Groups and Teams
There is no "I" in team. This adage has been used by parents, coaches, and managers to shape and motivate the behavior of various groups and teams throughout the years. There is one major difference between a group and a team: accountability. Group members are accountable to each other, but each member is individually held responsible for their own performance. In a team, all members share accountability as a unit. The success or failure of either can be highly dependent upon various issues. Synergy, demographics, and cultural diversity greatly influence how a group becomes a high-performance team, the behavior of the team, and team dynamics.
Groups must posses and demonstrate strong values, mutual commitment, diverse skills, and creativity to become a high-performance team (Schermerhorn et al., 2005, p. 294). Values represent an individual's perception of what they feel is right or wrong. They are reflective of a group's standards, beliefs, and principles. The values of each group member affect their attitudes and behaviors when communicating and interacting with the group. For example, a group of people is assembled to complete an analysis on the growing trend of child obesity in today's society. The group consists of one Hispanic, one African American, one Asian, and two Caucasians. In their initial meeting, the group discovers that each member has numerous viewpoints on the subject. Member's opinions are based mostly on their cultural backgrounds and upbringing. In turn, this enables the group to approach their research in different ways. Commitment refers to the act of obligation to a specific duty or undertaking. Group members must be committed to the attainment of performance objectives to ensure success (Schermerhorn et al., 2005, p. 29 ...