In addition to having a mutual (shared) goal, I've always required that a
"team" be mutually dependent upon each other in trying to reach that goal.
Every team member must contribute, in their role, in order for the team to
be successful.
A committee often has members whose participation is not necessary at a
given moment -- all they need is a "quorum" to be able to conduct their
business. And committees, especially standing committees, often have
changing goals -- a different agenda for every meeting.
Many, though not all, committees have one primary duty: to meet (and
decide.) While teams may, and often do, meet, the primary duty of a team
is to accomplish their mutual goal through work. So, although it may
oversimplify, teams "work" while committees "meet." Even where this
distinction seems unfair, it still seems to me to be true that committees
act "as committees" primarily in meetings, while a team is most like a
team when working together (not primarily in meetings.)
John W. Gunkler
jgunkler@sprintmail.com
--"John Gunkler" <jgunkler@sprintmail.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>