A group and a team are viewed by many to be synonymous concepts and hence used interchangeably. However, some distinct differences exist between them and this paper gives an in depth discussion that will help in the understanding of the differences between a group and a team.
It also gives a comprehensive discussion on the significance of workplace diversity in a firm as well as its relationship to team dynamics in a particular organization. A group is relatively smaller than a team and may consist of two to four members working interdependently and mostly headed by a leader.
Every member in a team has some specific responsibilities for which he or she is answerable and the individual efforts are combined to result in effective achievement of the stipulated aims and objectives. A team on the other hand consists of seven to12 members who work interdependently but aim at attaining a common goal.
A leader is not a key consideration in a team and responsibilities are shared among team members to achieve desired results. A group is easier to form and manage, and appropriate for short term projects while a team needs some considerations such as competency to form and manage and works better for long term projects.
A group’s success depends on the willingness of the members to follow the leader’s commands while that of a team depends on unity of purpose and how the members help each other (Pollick, 2011).
Success in a group is usually measured by the overall results attained while an individual effort of members is used as a gauge in a team.
Failure of a member of a group may not necessarily affect its results since there is individual responsibility while failure of a team member will automatically lead to failure of the entire project as there will be a gap in competency required for success as it entails collective responsibility. The results in a team are attributed to all the members while the group leader owns the result of a group (Cameron& Green, 2004).
Work place diversity is usually a very essential aspect in any organization irrespective of its size or what it deals with. It is a concept that is directly related to team dynamics in the work place. When teams work together in the workplace, there is success which can be measured by the productivity and profitability levels of the particular organization.
Work place diversity entails the availability of a variety of competencies and skills possessed by the various personnel involve, and it affects team dynamics to a great extent. It for instance makes the process of problem solving effective, allows for innovation which in turn improves quality of work, and improves the overall performance of the team and the organization at large.
The combination of the different talents and skills possessed by the different individuals in a team promotes success because of the joint efforts aimed at accomplishing a common goal.
Team work creates a sense of ownership of a project which acts as a means of enhancing hard work that in return leads to efficiency and effectiveness and hence overall success of the various activities and practices of an organization. It also creates a sense of pride whenever desired results are achieved thus the urge to even perform better for success (Armstrong, 2010).
It is evident that a group and a team are quite different in terms of composition and operation despite the fact that they (group and team) are usually used interchangeably.
Team work is complex as compared to group work, and it is deemed to be very beneficial to any organization especially in terms of the team diversity involved which contributes to team dynamics and overall success in an organization in terms of productivity and profitability which is achieved as a result of combined efforts and competencies.
Reference List
Armstrong, T. (2010). Understanding Team Dynamics in the Workplace. Web.
Cameron, E., & Green, M. (2004).Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools & Techniques of Organizational Change. London: Kogan Page Publishers.
Pollick, M. (2011). What is the Difference between a Team and a Group?Wisegeek. Web.