Many people believe that the phrases “work group” and “work team” are interchangeable synonyms, but there is a significant difference between these concepts. A working group means employees who work together, striving to achieve specific organizational goals and sharing information, but “actually working independently of each other” (Fritz, 2019, para. 2). A work team relates to individuals who operate together to accomplish one precise aim; they have a common task (Fritz, 2019). While the effectiveness of a group can be measured by the individual achievements of every member, people in the work team try to make a more coordinated effort. Therefore, it would be wrong to say that work groups and work teams mean the same concepts.
If I knew nothing about the difference between these two concepts, I would suggest that a workgroup is employees who work together in one organization or one office. They have a leader and aim to achieve the general goals of their company or its branch. However, all employees have their tasks and individually report on their implementation. An example of a work group can be the staff of the company’s department, which has a boss controlling all employees and giving them instructions.
As for the work team, I would suggest that it includes several people who work on one project or a specific task, the implementation of which will contribute to the development of the organization. Every employee participates not only in accomplishing a common task but also in its discussion; there is no unconditional leader who decides everything. For example, it can be four people working together for a month to find new ways to develop a kefir packaging that will be safe for food storage and friendly to the environment. Thus, the main difference between a group and a team is in the community of their aim: the first strives to achieve the general company’s purpose, implementing individual tasks; the second one has common goals.
Reference
Fritz, R. (2019). Differences between work group and team work. Houston Chronicle. Web.