Groups and Teams

Groups and Teams

Groups and teams may sound as they are the same thing, but are quite different. Both consist of people working for a particular purpose, but are used in an organizational setting for different reasons. Workplace diversity is something used in groups and teams and this paper will explain how it is useful to an organization.

Groups

Groups are divided into three types of levels. The first level is the dependent level. Dependent-level work groups are the traditional work unit or department groups with a supervisor who plays a strong role as the boss (Dummies.com, 2010, para. 2). Every member of the group works independently, but the boss in is charge of each member of the group. The boss keeps a close watch on each member of the dependent group. If the members of the group need help, they do not ask for it from other members of the group, they only ask it from the boss.

Another level of a group is the independent level. In the independent group, each person is responsible for his or her area. Unlike the independent group, the individual in the independent group is not closely monitored by the boss. Members of this group are primarily concerned with their own work with little or no supervision.

The final level of groups is the Interdependent level. Members of this group level all count on each other to finish the work. Members of the interdependent group may have their own job role, but they may share responsibilities with other members of the group. This can be one of the most constructive groups because instead of one person trying to finish something by himself, he has other members of the team to help him or her.

Teams

The main difference between a team and a group is that a group is primarily a group of people

working individually to do their own job and a team is a group of people all working together to finish a job. Teams are not categorized into different levels because a team is just one group working on a project together. If an individual in the team does not win, the entire team does not win. In a group, one individual could fail, without ruining it for the whole team. Teams will collaborate on a project together, whereas members of a group will work on their own projects individually.