Grupė ir komanda: ar galima dėti lygybės ženklą?
GROUP AND TEAM: CAN WE PUT AN EQUAL SIGN BETWEEN THEM?

Summary/Abstract: It has to be admitted that until now the definition essence of the social structures “group” and “team” – their differences and similarities – haven’t yet been fully disclosed in scientific literature on management. Superficial explanations of group and team only degrade their form and essence resulting in many definitions which are ambiguous and at the same time in many cases identical. All the above mentioned factors do not allow the clear and comprehensible theoretical explanation of operation principles and the benefit of groups and teams, because it is a serious problem not only from the theoretical but also the practical point of view. The innovation of the research - the adjusted definitions of a group and a team and essential differences distinguished between them. The objective of the paper was to distinguish essential differences of the group and team concepts. The subject of the research - formal groups and teams working in business organizations and public/state owned institutions. Scientific methods used: analysis, synthesis, deduction. Usually the concepts “group” and “team” are confused in research literature. Even when authors state that these concepts are different, in defining them they most often emphasize bad group work and ideal teamwork, however without specifying their essential differences. The differences that basically depend on the organization of manager’s work, management style are presented, but they don’t reveal any reasoned differences. Therefore, it was attempted to make a theoretical analysis and to define the concepts of the group and the team. Thus, a group is no less than two people pursuant to the procedure set by labor laws working in an organization, a certain subdivision or individual organizational structure (including when interaction is conducted through electronic communication means), who hold positions corresponding to their professional education and who are capable to perform tasks assigned by an organization under the guidance of a formal manager. Whereas a team is no less than two people, pursuant to the procedure set by labor laws working in an organization, a certain subdivision or individual organizational structure, who have more than one professional qualification, are able undertake independently, voluntarily and consciously the team management function and responsibility for work results, who influence each other on the mutual trust, communication and cooperation basis combining the knowledge and emotions of all the team members in order to achieve a common goal by consensus, who believe in meaningful and constructive work, who constantly seek for new ways and methods of self improvement and for the perfection of common work, thus feeling satisfaction and willingness to work together further on. Based on the definitions herein, a group or a team does not differ till some certain point on a superficial level. In fact both - a group and a future team – are managed in the same way, except

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