In the latest workshop on the management programme I am participating in we spent some time looking at the difference between a group and a team in the workplace. In our learning sets we were given 30 minutes to prepare a short presentation on this topic. Our group chose to illustrate this difference using the idea of a relay race. We ran two races around the room, one as a group and one as a team. In each race the baton being carried represented a task.
In the group’s race the runners encountered problems with lack of direction, dropping of the baton, lack of support and self preservation or competitiveness – they finished last. In the workplace this might represent the achievement of the task but with a poor result.
In the team’s race the runners communicated better, using each other’s names, they passed the baton in the right order, gave each other support and motivated each other – they won the race. In the workplace this might represent not only the achievement of the task but to a high standard.
Following this activity there was a lot of discussion about whether it was always necessary to work in a team in the workplace. In some cases, particularly working as a subject librarian, I find that the team I am in works most often as a group of individuals, each supporting our own departments in slightly different ways dependent on their needs. The important thing in this case though is that when it is required we can pull together to work effectively as a team.
