I see an alarming abundance of the word “team” being used incorrectly.
When I think of a team, I think of a group of people collaborating on work towards a common goal.
Instead, what you’ll often find called a team is actually a working group. A working group is a group of people who happen to be in the same space working on different things. They’re not really a team because they don’t collaborate on a shared goal. Instead they work independently towards their individual goals.
How do you know if you have a team or a working group?
Here are a couple ways to find out:
Ask about priorities. Listen to the language being used in the answer. If you hear “our,” that might be a team. If you’re hearing more “my,” it could be a working group.
Ask what other people are working on. If the person can speak to what others on the team are up to, it’s likely you’re working with a team. If the answer is “no clue,” it could be a working group. Or a team that needs to work on transparency and synchronization.
By no means can you fully understand what you’re working with by just two questions. But I have found them to be a pretty good start.
Objectively, teams and working groups are no better or worse than each other, they’re just different. You don’t have to turn a working group into a team. That might not serve them.
Subjectively… yes. I like working with teams more. Coaching teams is what I’m into. And I find that teams can be a more collaborative, transparent, and cross-functional environment, all of which I enjoy being a part of.
Whatever you end up working with, you’ll just want to be aware of the differences between the two and employ different practices and mindsets to coach them in their success.
It’s not about you, it’s about the team.
Or working group.
Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash.