Do you know that groups and teams are different? In the beginning, I believe that both are the same, with no difference at all. But since I attend Dr Jamilah’s class, I knew that team is more important than a group when it goes to pursuing a specific target or task. OK, here I recap what I learned from her class.

Although both team and group refer to a group of people, however, they differ in their structure and purpose. A group is just a gathering of people, but they may or may not work together towards a common goal. On the other hand, a team is a group of people who collaborate toward a specific objective or have the same goal. Hence, when it comes to achieving a particular goal, a team is usually more significant than a group.

There are some characteristics of the team:

1. They share the same vision or goals.
2. They can share responsibility whereas working in a group may working independently.
3. They involve peer opinion while deciding the decision.
4. They support individual performance each other.

Perhaps we have an experience during college while working with a group. The task was not satisfactory, we worked so hard but independently. The members were reluctant to complete the task. It’s frustrating, right? So, you are just working in a group, not a team.

Then there are some characteristics of an effective team: task performance, group process, and individual satisfaction. Task performance measures how well the team’s output meets the expectations of those who use it. Make sure you decide the metric of group performance for example sharing the task with specific measurement output then we can monitor and manage them well. Group process refers to how well team members interact with each other over time to improve teamwork. Individual satisfaction measures how satisfied team members are with their group experience. Leaders has a strong influence to break the clumsiness within a group, they must know to build team cohesion. Conflict may arise when working in a group but it’s natural. According to Tuckman model there are 5 stages of teamwork: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. These stages are commonly used to understand and improve group dynamics in various settings.

1. Forming: This is the initial stage where team members come together and get to know each other. They learn their role, what purpose must be done etc
2. Storming: In this stage, conflicts may arise among team members as they try to establish their roles and responsibilities. So conflict is natural but we must cover it wisely
3. Norming: The team begins to resolve conflicts and establish norms for communication and decision-making.
4. Performing: At this stage, the team is fully functional and able to work together to achieve its goals.
5. Adjourning: This is the final stage where the team disbands after completing its project or task.

Then we can figure out which stages are we in. if you are in the middle of the due date completion but your teamwork stage is still in the forming, then the group is not functioning. As already mentioned that leaders play important roles in building effective teamwork and making the team into the final stage as modeled by Tuckman. They must assign members tasks that align with their strengths, giving them autonomy, providing resources, and removing obstacles that block the creativity of the members to carry out their duties.

Workin a group means communicating frequently. Effective communication require interaction between members and face to face is the most important things. Thus to facilitate effective meeting can follow some tips:

1. Identify the objective of the meeting. Preparation involves setting an agenda, inviting attendees, and ensuring that everyone has the necessary information or materials beforehand. Make sure the meeting should be done on time. One hour is the recommended period of the meeting duration.
2. Identify the items on the agenda. This is the important thing in a meeting. In the introduction, the meeting should start with a brief introduction, including any necessary background or context.
3. Summarize the discussion and review again. During meeting discussion, which is the main part of the meeting, where attendees can share their ideas, opinions, and concerns, the moderator should encourage participation from all attendees and keep the discussion on track. Taking note of important things during the meeting is also important so any member who can’t attend the meeting may follow the latest information.
4. At the end of the meeting, it’s important to summarize any decisions made and identify any action items that need to be taken. These should be assigned to specific people with clear deadlines.