Teams vs. Groups

Food for Thought

What is a team? And do we take time enough to distinguish between a team and any of the following:

  • A clan
  • A faction?
  • A committee?
  • A mob?
  • A rabble?
  • An interest group?
  • A…?

We think that there are three minimum criteria for any group of people to meet before they can or should be considered to be a team.

  1. They are clearly identifiable
  2. They have a common purpose and a set of unifying objectives and
  3. To achieve their purpose interaction is required

Now the challenge for organizations then is that when putting teams in places especially business improvements and project teams it is critical to invest time up front to ensure that these questions are thoroughly and meaningfully answered.

The question for you is: ‘How many teams do you have running your business vs. how many groups of individuals do you have attempting to run your business?