Mgt 307 - Groups and Teams

Groups and Teams

MGT/307

November 28, 2011

Dennis Keegan

Groups and Teams

Groups and teams are important to organizations. Although people seem to believe groups and teams are the same, they are not. The two have their own social relevance and are important in their own way. To gain a better understanding of how groups and teams differ, this summary will define the two. The summary will further discuss how diversity is important in an organization and how workplace diversity relates to team dynamics.

Groups

A group consists of small collection of individuals who share equivalent abilities and skills. The members of a group must work together to accomplish their leader's goal. According to "WebFinance" (2011) "A group is a collection of individuals who have regular contact and frequent interaction, mutual influence, common feelings, and who work together to achieve a common set of goals" (Business Dictionary).

Group members follow the guidance of their leader to reach the goal that the leader has set. For example, the leader sets the goals for the group. After setting the goals, the leader informs the group members of the plan of action that the group will take to attain the goal. However, the leader holds the group members individually accountable for the made contributions to the group. Groups are important assets for organizations because they help organizations accomplish tasks too difficult for one individual to achieve. With the right leadership, hard work, and committed individuals, a group will accomplish any goal set before it.

Teams

"WebFinance" (2011) defines a team as "A group of individuals with a full set of complementary skill required to complete a task, job, or project (Business Dictionary). Teams generally include less than 12 people whose members' skills, knowledge, and strengths are recognized and used. Members of a team share a sense of unity and identify with each other. Therefore, teams use "we" instead of "me."

Teams generally work well together to produce products as the result of a collective effort. Team members are collectively accountable for the products they produce. The only leadership that exists in a team is the entire team. Team members either rotate or share the leadership role.

Team leaders and team members must work hard to attain teamwork. Whether newly formed teams or "seasoned" teams, the teams will encounter problems at some point; however, it is important that the team members remain focused on the purpose of the team.

Importance of Workplace Diversity

An organization's competitiveness and success depends upon how it embraces workplace diversity. Workplace diversity is the differences among people in an organization. The differences include personality, gender, race, age, ethnic group, and more. When organizations realize the amount of workplace diversity it has, and determine and carry out diversity plans, it reaps