordance with the skills of each member. Hence in basic terms, while the daily activities of a group are controlled by a supervisor, the daily activities of a team are controlled by the team itself.

Lastly, regarding reward systems, Griffin and Moorhead (2011) are of the opinion that in the case of a group, rewards are largely dependent upon the seniority and performance of an individual as well as job type. On the other hand, team reward is in one way or the other dependent on the performance of the given team. Another key consideration when it comes to rewarding teams is individual skills breadth.

Workplace Diversity and its Importance in an Organization