WFED880:

Lesson 1: Introduction and Understanding Group and Team Facilitation

Groups vs. Teams (Continued)

Figure 1.1 shows groups from a psychological perspective (Hayes, 1997).

The research outlining the distinction between groups and teams is not clear-cut and can be fuzzy at times. However, several critical characteristics of teams are evident based on foundational bodies of research in the field:

• Teams are groups in work settings (Parks & Sanna, 1999).
• Team members work together on a common project for which they are all held accountable (Forsyth, 1999).
• Teams are typically engaged in sports or work activities (Levi and Askay, 2020).
• Team members have applied functions that are related to their role as a team member. Members typically have specialized skills and knowledge that directly relate to their role on the team (Levi and Askay, 2020).
• Teams are typically composed of 3–12 people who interact directly, whereas groups are more inclusive and range in size from 2–2,000 people (Levi and Askay, 2020).
• Teams actively cooperate and provide assistance to one another in order to achieve goals and tasks (Hayes, 1997).

Due to the uncertainty in these distinctions, we will use groups and teams interchangeably throughout the course. When referring to research on group dynamics and the foundational aspects of a collection of individuals, I will use the term groups. When discussing a more applied approach in the organizational setting, I will use the term teams. For the areas of study that are less defined, I will use the terms interchangeably.

References