A group has two or more members, with a clear leader, who perform independent jobs. A team has members, with shared leadership, who perform interdependent jobs. Group managers are also called directive leaders and team leaders empowering leaders. All teams are groups, but not all groups are teams.

The terms management-directed, semiautonomous, and self-managed (or self-directed) are commonly used to differentiate along the continuum. Semiautonomous is between the two.

The performance of groups is based on four major factors. According to the group performance model, group performance is a function of organizational context, group structure, group process, and group development. Team members tend to be more engaged than group members, and engaged teams grow profits three times faster than disengaged ones.

A number of overall organizational and environmental factors affect how groups function and their level of performance. Groups and teams are the backbone of organizations because of the systems effect: Each group’s/department’s performance is affected by at least one other group, and each department affects the performance of the total organization. You can improve important teamwork skills and your ability to develop and build teams.