What Is a Group? A group consists of a small collection of people who interact with one another, usually face-to-face, over time in order to reach goals.

What Makes a Group a Team? Teams share the same qualities as groups, but they take group work to a higher level.

Virtual Groups: Virtual groups, are groups whose members interact with one another through mediated channels, without meeting face-to-face. In my real life I use these virtual groups often to communicate with friends who don't live near me.

Group Goals: Most groups exist to achieve a collective task: Win a contest, create a product, provide a service, and so on.

Individual Goals: Individual goals are individual motives for joining a group. When I joined the tennis team when I was in high school my individual goal was to beat my teammates in order to play better players.

Rules and Norms: Rules are an explicit, officially stated guideline that governs group functions and member behavior. Norms are shared values, beliefs, behaviors, and procedures that govern a group's operation.

Patterns of Interaction: Two way information exchange is relatively uncomplicated, in a group the possibilities of complications are endless.

Roles: The patterns of behavior expected of group members.