Regarding the differences between what a group and a team are, you have to think about some points.
The first thing to agree - as it is done in the context of any science is what we mean by 'group' and 'team' in general terms.
For example, the word team can be used to define a set of people or also a set of tools (for example 'construction team'). It is obvious that here we refer to human teams.
Groups are essentially sets in this case we are also talking about sets of people.
The definition of the word team implies a certain utilitarian purpose. That is to say, the team does not simply 'is' but rather 'is for' this or that thing. The team is then something functional with respect to a goal that we want to achieve.
The group is simply a set, a collection. The elements that make up a group will not necessarily be related to each other, much less, something called synergy, which is a characteristic of the systems.
In other words, teams are a special kind of group. They are a subset that is characterized or differentiated from other types of groups because teams are inherently linked to a purpose that has been established at some point.
When we say 'sports team' we are not saying the same as 'group of athletes'. The first concept implies the existence of a well-defined purpose - competition - while the second is much more general.
For a simple group to become a team, it must develop its own, distinctive and characteristic synergy, which will depend on a particular purpose since what we understand in technical terms as 'synergy' is what we colloquially call 'behavior'.
That is, both humans and other living beings, commercial companies, armies, sports teams, etc. they adapt to their particular function by developing a behavior or synergy that is unique to each of them.
The concept of synergy is what ultimately gives identity to each system. There may be groups or teams that belong to the same general class or category, but differ from each other only because of their characteristic synergies.
For example, the different human cultures and the different nations are made up of individuals who are structurally and biologically very similar and almost identical, although the cultural forms that have developed in each society make for variety.
Two twin brothers are genetically identical and yet they behave differently.
Two sports teams may have the same purpose or goal, but they are also different.
That is, a team can also be understood as a group that possesses characteristics of a system oriented towards specifically defined objectives.
A system is an entity that is characterized by having an objective, recognizable components, rules that determine the behavior of each of the parts, a structure that determines the relative position of each component, and a useful life. General systems theory studies the particular aspects of each of these things.
When all of this is combined, you get an effect that is greater than the sum of the partial effects of each component, and this is precisely synergy.
A living human being possesses its synergy. A corpse, which is almost 'identical' to a living being and even up to its biological degradation can present living tissues. But the difference between the dead and the living is that in the former there is no synergy.
Similarly, talking about a 'group' or a 'team' involves analyzing concepts that are similar but not necessarily the same. In a work group there are no rules as strict or defined as in a team.
That is to say, a group is a system whose objectives are of less specific definition than in teams. This interesting difference can be summarized in that the groups can serve as a frame of reference for the teams, and that the latter can fulfill specific functions within the groups without altering the essential characteristic of the group, such as the general definition of his objectives.
In terms of organization and leadership, a work team requires some kind of boss, coordinator or leader.
This individual is essentially the one who must take responsibility for the team to function in the most efficient way according to the objective it is trying to achieve.
In other words, the leader of a team is the one who must ensure that the synergy of the group or system he leads is optimal.
Changes in the quality or efficiency of the equipment are also changes in the quality of the synergy of that system.
Therefore a group leader is something more general. In these cases the leader does not fulfill such a specific function. In fact, delegation of functions is used many times and it is these delegates who will act as team leaders in different areas of the group.
