Are you leading a team or a work group?
Team is a term that gets used a lot when it comes to volunteers. The term references a group of people working together, but not every group of people working together is a team.
When getting to know a team leader, I love asking a simple question:
Are you leading a team or a work group?
It might seem like semantics, but there are some important distinctions between a work group and a group of people who are a team.
A work group will coordinate together. They coordinate schedules and logistics.
In contrast a team collaborates with one another. They interact in a way where their effort and wisdom improve the work of those on the team.
Work groups are made up of people who know each other. They could tell you the names of people in the group.
Teams are made up of people who like each other. That doesn’t automatically mean they are all friends - but there is a general appreciation of those on the team and an awareness of their strengths and weaknesses.
A work group will experience shared space - whether that be a meeting room, offices, a table, etc…what is shared is the where they do what they do.
Meanwhile a team experiences shared values - common beliefs and habits which inform the way they do what they do.
One last distinction - work groups encourage people to identify with and focus on their individual contribution towards the end goal, where a team environment encourages everyone to put the greatest focus on the collective results.
If you find yourself leading a working group, know that it is possible to turn that group into a team. With time and intentionality it is possible to take a group of people working around each other and cultivate an environment where they work together as one.
