The family is proud of its lineage.
(Here, family is seen as a whole unit and so takes the singular verb and pronoun)
The family were divided in their opinions. (Family members have different views and so the collective noun family cannot be perceived as a whole; so it takes a plural)
Every afternoon, the baseball team follows its coach to the playground. (The members of the team follow the same practice and so it takes a singular verb and pronoun)
After the practice session, the team heads towards their respective rooms. (The team mates are heading to their individual rooms and so the noun is treated as plural)
When the members of the collective behave in a similar fashion, the noun is singular and takes singular verbs and pronouns. When the members act as individuals, the collective noun is plural and requires plural verb and pronoun.
