We’ve all been there: sitting in a meeting that’s touted as a team gathering but feels more like a bureaucratic cat walk for managerial ego. The distinction between a real team and a mere working group is more than semantics; it’s the difference between mediocrity and excellence.
Katzenbach and Smith lay it out. A working group is a collection of individuals each accountable for their own results. They come together to share information, perspectives, and make decisions that help each person do their job better. But the focus is always on individual goals. They don’t produce collective work-products – the unique outputs that arise only from true collaboration.
Teams, on the other hand, require both individual and mutual accountability. They rely on more than group discussion and decision-making; they produce work-products that result from the joint contributions of their members. This collective effort allows teams to achieve performance levels greater than the sum of individual bests. In essence, a team is more than the sum of its parts.
To truly understand the impact of a team, consider the transformation at Knight-Ridder, where a vision of “customer obsession” turned a struggling paper into a beacon of major change. This wasn’t about individuals doing their jobs well; it was about a team working together to achieve something remarkable. The commitment to a common purpose turned frontline enthusiasts into change-makers, proving that when people work together towards a shared goal, extraordinary things happen.
But why do so many groups masquerade as teams? It’s simple: calling a group a team is motivating and energizing. Yet, without the discipline described these groups flounder. The label alone doesn’t imbue a group with the magic of teamwork. Real teams require a disciplined approach to performance and mutual accountability.
In today’s fast-paced business world, distinguishing between a team and a working group is crucial. Managers must foster the environment and discipline needed for real teams to thrive. Only then can they unlock the true potential of collective performance, turning ordinary groups into extraordinary teams.
