Team vs Group

The team concept  implies a sense of shared mission and collective responsibility.  Groups focus on individual performance and goals, and reliance on individual abilities.

Teams have a collective mentality that focuses on

(1) sharing information, insights, and perspectives;

(2) making decisions that support each individual to do his or her own job better; and/or

(3) reinforcing each other’s individual performance standards.

Team members tend to have shared responsibilities, whereas group members sometimes work slightly more independently with greater motivation to achieve personal goals.

The Advantages of Teamwork:

• Synergy
• Avoids major errors Faster,
• better decisions
• Continuous improvement
• Innovation
• Stimulates
• self-motivation
• Greater job satisfaction
• Needs fulfillment

The Advantages of Teamwork:

• Pressure to conform to group standards and conduct
• Ostracized for productivity
• Social loafing
• Groupthink
• Inter-group conflicts

The characteristics of effective  teams

 Team effectiveness has three components:

1. 1.task performance—the degree to which the team’s output (product or service) meets the needs and expectations of those who use it;
2. group process—the degree to which members interact or relate in ways that allow the team to work increasingly well together over time; and
3. individual satisfaction—the degree to which the group experience, on balance, is more satisfying than frustrating to team members.

The four types  of  teams 

1. A functional team  
2. A cross-functional team
3. A virtual team
4. Self-managed teams (SMTs)

Organizational practices to enhance creativity include providing teams with the following:

• (1) adequate and quality resources,
• (2) appropriate recognition and rewards,
• (3) flexibility and a minimum amount of structure
• (4) supportive climate and  culture

Team leader activities that can help to enhance team creativity include :

• (1) matching members with the right assignments;
• (2) giving team members greater autonomy to do the job
• (3) ensuring the availability of adequate time, money, and other resources for the team
• (4) protecting against “creativity blockers.”

3 Parts of effective meetings

1. Identify objectives. Begin the meeting on time.
2. Cover agenda items.
3. Summarize and  review assignments. End the meeting on time