groups

A number of things or persons who have some relationship to one another.A subset of a culture or of a society.

teams

Any group of people involved in the same activity, especially referring to sports and work.

this URL explain in details difference between Team & Group.

Regards, 

https://www.boundless.com/management/textbooks/boundless-management-textbook/groups-teams-and-teamwork-6/defining-teams-and-teamwork-51/differences-between-groups-and-teams-261-4011/

Hi Amer,

Following are the differences between group vs team based on some characteristics:

1. Leadership - formally established for group, it is shared roles for team members within a team

2. Accountability - individual accountability for group, mixed of shared & individual accountability for team

3. Performance - sum of individual outputs for group, collective and synergistic for team

4. Skills - normally diverse for group, normally complementary for team

For details, pls refer to Cook, C. W., Hunsaker, P. L., & Coffey, R. E. (1997). Management and Organizational Behavior. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Regards,

Fung

In the workplace, groups are usually used to describe any form of cooperation or task-performing effort within the organization. Therefore, there is no need to have emotional (affective) or personally-driven behaviors among those who form the group. In the other hand, teams are identified by the glue or culture that connect members one to the other. Teams must have a certain amount of cohesiveness or at least mutual understanding and respect among members of the team. Such glue is the secret in many forms to the success that distinguishes one team from the other. I personally like to look at teams as small functional families, while groups can be neighbors; while you tightly connected with the your family, you need not to worry much about your neighbors because they are not instrumental to your wellbeing. You still can live in the community even if your neighbors are dysfunctional.

Hi Amer,

Thanks for posing this question.  I'll add some stuff to what has been said already.  I'll make use of Fung's numbered approach because I like it.

1)  Group is a much broader concept and phenomenon.  You can have a group of people who ride the subway together to work in the morning.  Unless they have some unexpected obstacle which brings them together (like in Hollywood movie), it is unlikely that this group of people will function as a team.  The contrasts above are mostly about work groups, so I'll follow that path, but there are all kinds of groups of people.

2)  There are "teams" which are actually designated such -- like sports teams.  In addition, sometimes a "work group" gets called a "team."  It seems that many people want to be a part of work groups which are teams.  Not everybody does want to be part of a team.

3)  I agree with what Abdulfattah Yaghi says about cohesiveness as often being an important distinguishing factor between regular "work groups" and "teams".  However, there are formally designated "teams" (like sports teams with that are not working together) which do not have much cohesiveness.  So, you can't rely on a single characteristic to differentiate them.

4)  I agree with what Fung said about accountability and performance for a team.  I don't agree with the claim about leadership - I think that teams often have formally established leadership.  

5)  I'd also add that there is may be some kind of explicit or implied intent when managers give the label "team" to a particular work group, whether that work group is functioning as a team or not.  That can be most painful - when things are called what they are not.

Thanks for the question

Seamus

A groups consists of a number of persons who have a common goal and interact with each other around that goal. In the process, they have influence over each other. A group may or may not be a team.

If the group makes appropriately synchronized efforts for attaining its common goal, then it can it may develop itself  into a team. In addition to the coordination of the efforts of its members, a team uses  common resources while making  collective effort towards the common goal.

Team has task, target, goal and aim.

Group is a mass along with uniform mind set.

Groups are formed when two or more people having common needs and goals, and who interact with one another over a period of time, through these interactions members influence on another,over time groups develop set of rules and procedures (norms) which are considered to be acceptable Behavior for the members.  Purpose of group formation can be economic, security or social.

Team is a  special type of group that is made up of people who have complementary skills and who are assigned the task of achieving a specific organizational objective.

In most cases, team members determine their own performance standards and work methods.

1) A team has a common objective. Where as, a group may not have.

2) A team has definitely a leader. Where as, a group may not have.

3) In team, team members can communicate with each other. Where as in a group, the communication between groups members has to be definitely through the group leader (if he exists). That is, number of communication channels are more in teams than in groups.

4) Team is more formal in nature. Where as, a group may be informal in nature.

5) Team has well defined processes. Where as a group may not have boundaries defined.

All the best.

The Group members have some commonality in characteristics as well as identity, whereas the Team members have commonality in the objective which they wish to achieve. Group members have some homogeneity, but the team members could be heterogeneous.

The word group however has a broader meaning – a group of passengers on a flight have a common characteristic – to travel, but they are not necessarily working towards a common cause. Groups do not even need to refer to people, for example, a group of products in a supermarket - in this case the group is arbitrary and could be defined by any number of variables.

A team is generally more specific. We would not refer to our airline passengers as a team, unless they crashed on a desert island and needed to work together to survive. The distinction is that a team is working together for a common cause. A group of schoolchildren may be in the same class, whereas a team of schoolchildren may be working together on a specific project within the class.

http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/groups.html

There is some confusion about the difference between a group and a team; traditionally academics, communication and management theorists use the terms: group, group-working, group-interaction, group-structure etc. to refer to the dynamics of people working together towards a common cause.

The word group however has a broader meaning – a group of passengers on a flight have a common characteristic – to travel, but they are not necessarily working towards a common cause. Groups do not even need to refer to people, for example, a group of products in a supermarket - in this case the group is arbitrary and could be defined by any number of variables.

A team is generally more specific. We would not refer to our airline passengers as a team, unless they crashed on a desert island and needed to work together to survive. The distinction is that a team is working together for a common cause. A group of schoolchildren may be in the same class, whereas a team of schoolchildren may be working together on a specific project within the class.

Find more at: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/groups.html#ixzz3IbjqG9x3

Hello Everyone, 

team - centred around the goal to achieve, with (usually) clear responsibilities, tasks, roles, with more or less clear hierarchy, usually with the plan and time constraints to achieve certain outcomes...

group - no clear hierarchy, no clear goals, can be a bunch of people that happened to be in one place for a certain reason (reason perceived in a very different way - like a concert, visiting a park)

A group can be diverted into a sort of a team, and the impulse can come from ; 1) outside (like - we have to survive when stuck together in a blocked elevator, or directed by a company creating brand community in the internet from people visiting certain websites) 2) inside (in the elevator someone starts to lead the group, one wants to find people sharing the same beliefs). Goals do not to have be formulated, time schedule is not necessary, but group can act as a team, although its hierarchy is rather a result of action and personal traits of its members (like us here in  RG)....

best regards 

Hi Amer; Gorpup is the mass of people which are of similar mindset and cause to be together. Generally it may be bigger than a team. While team has a goal or task with always a team leader. Thanks

A group refers to the collection of people who share a common goal. A working team is essentially group members that coordinate their efforts.

Members of the team are mutually committed to the goals and they are cohesive to each other. This commitment creates some sort of joint accountability, and in turn, a strong motivation for performance.

Hi Shafig and Mahfuz, I am afraid I cannot agree with you, Shafig, when you say: "traditionally academics, communication and management theorists use the terms: group, group-working, group-interaction, group-structure etc. to refer to the dynamics of people working together towards a common cause."; or you, Mahfuz, when you say "A group refers to the collection of people who share a common goal."

In the world of  social psychology, anyway, a group is a number of people (2+) that share a common characteristic; they do not  need to know each other let alone share a common goal.  In other words, Americans comprise a group because they share a common characteristic.  The difference is quite important because under stress (anything from post-911, to waiting for dental surgery) people gravitate towards others, even those they didn't know previously, so various different circumstances can cause groups to become teams (when there is a common goal).

A work team has members who work interdependently with a specific, common goal to produce an end result for their business. A work group is two or more individuals who are interdependent in their accomplishments and may or may not work in the same department. Team works together and shares in the outcome, while a group is more independent of each other.

1) A team has common purpose/objective. 

A Group may not have a common purpose/objective. 

2) A team is lead by a designated leader 

A group may not have a designated leader. 

3) A team is formed because of formal arrangement. 

A group may be formed because of informal relationships/hobbies. 

4) A team may have specific duration for its existence. 

A group may not have specific duration for its existence. 

5) Participative safety exists in team. 

Where as in group, it is controlled by the group leader. 

A group is two or  more people who share a common factor or interest (others of your nationality, family or chess club!  A team is a subset of a group in which two or more people coordinate effort towards achieving a specific goal.

 Let us go for the usage. We say, a football team, not a football group. Similarly, we say, a group dance, not a team dance.