Compare and contrast characteristics of groups and teams.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

There is a difference in size between groups and teams. Groups often consist of two or more people and can be a relatively large number. Teams, on the other hand, often consist of 5–12 people.
The leadership styles between the two also differ. In a group, there is one clear leader who makes decision, while in a team, the leadership is shared amongst all team members.
The two also differ by job role. In a group, members perform one clear job, and individual members do one independent part of the process and then pass it on to the next person. On a team, members share responsibility by preforming many interdependent task with complementary skills and the team completes the entire process.
Groups and teams differ in accountability and evaluation as well. In a group, the leader evaluates individual members’ performance. In the team, members evaluate each other’s individual performance and group performance.
The rewards are fairly similar in that groups and teams are both rewarded on individual performance, but teams are also rewarded on group performance while groups are rewarded solely on individual performance.
The last characteristic the two are evaluated over is objectives. Group objectives are the objectives of the organization, while objectives of the team are determined by the organization as well as the objectives set by the team.