What is the difference between formal and informal group?

Since the existence of man, the instinct to socialize and in turn the formation of groups has manifested. With the passage of time it was determined that the groups can be classified, and that is why today there is the difference between formal and informal group.

The formal and informal groups that are differentiated within companies, are of great importance, since thanks to them, develops a better concordance, understanding and balance, which leads to the proper functioning and success of the company.

What is a formal working group?

The administrators of a company to achieve the objectives and meet the needs of the same, form intentionally formal groups in order to carry out specific activities that define the objectives of the the company. In general, this type of group is made up of people who collaborate under the command of a leader.

In general, formal groups In companies, they are represented in divisions, project groups, committees, departments, boards of directors or work groups, among others. They are made up of managers and subordinates with a close relationship within the group, which is of great influence for good behavior.

They are created by companies, to guide participants in achieving a goal that is important to the organization. It is a group that has the ability to give orders to others to carry out activities that improve and order the proper functioning of the company.

What is an informal work group?

This type of group is made up of two or more people associated with each other in a way that is foreseen or not by the formal company, it is a group that is It is made up of workers from a certain company that is not created by a management board, but by members of a group who share an interest in common.

This group mostly focuses on developing issues that are against company regulations or, on the contrary, to improve the proper functioning of jobs.

The informal groups of companies, they are not trained by the company administrators, they are trained in their own way and generally evolve externally from the formal organization for reasons such as common interests, proximity, or the need to people.

For companies it is inevitable to prohibit the existence and development of informal work relationships. These groups are naturally formed by company employees who have a number of interests in common.

What is the difference between formal and informal group?

To clarify what difference exists between groups informal and formal, we need to analyze different related aspects:

goals

• Informal groups are created on their own by company employees to satisfy their social welfare, therefore, serve to achieve the purposes of the participants of the organization.
• Formal groups are created in order to achieve the objectives of the company in a legitimate way, since they are part of the basic products that belong to the formal structure.

Group nature

• Formal groups are characterized by having stability for long periods of time where only the members can be changed and they are maintained through various company processes.
• On the contrary, informal groups tend to have a high level of instability, from the beginning of their formation and throughout their operation. related to the levels, value systems and personality characteristics of the members that could be changed according to the interests of the members. participants.

Source

• The conditions of origin and formation of formal groups are based on a group of conscientious people who work in a company and are led by its leaders.
• Informal groups are formed due to the operation of the operating system, where the socio-psychological force is developed in the work areas, this means that workers who work together can reach a level of like or dislike, everything will depend on the type of interaction they maintain without being planned.

Authority

• People who participate in formal groups have a level of authority through delegation processes or formal sources. This means that the authority in this type of group presents great fluidity from the high hierarchy levels to the lowest levels.
• On the other hand, in informal groups there is total equality in all their participants, despite This, some of them may have some authority thanks to their favorable qualities personal.

Communication

• In formal groups there is communication that generally takes place through the chain of command, which is also known as the channel of formal communication.
• Within the informal groups, a communication is presented that is executed through informal channels independent of the communicative form by the participants.

Size

• The size of the formal groups is mostly quite large, many times, these groups have the capacity to represent all the groups that are of interest to the company.
• In the case of informal groups, their size is usually quite small, as they try to maintain an interactive relationship, which is very important for this type of group.

Performance of the participants

• The behavior of the participants of the formal groups is based on the formal regulations that are directed with total efficiency and rationality.
• Within informal groups, the behavior of their participants is managed through the beliefs, values ​​and norms of the group itself.

The difference between formal and informal group It is its structure that influences the productivity of the company within the work environment. Teamwork is a benefit that enables high-performance integration that helps improve business performance and the opportunity for productive success.