BSBTWK502 Manage Tea Effectiveness Assignment

Overview

The Student Guide should be used in conjunction with the recommended reading and any further course notes or activities given by the trainer/assessor.

Application of the unit

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to lead teams in the workplace and to actively engage with the management of the organisation. The unit applies to individuals working at a managerial level who lead and build a positive culture within their work teams. At this level, work will normally be carried out using complex and diverse methods and procedures requiring the exercise of considerable discretion and judgement. It will also involve using a range of problem solving and decision-making strategies. No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Learning goals

Learning goals include:

1. You are able to establish team performance plan.
2. You are able to develop and facilitate team cohesion.
3. You are able to facilitate teamwork.
4. You are able to liaise with stakeholders.

Topic 1: Establish team performance plan

Goal setting is one of the first steps in reaching performance expectations set by an organisation. A team needs goals and clear objectives so that performance and achievements can be tracked. It provides:

1. clear direction
2. goal attainment
3. increased
4. productivity/profit
5. teamwork
6. clear objectives.

Strategic or business plans outline the general strategies to be followed to achieve an organization vision and mission statements. A business plan is typically used to look up to 5 years ahead, providing direction and focus for the organization and employees. Therefore, teams need to align their goals and activities to the organization business plan. Managers need to ensure that teams fulfil this role when undertaking projects to ensure they are contributing to the overall goals of the organization.

Activity: Group work

Work in your teams: Research a few examples of business plans, look at the headings used to identify the primary purpose of the plan. Find one plan that the team thinks is the best example, and each keeps a copy for future reference. Explore how team performance plans link to overall business objectives.

Team performance plans

Goals and objectives as above can be documented in a team performance plan. A team performance plan is a detailed plan that specifies team goals and objectives, as well as actions to achieve these, responsibilities (which team members are responsible for attaining actions), timelines for achieving actions and performance indicators that will be used to measure performance.

Activity: Read

Review information about team performance plans at: http://www.crowe-associates.co.uk/teams-and-groups/team-plans/ Take any notes to summarise what you have read and keep for future reference.

Team players

Teams will consist of people with particular strengths and weaknesses. Team members vary in the role that they play for example some could be practical and organised whereas others could be a good communicators or problem.

Activity: Research and Discuss

Using the Internet, search for your ideal career or job position. Read the job description – did it match your expectations of the desired role? Make notes.

Belbin Test

Several different theories have been developed, which categorise the different types of roles and personalities people display. The Belbin test was designed to identify the different types of roles team members prefer precisely.

The Belbin test identifies the following roles that individuals adopt when working in teams:

1. Shaper
2. Plant
3. Coordinator
4. Monitor Evaluator
5. Resource Investigator
6. Implementer
7. Team Worker
8. Specialist
9. Completer-Finisher.

Activity: Research and Discuss

Visit the Belbin website to view the explanations for each role. Research the various roles that team members take on. Which role are you likely to be? Which role do you have in your current class team? Is it the same role?

Activity: Reflect

Complete the following quiz, which will help you to identify what type of role your personality suits: http://testyourself.psychtests.com/testid/3113

• Is this the same role that you specified earlier?
• Supporting team members By supporting the members of your team, a manager can ensure that goals are met. This can include:

1. explaining or clarifying policies, procedures, instructions standards, codes of conduct and other organisational operations
2. supporting team members to complete tasks on time
3. helping others if you have completed your tasks ahead of schedule
4. assisting with problem-solving
5. providing encouragement
6. providing constructive feedback to other team members when appropriate
7. sharing and updating information
8. allocating mentors or coaches for support and training if required
9. using rewards such as positive praise, bonuses, vouchers or extra lunchtime break.

Team performance and key performance indicators

As indicated previously, the team performance plan should include key performance indicators that can then be used to measure performance. The purpose of a KPI is to provide an objective performance measure is a crucial activity. This enables managers to set and communicate their performance targets, and to measure whether or not they are being achieved.

KPI's can vary. However, there are common ones that apply to all activities such as KPIs related to timelines and budget. When developing KPIs, it is essential to ensure they are SMART.

S = Specific. They must state clearly what the organisation seeks to achieve.

M = Measurable. The outcomes must be able to be measured so the business can calculate and quantify its progress towards them.

A =Achievable. The objectives must be realistic such that everyone feels there is a genuine belief the outcomes can be attained.

R = Relevant. The objectives have to relate to the direction the business wants to take in terms of its organisational development.

T = Timely. The objectives need to have a start and finish date attached to them.

Activity: Read

Read more about KPIs for teams at: https://www.projectmanager.com/training/8-essential-kpi-metrics-teams Take any notes to summarise what you have read and keep Regardless of the KPIs that are set, it is also vital that all team members understand the KPIs. As a team leader, it will be critical for you to communicate this.

Activity: Group Work

Work in a group of four.

Research the job descriptions of an event coordinator, marketing person, office administrator, and marketing manager. Study their position descriptions and use the information to build a team performance plan for a product launch.

Pretend that you are the marketing manager and your team consist of event coordinator, graphic artist, office administrator. Your team needs to organise an event to promote electric cars.

Set objectives for the event, KPI's for the team, including the managers. Note: stay focused on planning the event and not the car!

Establish a performance plan for the launch. Your plan must represent a simulation of a real work example. It must include goals, objectives, start and completion dates, team members roles and names, etc. Submit your professionally written work to your trainer for feedback.

Topic 2: Develop team cohesion

Team cohesion is the extent to which each team members wishes to contribute to the group's ability to continue as a functioning work unit. Cohesiveness develops over time. Cohesiveness is a product of interpersonal and group-level attraction, collaboration, and a sense of belonging.

Activity: Watch

Watch the following videos on team dynamics.

Remember the titans Group v Team:

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEJaz3sinEs (08:33)
Teamwork pays off – various clips.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuo13FrNX6g (01:22)

Strategies to achieve team cohesion

There are many ways to achieve team cohesion. For example, promoting interaction between team members increases cohesions as team members feel more positive towards one another. This can be achieved through regular meetings that are either work-related or social.

Activity: Research and Discuss

Your team is falling apart! Tracy doesn't turn up to meetings, Dave doesn't seem to trust anyone's input, and Navish seems to be doing all the work. The team's role is to manage the integration of a new software program to be used by staff for diary management. As a manager, you are finding it challenging to keep your team on target.

• List all the factors you would consider to create better team cohesion.

Now compare your response with those of your team. Did you all have similar answers?

How did the rest of the class compare? Did their teams have the same response?

Group dynamics

Group dynamics play a significant role in teams. Review the following article about team dynamics:
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/improving-group-dynamics.htm

Decision making

Team leaders need to develop strategies to ensure that their team members have input into planning, decision making and operations relating to the team's work. Strategies to facilitate the above could include:

1. holding meetings regularly
2. maintaining open communication channels, e.g., having an open-door policy where the team can approach you at any time
3. conducting surveys
4. inviting feedback at any timeAs a team leader, it will also be necessary to not only invite input into planning, decision making and operations, but also to foster creative thinking:

Team cohesion for remote teams

Sometimes teams have to overcome barriers to cohesion such as remote working arrangements.

Activity: Research and Discuss

1. Consider teams that are located over some different areas, what online collaboration tools could be used to keep your team cohesive?
2. Research 2-3 software tools.
3. Compare and contrast each one.
4. Use the demo to see how each works.
5. The team should decide on one of the collaboration software tools to use based on their findings and a team discussion.
6. Present your software to a group, showing how it works and why it would work for your team.

Policies and procedures

Team leaders may need to develop policies and procedures at work. It is essential to understand the purpose of policy and procedures and what they include. Policy and procedures ensure that:

1. The same organisational values, goals and objectives are implemented across the RTO, for example, Codes of Conduct.
2. Best practice in the organisation is understood and implemented, for example, confidentiality
3. There is a shared understanding of particular terms or issues.
4. There is a consistency of approach, i.e. work being performed to the same quality over a while, or across some people.

It is essential to understand the difference between a policy and a procedure. A policy is essentially a statement of principle that guides an organisation's decision-making and service delivery. Procedures are nearly detailed instructions about how policies should be carried out.

Policy and procedures essentially provide a link between the organisation's plans and strategies and day-to-day operations. Policy and procedures should ideally be contained in the same document with a distinct section for the policy section and a specific section for the procedural section.

It is imperative to understand this distinction and not to mix policy information with procedure information. See the following link for an example:
https://www.comprose.com/avoiding-common-pitfalls-dont-mix-up-policies-and-procedureshow-tos/
You could also watch the following link that discusses this distinction too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdJ30x4ksFg

Characteristics of acceptable policy and procedure documents

Features of effective policy and procedure include:

1. They address all aspects of operations.
2. They reflect the culture, value and objectives of the organisation.
3. They relate to logical business functions.
4. They are easy to understand and follow
5. 

Activity: Watch

Watch the following video about writing good policy and procedures. The video provides a range of useful key and introductory information such as what should be included within a policy and procedure and communicating policy and procedures to staff.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjrpvUOeHqI (07:07)

Activity: Research and Discuss

Work in pairs for this activity and then present your findings to the trainer/assessor and the group. There are many diversity policies on the Internet that can be researched and used for this activity.

Research an existing policy and procedure of your choice from the Internet and then:

1. note the name of the policy and procedure.
2. list the objectives of the policy and procedures.
3. list key inclusions of the policy and procedures.
4. discuss the benefits of this organisation having this policy.

Team feedback

It is vital to give feedback to the team. Feedback can support groups to maximise their performance and enhance their professional development and growth. Being honest and providing clear communication channels will encourage a team to recognise issues, resolve problems and improve their performance to become a more effective team. Being a good communicator is a vital characteristic of an effective manager.

Activity: Watch

It's Big Keith's appraisal, what will office manager David Brent make of his strengths and weaknesses?
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkYUDQCYGHA (02:57)
Awkward Performance Review.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdp4sPviV74 (02:38)

Activity: Research and Discuss

• Consider how your team have performed so far. How could you provide feedback to each team member?

Create a format that you could use to create feedback for each team member. You will need to:

• List down their strengths and weaknesses.
• State if each team member has taken responsibility for their work roles and if not, why not.
• Write a paragraph for each team member that you can provide as feedback. It should:

1. be encouraging
2. show the team member is valued

provide constructive feedback on their overall performance.
In your own words then describe how you would reward individual and team efforts to encourage their progress.

Issues and concerns

Addressing issues and concerns within teams can involve team meetings, forums, problem-solving process and grievance procedures to solve issues. When problems or issues do occur, the policies and procedures set in place by the organisation will provide a clear, defined process for all concerned.

For example, read the following information about best practice dispute resolution that can be followed to sort out issues in the most effective way:
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/how-we-will-help/templates-and-guides/best-practice guides/effective-dispute-resolution

Activity: Research

There are many models available to support the problem-solving process. Use the Internet to search for a problem-solving approach that you could use to address the concerns you have with your team.

Complete this activity in small groups and then report back to the whole group in the form of a short presentation.

Activity: Group Work

Work in the same group that established a performance plan for the launch of electric cars at the end of topic 1.

One of the team members who work remotely has complained that they are not receiving the necessary information on time. Due to the delays in obtaining the information, this person is unable to meet their KPI's, and it is beginning to affect the entire team's performance.

Hold a meeting and take turns to role-play the manager's role. Since the person is working remotely, you will need to hold a virtual team meeting to:

o address the problem by providing feedback to the team.

o make decisions on how to resolve the issues: Make reference to any company policy, procedures, team KPI's, etc. that is being compromised.

o action items to resolve the problem.

o make the necessary changes and communicate changes to the team.

Discuss which feedback and decision-making approaches were productive and why.

Reflect on how you can improve on your feedback and decision-making approaches

Topic 3: Facilitate teamwork and liaise with stakeholders

The success of a business depends on the contributions of every member of the team. However, some teams work together better than others. There is a sense of personal ownership of all activities, believing that their contributions are valued and feeling that work is equally shared.

Activity: Watch

Watch the video on being a role model.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIch3rpD7Zo (01:41)

Encouraging team members to participate

A team leader or manager can use several strategies to encourage team members to participate. For example:

• Encouraging ownership
• Making everyone a leader
• Setting a good example
• Giving everyone the chance to input into decisions.

The following diagram show strategies for developing strategies for facilitating team member input into planning, decision making and operational aspects of team tasks:

Problem resolution process

Activity: Read

Read more about encouraging team members to participate at:
https://work.chron.com/effective-techniques-encourage-team-members
contribute-project-5121.html
Take any notes to summarise what you have read and keep for future reference

Competencies

Competencies refer to the collective knowledge, skills, experience, and attributes of teams required to perform work successfully. Team members’ roles must be defined in terms of the types of attitude, behaviours and skills the organisation values and requires to achieve its objectives.

Linking personal and team competencies to organisation goals has many benefits. One of the key benefits is that it helps team members work more effectively and achieve their potential. Defining which competencies are necessary can help managers:

1. select appropriate team members
2. ensure that the team demonstrates sufficient expertise
3. effectively evaluate performance
4. identify skill and competency gaps more efficiently
5. provide relevant or appropriate training and professional development
6. allocate secondments
7. provide mentoring or coaching
8. recognise and reward achievements.

Monitoring performance

Monitoring work performance will help identify how a team is managing. It helps to keep track of what's going on and allows for modification of work activities or roles. Steps can include:

For effective monitoring, the information gathered or obtained should be accurate, timely and cost-effective. The processes should also meet the needs of the organisation.

Open communication processes

It is essential to have a good communication process to communicate with all stakeholders, whether that is the team, others in the organisation or even customers or suppliers.

Communication should be active, regular, collaborative and ongoing. Formal methods could include:

1. meetings, either face to face online or teleconferencing
2. online collaboration
3. email, telephone or letters
4. newsletters/discussion forums
5. project communication either by a progress report or email update.
6. Informal methods could include:
7. elevator conversations
8. lunch meetings
9. events.

It is important to constantly monitor the communication channels to ensure that it is being used effectively.

Management communication

This can be verbal or written communication to the team leader or members of the team. Effective interpersonal communication processes are essential to the establishment and maintenance of effective teams. Communication should be continuous, relevant and appropriate to the team.

Team members must also be able to communicate effectively so that:

1. information required to perform tasks is available
2. each team member collaborates to achieve results
3. each member can support one another.

Conflict

Organisational procedures, systems, policies, codes of conduct, documentation and processes ensure that correct steps are taken if a conflict arises. Managers must try to resolve any issues, but unresolved issues must also be addressed so that team morale and work activities can continue. Any problems that do arise should be communicated to all stakeholders professionally and confidentially.

The following diagram shows the process for identifying and resolving issues, problems, concerns, determined by the team members.

Problem resolution process

Activity: Research and Discuss

In the group teams, search on the Internet for conflict resolution strategies. Brainstorm with the team to create a comprehensive list to help resolve problems within the team.

Address unresolved problems

Conflicts are not bad if they are resolved quickly and as effectively as possible. Resolving conflicts can have negative or positive outcomes. The gist of addressing any conflict is to hope that ideas, opinions and thoughts are discussed as openly or honestly as possible as long as it is done with respect and integrity.

Key benefits of resolving conflicts include:

1. Increase in understanding of parties’ expectations
2. Great opportunity to work on new or improved ideasIncrease team cohesion
3. Improves self-awareness and knowledge
4. Opportunity to address issues before it has snowballing effect.

Activity: Read

Read the following articles on strategies for gaining team consensus and issues/conflict resolution.

Conflict Resolution, Using the "Interest-Based Relational" Approach:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_81.htm
3 Techniques for Building Consensus:
https://www.leadstrat.com/3-techniques-for-building-consensus-2/
Take any notes to summarise what you have read and keep for future reference

Activity: Brainstrom

Brainstorm the process, strategies and workplace situation you learnt in this unit. Use the information to complete the following table to demonstrate your understanding of how you will manage team effectiveness. For each task identify which business policies and procedures or relevant document you will use. Also, determine three strategies of how you will manage the task.