Differences Between Team and Workgroup

The differences between team and work group is wide. In the first instance, a team works in a common way, together, to achieve an objective. When it comes to a group, they focus more on individual tasks. Each one is responsible for the task they perform even if they have a shared goal.

There has always been some confusion between these two concepts, since they may seem similar in appearance, but in practice this is not the case. They both have goals to achieve, but a group and a team are different in putting those goals into practice.

Meeting the proposed objectives is a fundamental task when developing a company job, participating in a team to enjoy leisure, such as a basketball team, or even forming teams at school to carry out tasks.

There is always talk of two options, group work, or team work, so it is essential to know the differences between the two.

Differences between group and team work

These are the most outstanding differences related to these two concepts:

• In a work team, all its members are responsible and respond jointly to the work, or work that is being developed. There is a team spirit and cooperation that extends to all participating members. On the other hand, when we speak of a group, although there is an objective to be achieved, each individual works individually, and deals with his tasks, thus being solely responsible for the work he develops.
• A team requires coordination, cooperation, efficiency when developing the tasks they have to carry out. Meanwhile, the people who make up a group carry out their tasks according to their own organization, their way of working individually.
• Another of the differences that exist, respond to the specialty of the members that compose it and what they do within each of these organizations. In the work group, its components usually carry out a similar job, there are normally no complementary tasks, their training and capacities are usually similar. But in the team this changes since each individual is a specialist in a specific task, and here it is necessary to be complementary. For example, in a basketball team, each member deals with a certain task and specialization in order to bring the team he represents to a successful conclusion.
• Relationships between individuals are also different. Normally, in a team ties are strengthened, there is a closer relationship, but in the group it does not usually happen, since the relationship is usually less intense.
• Hierarchy is another thing that differentiates a group from a team. In a team, it does not usually exist. If it is true that the team will be directed or captained by one person, but in the implementation there is a general equality. On the other hand, in the group there are levels of hierarchy to differentiate some members, their position, tasks and positions they perform, with respect to others.

In short, these are the differences between team and workgroup. The development and implementation of one or the other will have to do with the objectives to be achieved, as well as the process to be developed to achieve it.