Group vs. Team Leadership

 WHAT:
      Group vs. team leadership is something that has been debated for many years. Not everyone believes that there are a lot of differences between groups and teams, yet others believe it is a fierce topic to debate.

SO WHAT:
      Many people are probably thinking "so why does it matter if there is a distinct difference between groups and teams?" The overall purpose of providing differences between groups and teams is to effectively employ proper leadership skills in specific situations.  
      Groups typically have more members than a team.  Membership ranges from about two members to thousands of members. They can typically be classified into one of three separate categories: traditional work group, a traditional team, and a self-managing team. A traditional work group involves a hierarchy of leadership while a traditional team is when there is still leaders but they are not as dominant.  A self-managing team is when there are no leaders but everyone makes decisions themselves.
     An example of a group that I am involved in is the Sigma Kappa Sorority.  This would be considered a group because we are a collective group of individuals that come together for the common good of the sorority.  This group has roughly around one hundred and seventy members which is around the size of a group. As a group; we participate in philanthropic events, have sisterhood hangouts, and make decisions that better the sorority.
        Teams usually have more specific requirements for membership.  The typical amount of members in a team are from four to twenty. A unique aspect of teams is that each person brings different characteristics and qualities to the group.  Teams have certain goals that they are trying to accomplish. A direct quote on page 4 of Group Dynamics for Teams is "Teams usually are parts of larger organizations."
        A team that I am involved in with Sigma Kappa is being one of the leaders of the sorority.  The leaders of the sorority would be considered a team because it is a smaller group of people within the sorority.  Each person was elected for a specific personality trait and characteristic.  Since each person is a different position, they have different qualities like a team.  Within a team, you are supposed to have different individuals in order to get a lot of opinions and qualities. Also having a lot of people with knowledge about various subjects means that not everyone has to know all information.                                                                              

NOW WHAT:
    As situations are becoming more complex and difficult, teams have had a dramatic rise.  Different members of a team have greater knowledge and excellence in different areas of life.  This can be helpful for teams because not every person has to be knowledgeable about everything. In my opinion groups at times can be more functional than teams but mainly teams should take priority.