Kristin Arnold on The Difference Between a Group and a Team (3 mins)

Master Meeting Facilitator Kristin Arnold shares the difference between a group and a team.
When you need a dynamic, engaging, and interactive speaker and subject for your next meeting, conference or convention, consider booking Kristin Arnold.
For more information, visit www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com or call us at 480.399.8489.
Many years ago, I heard this surprising contrast between a group and a team: A group of people get on an elevator. A team occurs when the elevator gets stuck!
Think about it. A group of people walk on to the elevator, they work on the same floor, they work for the same boss, they work on the same type of task.....you get the idea. A group has something in common with each other.
A team is more than a group. They have a common goal. And that goal transforms them into a team of people working toward the same outcome - together.
You might be thinking, who cares? Why does this make a difference?
As a leader, the strategies you use for groups are different than the strategies you use for teams.
In addition to recognizing and rewarding individual contributions, you must also recognize team performance toward the goal. This simple shift in focus creates a new set of behaviors:
More communication among team members
More collaboration on how to do the job better, cheaper, faster
More synergy in identifying opportunities or improvements
More sharing of best practices
More shared experiences and camaraderie between team members
Does it matter if you use the term "group" or "team". Only if you want people to figure out how to get out of the elevator!
As a high stakes meeting facilitator, keynote speaker, and professional panel moderator, Kristin has worked with over a hundred different organizations, three hundred different teams, and presented to over a half a million people around the world on the topics of leadership, strategy, innovation, critical thinking and teamwork.
Just visit www.extraordinaryteam.com for more information!
As the past President of the National Speakers Association of the United States (2010-11) and one of the first female graduates of the United States Coast Guard Academy, Kristin brings 20 years of practical team building experience to your audience. She has worked with small businesses to Fortune 500 companies and is equally adept on the shop floor as she is in the executive boardroom.
She is considered to be the foremost expert on moderating panel discussions (see www.powerfulpanels.com) as well as author of five books including the award-winning book, Boring to Bravo: Proven Presentation Techniques to Engage, Involve, and Inspire Your Audience to Action. She is also a contributing author to myriad other team-based books such as The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation.
Connect with Kristin:
/ kristinjarnold
/ kristinjarnold
/ kristin.arnold.16
/ qpcinc
/ kristinjarnold

[@AmeriCanonStudios]

My left ear enjoyed this

[@kazeemsanni2857]

This makes so much sense. I can now see that I have belong more to a group than a team.

[@godwinomezi9921]

This one of the simplest and best example i have heard between a group and a team.

[@sjmcgoldrick1]

simple and articulate definitions for a team and a group

[@skleppe23]

Thanks - nice, clear definitions. your messages resonate well.

[@Hmoud-Aljeeran]

thank you for the great information you make it more easer to understanding

[@michaelnartey3854]

Thanks, Kristin for sharing your thoughts on the difference between a group and a team. This is very useful. A team is more focused on achieving a common objective. A team shares and interact with each other beyond the workplace. A group may be operating at the strategic level.
Michael

[@MuizzuddinYaqeen]

thanks for the interesting analogy

[@dr.husainrabiah5556]

The importance of TEAM work

[@chetnamadaan4229]

thank you mam
for teaching

[@amenyogodknows5960]

Thanks

[@hil6ry]

thank you very much :D

[@myrkymbay]

It seems like Kristin defined a team as a group: A group of people going towards a common goal. It is a classic definition of a group. Teams must have in its definition some synergy and difference, because it is different than a group. So, team is generating synergy through coordinated effort.

[@siddharthsharma5015]

nice...

[@ldpy33]

What about a work group and a work team?

[@KristinArnold]

A "work group" works in the same department, but is not dependent on each other to get the tasks done. For example, the financial billing department may be work group when each group member is responsible for their defined billing tasks and there is minimal requirements to work collaboratively with the exception of training. A "work team" is working collaboratively to achieve a specific objective. So, let's say that billing department is responsible for identifying cost savings....they would put a work team together to do that. Hope that helps!