Final answer:
The key difference between teams and groups is the accountability and production of individuals and the collective body, with teams having shared responsibility and collective accountability, contrasting with groups that might lack a unified purpose or measurable performance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The key difference between teams and groups largely centers on the second option: The accountability and production of individuals and the collective body. This distinction highlights that teams are generally characterized by a shared responsibility for outcomes, interdependence among members, and collective accountability, as opposed to groups which might not have such a strong sense of collective purpose or performance measurement. Teams in organizations can be of various types, such as problem resolution teams, creative teams, and tactical teams, each serving a specific function and requiring different dynamics and approaches to be effective.
For example, the functionality of creative teams, which aim to develop new solutions or products, relies heavily on the diverse skill sets and the synergetic effort of its members to innovate. Similarly, tactical teams, like SWAT teams, are focused on executing predefined plans and depend on high levels of coordination and clear roles within the team. In contrast, groups might not have such tightly integrated roles and objectives, and individual members may be more focused on their own tasks rather than a shared goal.
It is the combination of individual responsibility and collective accountability that sets teams apart from groups and is a critical component in the structure of organizations that increasingly rely on teamwork to respond rapidly to changes such as technology advancements and globalization.