Below, which one is “team” and which one is “group”?…

A. Participating in a marathon race?
B. Participating in a relay race?

If you chose “A” as a “group” and “B” as “team”, you are correct. Thus, what does a team require?

First, a team has a common goal. Wait a minute, marathon runners also had a common goal of winning the race. This means that sometimes a “group” also has a common goal. Therefore, the existence of a common goal is not enough to be a differentiator.

Second, is there any interdependence between the participants in the marathon? Compare it to relay runner. Now it is obvious that the “I” makes all the difference within a team. The “I” in question is “interdependency,” it became the differentiator between a group and a team.

Independence means one of the team’s performance totally depends on the performance of his/hers teammate. If we use a sports team as an analogy, which sports teams that have the highest degree of interdependence, baseball, football or basketball?

In a Baseball game, the contribution of a team member depends on each other, but they’re located far apart, so not all players are actively involved in a game. This is called a pooled interdependence.

In a football game, the players are closer together, so that interdependence is higher. There is a role for each player eg. offense and defense. To win the game, there is a need to build team work continuously without interruption. This is called a sequential interdependency.

The game of basketball describes the highest level of interdependency among others. the players are even closer to each other and everyone has the aim to score a point. The role of each player is more flexible compared to football. Each player has an obligation to attack and defend at the same time. This is called a flexible interdependency.

Understanding the types interdependency, a team will determine how to grow.
Thus, which type of interdependency that your team has right now?

Source: éclat Consulting