M.S Leading Teams for Performance and Impact

"The focus of this (and the next) chapter is on teams, which can be regarded as a type of small group. Although the terms ""team"" and ""group"" are often used interchangeably (even within the same study), it is useful to distinguish between these concepts to provide the boundaries for the review in this chapter. Our implicit working definition of teams is not so broad as to encompass all kinds of small groups, nor so narrow as to exclude important insights from the literature on groups. In distinguishing between groups and teams, Hare (1992) notes that ""group"" is the more general term and refers to a set of individuals who have some common characteristic without actually interacting with one another. ""Team"" is more specific term: joint action is implied, with sports teams being a very visible example. Dyer (1987:24-25) defines a team as ""a collection of people who must collaborate, to some degree, to achieve common goals.''"