Question

What are the differences between work groups and teams? Which do you think is a better concept for the workplace? How can we effectively work as a team in virtual spaces?

Answer 1

Workgroup refers to a group of people who come together with the basic purpose of interacting to share information. The performance of a workgroup is the sum of every members individual contribution with no synergy. Members of a workgroup are individually accountable and the basic objective of our group is to achieve the goals of the organisation.

A team on the other hand is created with the purpose of collective performance. It creates positive Synergy through the coordinated efforts of every individual. Every individual is both individually and collectively responsible for the efforts. Teams encourage active and open ended problem solving techniques.

From the point of view of the workplace a team is a better concept than a work group since it creates energy and there is collective responsibility of efforts.

Virtual teams can become very complex and it may become difficult to manage such teams. Selection of the correct people with good communication skills and emotional intelligence is imperative for the success of virtual teams. Virtual teams must have the right leaders and must be coordinated with the help of the right Technology. Conducting teleconferencing and videoconferencing meetings is essential for such teams to ensure maximum possible personal interaction. It is important for the team members to be open to ideas and to acknowledge the scope of miscommunication due to distances and cultural differences.