A “group” is a collection of people who come together to communicate, tackle a problem or coordinate an event. Even though they may meet often, they’re a group and not a team because they have specific traits. In most groups, individual members operate under their own separate parameters and work to achieve independent goals. Additionally, individuals in groups operate at various levels of empowerment depending on their position in the organization; little or no time is devoted to building relationships, and issues of cohesion and trust are rarely systematically addressed.

Since group members typically pursue their own individual goals, groups tend to exhibit “I”-centered behavior in conversations. This generally makes a group very competitive and argumentative.

How is a team different than this?

In contrast to a group, a team is a collection of people who come together to achieve a clear and compelling common goal that they have participated in defining. To the members of a true team, that goal is more important than their own individual pursuits. It’s this factor that gives a team its cohesion.

A team also creates a set of norms or rules of conduct that define the team’s culture. While a group may be run by a single person, according to pre-published rules of order, a team runs itself by norms created by the members.

Team members also cooperate to plan and coordinate roles. Their work lives are linked together, and they depend on each other.

When team members have differences of opinion, they tend to debate the ideas rather than argue points of view. They aren’t out to gain personal victory, but to arrive at the best solution for the good of the whole.

While the members of a group generally have only the level of authority inherent in their position within the organization, teams seek and attain higher levels of empowerment. Drawing on each other to make better decisions, a team typically evolves toward greater autonomy in managing its work.

There is a definite sequence of stages a team goes through in order to reach high performance levels. A group does not tend to follow this pattern. One reason is that team membership is more permanent. While a group can operate with members coming and going, the members of a team need to be more consistent. In fact, if a member leaves a team, it may need ti return briefly to the forming stage in order to integrate its new member.

Whether teams are created to stay together for just a few meetings or for years, they tend to develop more trust and openness than do most groups. Members have bought into the idea of working together and have made a commitment to common action. This helps create the comfort that many people need before they can freely express their ideas and concerns.