Literature Review On Groups & Teams - Book Report/Review Example

Typical characteristics of the team emerging from disciplined actions are defined as follows: performance goals agreed by the team members; a common purpose shaped by them; mutual accountability for work results; developed complementary skills within the team; a common approach approved and agreed upon by the members. Thus, it becomes obvious that the author distinguishes the team from the group and presents the former as a balanced mechanism. Moreover, the author states that a group working together is not necessarily a team (the single labelling is not enough).

Team is referred to as an elementary unit of performance existing in most organizations. Generally, the book emphasizes interconnection between performance-driven challenges and the teams’ existence and efficiency. team” (Oakley et al., 2004, p.13). The authors emphasize the distinction between groups and teams, viewing a group as an original structure consisting of mainly disconnected individuals. The authors assert that group members can work together, but they are more likely to work independently, without discussing tasks, goals etc.

with others. The authors focus on teams as the most favorable student unit for working in class and the most effective way of student’s organization in conditions of college teaching with restricted amounts of class time. Furthermore, teams may and even are to contain both successful and weak members in order to bring the best results. For the same purpose, minimal number of team members is expected to be three, because dyads may show poorer varieties of ideas and skills for problems solution (Oakley et al., 2004, p.12).

Team members are stated to work together, to assume different roles and responsibilities, to solve conflicts amicably and to help each other. In the paper providing a thorough review of literature on the topic of work groups and teams, the authors prefer to make no distinction