BSBMGT 605 - Learner Workbook PDF

Provide leadership
across the organisation

BSBMGT605
V2019.3
2019
Learner Workbook
Contents
BSBMGT605 – Provide Leadership across the Organisation ................................................... 4
Chapter 1: Communicate Organisational Mission and Goals .................................................... 6
1.1. Clarify objectives, values and standards in accordance with organisation's strategic
direction ................................................................................................................................. 6
1.2. Establish linkages between organisational objectives, values and standards and the
responsibilities of relevant groups and individuals .............................................................. 13
1.3. Ensure media and language used is appropriate to individuals and group
circumstances ....................................................................................................................... 16
Chapter 2: Communicate Organisational Mission and Goals .................................................. 19
1.4. State clear expectations of internal groups and individuals and explain in a manner
which builds commitment to the organisation ..................................................................... 19
1.5. Address expectations of the organisation .................................................................. 23
1.6. Investigate incidents promptly and communicate results clearly to relevant groups
and individuals ..................................................................................................................... 28
Chapter 3: Influence Groups and Individuals .......................................................................... 31
2.1. Build trust, confidence and respect of diverse groups and individuals, through
positive role modelling, and effective communication and consultation ............................ 31
2.2. Embrace, resource and effectively implement improvements to organisational and
workplace culture ................................................................................................................. 37
2.3. Demonstrate understanding of the global environment and new technology in work
activities ............................................................................................................................... 39
2.4. Ensure actions convey flexibility and adaptability to change and accessibility ....... 41
2.5. Ensure consultation and participation in decision making occurs with relevant
groups and individuals where appropriate ........................................................................... 42
2.6. Ensure decision making takes into account needs and expectations of both internal
and external groups .............................................................................................................. 47
2.7. Ensure decision making occurs in accordance with risk management plans for all
options, and within appropriate timeframes......................................................................... 51
2.8. Ensure that the organisation is represented positively in the media and community58
Chapter 6: Build and Support Teams ....................................................................................... 61
3.1. Assign accountabilities and responsibilities to teams consistent with their
competencies and operational plans..................................................................................... 61
3.2. Ensure teams are resourced to allow them to achieve their objectives ..................... 64
3.3. Empower teams and individuals through effective delegation and support for their
initiatives .............................................................................................................................. 66
Chapter 7: Build and Support Teams ....................................................................................... 70
3.4. Create and maintain a positive work environment .................................................... 70
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3.5. Encourage teams and individuals to develop innovative approaches to the
performance of work ............................................................................................................ 73
Chapter 8: Demonstrate Personal and Professional Competence ............................................ 77
4.1. Model ethical conduct in all areas of work and encourage others to adopt business
ethics 77
4.2. Adapt appropriate interpersonal and leadership styles to meet particular
circumstances and situations ................................................................................................ 79
4.3. Set and achieve personal objectives and work program outcomes ........................... 82
4.4. Ensure self performance and professional competence is continuously improved
through engagement in a range of professional development activities .............................. 85
4.5. Participate regularly in industry/professional networks and groups ......................... 92
Summary .................................................................................................................................. 96
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BSBMGT605 – Provide Leadership across the Organisation
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to
demonstrate senior leadership behaviour, and personal and professional competence.
No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the

time of endorsement.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
1. Communicate 1.1. Clarify objectives, values and standards in accordance

organisational with organisation's strategic direction
mission and goals 1.2. Establish linkages between organisational objectives,
values and standards and the responsibilities of relevant
groups and individuals
1.3. Ensure media and language used is appropriate to
individuals and group circumstances
1.4. State clear expectations of internal groups and
individuals and explain in a manner which builds
commitment to the organisation
1.5. Address expectations of the organisation
1.6.Investigate incidents promptly and communicate results
clearly to relevant groups and individuals
2. Influence groups and 2.1. Build trust, confidence and respect of diverse groups and
individuals individuals, through positive role modelling, and effective
communication and consultation
2.2. Embrace, resource and effectively implement
improvements to organisational and workplace culture
2.3. Demonstrate understanding of the global environment
and new technology in work activities
2.4. Ensure actions convey flexibility and adaptability to
change and accessibility
2.5. Ensure consultation and participation in decision making
occurs with relevant groups and individuals where
appropriate
2.6. Ensure decision making takes into account needs and
expectations of both internal and external groups
2.7. Ensure decision making occurs in accordance with risk
management plans for all options, and within appropriate
timeframes
2.8.Ensure that the organisation is represented positively in
the media and community
3. Build and support 3.1. Assign accountabilities and responsibilities to teams
teams consistent with their competencies and operational plans
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3.2. Ensure teams are resourced to allow them to achieve
their objectives
3.3. Empower teams and individuals through effective
delegation and support for their initiatives
3.4. Create and maintain a positive work environment
3.5.Encourage teams and individuals to develop innovative
approaches to the performance of work
4. Demonstrate 4.1. Model ethical conduct in all areas of work and encourage
personal and others to adopt business ethics
professional 4.2. Adapt appropriate interpersonal and leadership styles to
meet particular circumstances and situations
4.3. Set and achieve personal objectives and work program
outcomes
4.4. Ensure self-performance and professional competence is
continuously improved through engagement in a range of
professional development activities
4.5.Participate regularly in industry/professional networks
and groups
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Chapter 1: Communicate Organisational
Mission and Goals
Leadership plays a vital role across any organisation as it requires the ability to successfully
perform a wide range of key tasks vital for the smooth operation of the organisation. These
essential tasks involve defining the direction of a team and communicating it to people,
motivating, inspiring and empowering team members to contribute to achieving
organisational success. Additionally, leadership requires being strategically focused and
applying relevant behavioural techniques to build commitment and attain the best work
from team members.
Developing leadership capabilities requires leaders to understand their own strengths and
weaknesses and to be willing to continuously improve their skills and knowledge as they
gain experience. By developing an understanding of leadership, leaders will be better
equipped to inspire and motivate their teams to achieve results for the organisation.
1.1. Clarify objectives, values and standards in accordance with organisation's strategic
direction
Strategic and Operational Planning

Strategic and operational planning functions are a major component of an organisation’s
leader whose role consists of ensuring that a realistic strategic direction is developed and
disseminated throughout the organisation. This strategic direction must take into account
the organisation's business environment, the influence of stakeholders, and the
organisation's resource capacity. The leader must also ensure that business unit plans as
well as the responsibilities of work teams and individuals are linked into the strategic plan
once it is developed.
To be effective, all organisations require a sense of direction and purpose. The strategic plan
encompasses the decisions on resource allocation and procurement to achieve a desired
strategic outcome for the whole organisation. Additionally, strategic plans also contain goals
or objectives that should be achieved within a defined period of time. Traditionally, these
plans are documented after a lengthy internal process that involves a close look at trends in
the environment in which the business operates and
how the strengths of the organisation may be used to
exploit these trends.
The strategic plan is then used to develop plans

throughout the levels of an organisation which support
the achievement of goals defined the strategic plan.
Not only each department but each section within the
department as well as all the individual staff members also have a defined plan to work
towards for achieving the organisation’s strategic goals and objectives. All these individual
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plans, detailing a step by step process for attaining overall goals, are known as operational
plans.
Values
The values of an organisation underpin the expected behaviour of all employees within the
organisation. These relate to how employees are expected to act in both internal and
external environments. As such, the values of an organisation underpin how employees will
behave during both the establishment and implementation phases of the organisation's
strategic plans. This in turn will impact on how the public, who represent existing and
potential customers, view the organisation and its products.
Aligning an organisation's strategic plans and values to the needs and expectations of the
organisation's customer base, including the general community, is a central requirement for
the ongoing success of businesses. It is important to appreciate that social values as well as
the values of specific groups within communities change or are modified over time.
Consequently, the organisation's values need to
be continuously reviewed to ensure their
continued appropriateness for the business
environment within which the organisation must
operate.
Organisational values often cover important areas

such as:
• Compliance with legislation
• Employment of staff
• Customer service
• Receiving gifts from suppliers and customers
• Giving gifts to customers
• Discrimination in the workplace
• Employee integrity
• Employee privacy
• Quality standards of products and services
Although organisations will have a range of different values depending on the type of they
promote, there are certain core values that can be commonly traced across organisations in
different industries. These include:
Common Core values
Accountability Acknowledging and assuming responsibility for actions, products,

decisions, and policies. It can be applied to both individual
accountability on the part of employees and accountability of the
company as a whole.
Balance Taking a proactive stand to create and maintain a healthy work-life
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balance for workers.
Commitment Committing to the delivery of great products, services, and other

initiatives that impact lives within and outside the organization.
Community Contributing to society and demonstrating corporate social

responsibility.
Diversity Respecting the diversity of staff members and establishing an

employee equity program.
Empowerment Encouraging employees to take initiatives and give their best. Adopting
an error-embracing environment to empower employees to lead and
make decisions, thereby contributing to their growth and
development.
Innovation Pursuing new creative ideas that have the potential to change the
world.
Integrity Acting with honesty and honour without compromising the truth.
Ownership Taking care of the company and customers as they were one’s own.
Safety Ensuring the health and safety of employees and going beyond the
legal requirements to provide an accident-free workplace.
Example of Values
Some of the values that might be set for a Customer Contact Centre include:
• Employees will act with honesty and integrity when dealing with customers,
suppliers, government agencies and fellow employees. At all times employees
will endeavour to act in such a way that others are treated with respect and
dignity.
• Employees will never directly or indirectly engage in theft, fraud or

embezzlement. No employee will participate in fraudulent or deceptive
activities towards the organisation, customers, suppliers or any other party with
whom the organisation has business dealings.
• Company policy prohibits unlawful discrimination against employees or

customers based on their race, gender, religious or ethnic background.
• The organisation will observe all laws and regulations governing business
activity. Page | 8
Standards
Organisations consist of standards, policies and procedures that cover a range of issues,
such as productivity, customer service, use of corporate logos, legal compliance, dress
codes, health and safety requirements, employee training and more.
Standards are introduced to:

• Build and enhance the organisation’s
image and reputation
• Improve quality of goods and services
• Provide consistency of service
delivery across the organisation
• Improve productivity
• Provide employees with direction
and certainty in their day-to-day
functions
• Reduce or prevent the cost and trauma of accidents
• Reduce or prevent the cost and disruption of litigation
• Reduce costs through consistency and time lines of reporting.
Each manager has a responsibility to know the organisation’s standards and to include them
in their plans and all processes undertaken by them and their team.
Vision
Understanding what is good about an organisation is the first step in visioning what the
business should be. A vision can be implemented at the corporate, business unit or the
brand level to provide guidance for what the organisation should be like in three to five
years’ time.
Managers must consider a number of factors when developing a vision for an organisation:
• The size of the organisation, business unit or brand in 3, 5 or 10 years’ time.
• The image and reputation that will be created.
• The corporate and brand values that will be developed.
• The nature of the customer base and the customer segments that will be served.
• How these customers should perceive the organisation or brand.
• The geographic coverage that will be achieved.
• The overall position in the market and the competitive stance.
• The links with other organisations.
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The vision is the first step in developing a strategic plan for the organisation. However, the
vision statement is often developed by the senior management team with little or no
consultation with front line employees. This creates a disconnection between what the ideal
future organisation position should be and what the staff members within the organisation
are willing, able and committed to achieving. This gives rise to the importance of managers’
communication with staff and their ability to circulate strategic concepts within their
workgroups in a manner that is synchronised with the organisation’s vision.
Vision Value through innovation
1. Changes in the market represent opportunities.

The five inspiring 2. Added value will be our competitive advantage.
commitments 3. Innovation in everything will be our challenge.
4. Waste is our enemy.
5. Our distinctive character is our strength.
1. Realising our vision is our objective.

2. Improvement is our ambition.
Leadership principles 3. Teamwork is our task.
4. Creativity is our character.
5. Communication is our key.
6. The delivery of results is our goal.
Mission
Following the initial environmental and
business analysis, the development of a mission
statement is the starting point for the
organisation to identify what it is about, or
what it should attempt to become. Typically
this involves answering two questions, what
business are we going to do and how are we
going to do it? The answers to these questions
provide the guiding parameters for setting organisational objectives, developing strategies
and operational activities.
The role of the mission statement is to provide a powerful integration function. An effective
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mission statement is composed of the core corporate values and provides the framework
for individual organisation business units to prepare their own business plans. Mission
statements are not a set and forget exercise as the dynamism of markets and the impact of
globalisation require an organisation to constantly assess its external environment along
with the competencies developed within the organisation. The mission statement of an
organisation has been described as an enduring statement of purpose that distinguishes one
organisation from other similar enterprises. It is mainly a declaration of an organisation’s
‘reason for being’.
A mission statement can also be understood as being a formal expression of the company’s
vision of what it wants to become. The process of developing a mission statement forces
management to contemplate, debate and articulate the nature of the business, the reason
for the company’s existence, the customers and markets being and/or should be served, the
products and services being and/or should be marketed as well as the rewards and quality
of work life for employees.
The role of the mission statement is to integrate the corporate philosophy across all the
business planning activities. A manager’s work effort has to be subordinate to the corporate
strategy and therefore, everything contained in the manager’s operational plans must be
compatible with the mission. It assists employees to work independently but yet collectively
in achieving the organisation’s goal.
As illustrated on the diagram below, an effective mission statement will explicitly detail the
following components of an organisation:
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A worthwhile mission statement will be
composed of the following:
• Sufficiently specific to have an impact
on the behaviour of staff throughout
the organisation.
• Founded more on customer needs
and their satisfaction than on product
characteristics.
• Reflect the organisation’s core skills.
• Reflect opportunities and threats.
• Be attainable.
• Be flexible.
Goals and Objectives
When organisations can communicate their goals and objectives clearly, the front line staff
can understand their role in achieving the organisation’s objectives. These goals and
objectives will help define the company’s strategic plan.
Goals define what an organisation wants to achieve. Examples include:

• Increase market share
• Reduce customer waiting times
• Reduce the training period of recruits
• Develop a greater presence in a particular
territory
• Reduce crime in a particular neighbourhood
The goals themselves are general and too broad to

communicate in isolation within the strategic plan.
Therefore, the goals must be distilled into measurable

objectives that can be easily communicated in order to
facilitate personnel’s understanding of what needs to be
done to achieve the goal. As such, objectives represent
measurable outcomes that a goal sets out to achieve. For
instance, examples of objectives aligned with the goal of reducing customer wait times will
include:
• Survey existing customers to understand grievance issues
• Review customer service processes to identify bottlenecks
• Review staffing levels in line with peak and off-peak customer demand
• Optimise staff rosters to match the peak and off-peak customer demand
• Develop a feedback mechanism to provide real time measurement of customer
waiting times
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1.2. Establish linkages between organisational
objectives, values and standards and the
responsibilities of relevant groups and individuals
Strategic direction of an organisation

The process of aligning and resourcing groups and
individuals to the organisation's plans commences with
defining the organisation's strategic direction in terms
of objectives, values and standards.
Once the Vision, Mission, Strategic Goals, Objectives

and Strategies of Action have been developed and given
the formal structure of the organisation, the organisation leader must ensure those work
units (departments, sections, teams), and individuals most capable of dealing with specific
objectives, are the ones delegated the responsibility for their achievement. This is facilitated
through the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) linked to Job descriptions.
Job descriptions detail the specific job activities/tasks associated with positions within the
organisation. They also incorporate the knowledge, skills and qualifications required of
individuals to be able to effectively perform the activities. Levels of authority of position
incumbent and reporting relationships are also typically included in job descriptions.
KPIs represent the standard of performance employees must achieve in order to attain their
work unit goals and objectives, and ultimately the organisation's goals and objectives. KPIs
are determined for each of the position tasks and, wherever possible, are expressed in
outcome terms. For example a salesperson responsible for signing up new accounts may
have a KPI expressed as: 'Each week, sign up an average of five new accounts worth
between $20,000-‐00 and $50,000-‐00 per annum; and every month, one account worth
over $100,000-‐00 per annum'.
The main purpose of this process is to ensure all individuals and work groups within the
organisations are working towards the achievement of the organisation's overall strategic
direction. Therefore, it becomes evident that the ideal strategic management process is a
fully integrated one where each level in the organisation links into the next level in the
organisational hierarchy. This promotes the alignment of activities undertaken within the
organisation's strategic direction.
Moreover, this alignment of activities that eventually leads to congruence within the
organisation can only be achieved when the leader is able to successfully perform his role in
establishing appropriate linkage between job descriptions, objectives, standards and leading
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by example. These tasks do not only demonstrate the role of the leader but they also help
to define the responsibilities of relevant groups and individuals within the organisation.
Leading by example
Due to the centrality of their role, leaders often end up being scrutinised by those who
report to them as well as those to whom they report. Team members will not only look to
their leaders for support and guidance but they will also inevitably adopt some of their work
practices and habits. It is therefore essential for leaders to lead by example, communicating
and presenting themselves and the organisation in a positive way by maintaining
professionalism at all times.
Leaders should act to inspire those who look up to them to act ethically and with integrity.
They should strive to ‘walk the talk’ and demonstrate best practice behaviours for achieving
organisational goals and objectives. Most importantly, employees and team members rely
on their managers to show them what is expected and how it should be done within the set
parameters.
Good leaders model appropriate behaviour and demonstrate the following traits:
Honesty
Self-Confidence Integrity
Effective
Adaptability
Communication
Decisiveness
Good Task Competence
Leaders
Trustworthiness Intelligence
Courage Imagination
Motivation
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Being a good leader requires the
demonstration of positive actions
including:
• Knowing the names, positions and
responsibilities of their staff
• Delegating responsibility to their
staff
• Promoting the organisation’s
mission, goals, standards and
image
• Being appropriately dressed and groomed
• Encouraging and supporting staff
• Being punctual
• Inspiring a shared vision
• Empowering and enabling team members to act
Advantages
Potential advantages of linking work teams and individual's goals and activities to strategic
plans are outlined below:
• All parts of the organisation, and the individuals within it, are working towards the
achievement of common goals.
• Less chance o f work teams or individuals working at variance to the goals of the
organisation.
• More efficient and effective utilisation of resources.
• Better integration of work flow between work units.
• All employees are able to understand how their work unit, personal position and
work teams contribute to the achievement of the organisation’s overall strategic
plan.
• Work teams/groups and individuals are better able to manage their own
responsibilities and accountabilities.
• Enhanced employee motivation and morale.
• Easier for managers to monitor the implementation and outcomes of plans and take
timely appropriate corrective action, if needed.
• Easier for managers to evaluate the productivity and achievements of work teams
and individual employees.
• Performance management programs such
as Total Quality Management (TQM),
Benchmarking, Continuous Improvement
initiatives through to employee appraisals
and development programs are made
possible.
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1.3. Ensure media and language used is
appropriate to individuals and group
circumstances
Communication refers to the process of

encoding a message and sending it to another
individual or group using a specific medium.
Communication in business involves a complex
set of unwritten rules governing speech,
written correspondence and body language
that varies in different parts of the world. All
businesspeople, from the entry-level manager to the seasoned venture capitalist, can
benefit from paying attention to communication etiquette in business. The significance of
communication across any business setting is such that the effectiveness of your
communication skills has the potential to either make or break your career or your business.
Fundamental issues, such as personal respect, courtesy and adherence to cultural
standards, can go a long way towards making lasting, positive impressions and working
productively with individuals from different backgrounds.
Communication in business settings can take three distinct forms. While verbal
communication consists of any spoken messages conveyed to others in person or through a
technological medium, written communication consists of any correspondence sent
between individuals or groups, including letters and email. In addition to these fundamental
forms of communication, body language plays a large role in communicating subtle nuances
in the meanings behind words. It is a must for business people to understand the unwritten
cultural rules governing all three types of communication in order to maximize the
effectiveness of their interpersonal skills.
This is so because effective communication between individuals in a business setting can

strengthen feelings of camaraderie and group cohesiveness. Additionally, this can directly
enhance the productivity, creativity and adaptability
of work teams and departments, as well as
encouraging individuals to give their best efforts in
their personal job roles. Miscommunication, on the
other hand, can have the exact opposite effect. A
failure to communicate effectively can lead to
missed opportunities for networking, strategic
partnerships and new client acquisition.
Business language etiquette

Maintaining a professional image is important when dealing with key stakeholders including
clients, co-workers and potential customers. Irrespective of the media of communication
being employed, either face-to-face, email or phone, it is always necessary to observe
professional language and a tactful communication style. While phone, email and face-to-
face conversations have their own respective etiquette rules, a little courtesy can go a long
way in having the desired impact on the listener. A few examples of language etiquettes to
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be followed when engaging in a conversation for business purposes include the following:
Introduction
When you make a call, dial into a phone conference, or are meeting new people, introduce
yourself by stating your name, your role and if the situation demands, your place of
business. If you are meeting someone in person,
give a firm handshake and reiterate the names of
the people you are meeting in your head. Saying
the names of the people you have just met will help
in remembering them later.
Using titles
Not everyone in the workplace needs to, or wants
to be addressed as Mr. or Mrs. The way in which
someone introduces himself or herself to you is how they expect to be addressed as well.
However, it is generally considered appropriate to address someone who ranks highly in the
company or a client, by his or her title.
Proper Grammar
Make effective use of grammatical rules when writing and speaking. For example, make it a
must to develop the habit of using complete sentences, using proper capitalization in emails
and spell checking your work, always keeping exclamation points to a minimum and
remembering that slang and emoticons do not belong in
professional exchanges. While not every exchange
needs to be formal, the casual tone used with your
colleagues should be avoided with your boss.
Body Language
Body language represents one of the most vital medium
of communication in the workplace, therefore the
required need to be mindful of one’s body language at
all times. Positive body language will entail keeping a
good posture and maintaining eye contact while
introducing yourself or even while talking to someone you have known since long. Body
language also requires oneself to be alert and continually acknowledge the speaker. It is also
essential to respect personal space by keeping a
reasonable distance between yourself and the person
you are talking to so as not to make others
uncomfortable.
Emails
It is beneficial to adopt the good habit of describing the
subject of the email in the memo line as readers do not
only appreciate the heads-up on what they are about
to read but the awareness of the contents can also
allow them to better prioritize their emails. Having a
clear and specific subject line will further help both the
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sender and the recipient to easily locate the email later on. Some of the common features of
a business email include:
• Starting your message with a greeting
• Send to appropriate recipients
• Use descriptive and meaningful subject lines
• Write a clear and concise message
• Scan attachments before sending
• Avoid the use of emoticons
• Avoid sending forwards and inappropriate jokes
• Use email signature at the end of your email
• Respond to emails in a timely fashion
• Know when to email and when to call a person regarding any business matter
Considerations
Although communication among business leaders and among employees within a company
is crucial to a business's success, all employees must also pay attention to their
communication with customers. A different set of rules applies to communication with
customers which requires the employee to be courteous and respectful even when
customers are not, in order to curb negative word-of-mouth advertising. Therefore,
communication in advertising, public relations and customer service activities must be
scrutinized to ensure that the intended messages are being sent clearly and are being
appropriately received by the desired market segment.
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Chapter 2: Communicate Organisational
Mission and Goals
Effective Communication
Effective communication is a fundamental skill needed by organisation leaders both within
the internal and external business environments they operate in. Communication is
considered effective when the information sent by the sender is received and understood
by the receiver with the same meaning as the sender intended it to have. The particular
information conveyed should also be understood and received in a timely manner. The time
aspect is important because understanding the information may be of no real value if it is
received too late to be acted upon.
Within an organisation, effective two-‐way communication is essential to convey direction
and information both to and from the leader. Outside the organisation, in the external
environment, the organisation leader must use effective communication in interacting with
external bodies such as government agencies, existing and potential customers, professional
and industry bodies, as well as representing the organisation in the media and in the local
and wider community.
It therefore becomes evident that effective communication is one of the most important
factors for any organisation and their managers. In fact it is often stated that everything a
manager does involves communication. If the leader is not an effective communicator major
problems can arise for all those who have dealings with the organisation, i.e. both internal
and external persons and bodies.
1.4. State clear expectations of internal groups and individuals and explain in a manner
which builds commitment to the organisation
Irrespective of whether a team has just been

formed or whether it has developed to the stage
of performing well, there are a number of
processes to help leaders plan, manage, and
enhance individual and team performance. These
include:
• Determining performance expectations
• Communicating performance
expectations
• Monitoring and reviewing performance
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Performance planning
Plans are projected courses of action aimed at achieving objectives. In simple terms,
planning implies thinking ahead and deciding what needs to be done before starting to do it.
It involves deciding what an organisation wants to achieve and when it wants to achieve it,
delegating tasks, organising resources and monitoring progress so that the organisation may
know when the goals have been or will be achieved.
Planning is an important function performed by
all managers and supervisors at every level of a
successful organisation. Whether someone is a
team leader, supervisor, or the managing
director, the ability to effectively plan and
support the operation by delivering the goals
and vision of the organisation is crucial to
achieving both personal career goals as well as
those of the organisation.
Plans are personally and professionally devised on a daily basis. In the workplace, it is critical
that each department or team has a clear plan, which may relate to productivity, customer
service, quality or quantity. Importantly, the plan needs to be documented, communicated,
and be measurable and achievable for all involved. The performance planning processes
within an organisation will vary depending on individual roles of staff members. These might
include simple plans such as staff rosters, cleaning checklists or training plans, through to
more complex plans such as service improvement plans, recruitment plans, promotional
plans, business plans or marketing plans.
Importance of performance planning

Performance planning helps teams and individuals to understand what is expected of them,
and why. It links their performance to the performance of the rest of their organisation by
setting individual and team work goals that contribute to company goals. It also lets them
know how they are performing and what they can do to improve when necessary.
Performance planning is vital to the success of organisations because it clarifies
expectations and provides the support necessary for team members to contribute efficiently
and productively. It also increases their sense of purpose, self-esteem and motivation.
Although there are many ways of approaching performance planning and management, it
generally involves:
Analysing the strategic intent and the overall goals of the organisation, and breaking them
down into team or workgroup goals and objectives.
Analysing the jobs and the skills of individuals as they relate to team goals.
Developing clear goals, objectives and standards relating to individuals’ work performance.
Clearly communicating performance goals and expectations to team members and gaining
agreement on those goals and expectations.
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Monitoring and assessing the performance of team members against goals and standards.
Recognising and acknowledging good performance of individuals and teams.
Recognising where performance needs to improve and providing the necessary support for
this to happen.
Determining performance expectations

For an organisation to be successful, it is vital that the performance of each individual and
team contributes to and is aligned with the goals and objectives of the organisation. The
organisation’s goals and strategies must be taken into account when developing the
performance required of teams and individuals. Moreover, it is also essential to take
employees’ opinions and duly consider their suggestions before setting performance tasks
for them. The advantage of involving people in helping to set their own objectives is that
they will generally be more committed to achieving them. Recent research also suggests
that in a supportive organisational climate, people working individually or in teams will
typically set and achieve greater objectives than those given to them ‘from the top’.
The following diagram illustrates the process of organisational goals flowing onto individual
work objectives.
Sources of information
Performance expectations of both teams and
individuals can be determined by reviewing
documents such as:
• The organisation’s mission/vision statement
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• The organisation’s values
• Codes of conduct or business ethics
• Business plans
• Policies and procedures
• Job descriptions
• Person specifications
• Task breakdowns
Developing team goals, objectives and performance standards

It is usually the role of frontline managers to develop individual and team goals, objectives
and performance standards. Since these are the things performance is measured against,
they are vital to the success of the performance planning and management system. Without
them, any assessment or management of performance becomes difficult, flawed, and often
meaningless. As discussed previously, individual goals must be related to the goals of the
team, the department, and the organisation.
Goals are broad statements of intent; they are general and not time-bound. They describe
where we are headed if we are fulfilling our purpose. They are different from objectives as
objectives are based on goals and on the overall purpose of the job, and are specific
statements that describe results to be achieved, when, and by whom, in order for goals to
be accomplished. They describe quantifiable and/or observable achievements that can be
measured; they describe what will be achieved, not how they will be achieved. Objectives
are expectations. They may also be further analysed to provide more specific performance
requirements in Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
This diagram below shows the relationship between goals, objectives and KPIs. An example
will include:
Organisation goal Objective KPI
To maximise returns for To decrease overall To decrease payroll

shareholders payroll costs costs by 5% during
the financial year
ending June 2009
Expectations of internal groups and individuals

A strong relationship exists between meeting the needs of external customers and meeting
the expectations of an organisation's employees (internal customers).
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Developing the trust and confidence of employees’ results in greater employee commitment
to the organisation and the enhanced potential to meet the needs of existing and potential
customers. Organisation leaders can build trust and confidence from their employees by
positive role modelling, effective communication and consultation. Additionally employees’
trust and confidence is achieved by recognising, respecting and addressing the specific
needs of diverse groups and individuals within the workplace.
An important issue in meeting internal customer needs is to recognise that different

individuals and groups within the workplace may have different needs. Consequently,
treating all employees as if they all have the same needs may sound fair and egalitarian but
will likely create more problems than it solves.
1.5. Address expectations of the organisation
Communicating performance expectations

There are many ways in which employees become aware and supportive of what is required
from them - both in the ways they do their work
(performance objectives and standards) and the
manner in which they behave while in the
workplace.
Provided below are some of the obvious and the

more subtle ways in which performance
expectations are communicated and addressed
along with the frontline leader’s role in this
important process.
• Performance discussion
Discussions with team members about their performance should happen when they are first
employed, and should also accurately reflect the scope presented at the selection interview
and in the job offer or contract of employment. Managers need to make objectives and
performance standards clear, and ensure that team members understand and agree with
these expectations. It is also a good opportunity to discuss how the team member’s job
activities tie into the organisation’s business
plans and goals.
Once a team member becomes familiar with the

organisation, their department or workgroup,
the nature of the job, and the resources
available, a performance planning discussion
should take place between the manager and the
team member. The purpose of this meeting is to
jointly plan performance objectives that are
specific with clear performance standards. This discussion should also include an
assessment of the skill level requirements to meet the performance plan objectives, and a
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consideration of what skills or abilities the team member may need to develop. Discussions
about performance and the setting of new objectives and standards may also take place in a
formal performance review but this represents only one part of the overall performance
management process.
Other times when performance discussions might be appropriate are:

o Changes in processes, technology, work practices, job design etc
o When a team member is transferred to
a different location and new expectations need
to be clarified
o After business plans are completed or
revised
o If a team member’s performance
appears to have declined.
• Induction and training

Performance discussions should form part of the induction program, be ongoing throughout
a person’s employment, and be backed up with on-going training and development
activities. Internal training programs can be very effective tools for managers to use to
communicate general performance expectations. For instance, occupational health & safety
training programs are very useful in helping team members become aware of the
importance of workplace safety and the roles and responsibilities of everyone to ensure a
safe and healthy workplace.
• Company publications
An organisation’s expectations regarding the performance of its employees are often
included in employee manuals and described in new staff induction sessions. Company
newsletters may also contain articles about parts of the code of conduct, especially those
that appear to be subject to unacceptable levels of non-compliance in order to inform and
remind people about company standards.
These are ways of ensuring that people are informed about behavioural expectations
although they do not necessarily ensure employee compliance or agreement. Increasing
employees’ commitment towards their workplace may require other methods such as
training anf supportive management behaviour.
• Company vision and values

As previously seen, an organisation’s expectations of
its people are also communicated via its vision,
mission and values statements. The best
vision/values statements are clear and concise and
convey to the organisation’s people exactly what the
organisation does, and why and how it does it. Such
statements are written in straightforward language
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that should capture and inspire the imagination. The link between the vision and the
strategic plan should be clearly implied in the way the business is managed. It should look,
and continue to look, credible to employees. If it fails to do so, management’s expressions
of sincerity about performance are likely to be viewed with cynicism.
• Team briefings
In addition to the previous strategies for
communicating performance expectations to teams,
leaders should consider the value of maximising face-
to-face communication opportunities. Team Briefings
are a very effective means of regular face-to-face
communication between leaders and teams. In large
and complex organisations, it can become difficult to
find the time for face-to-face communications –
workplaces are busy, customers can be demanding,
payroll needs to be controlled. Nonetheless, effective
communication needs time and requires skill and
commitment from all those involved in the process.
However, face-to-face communications do have a number of advantages over other

methods and managers need to be committed to ensuring that all team members have the
opportunity, on a regular basis, to meet and receive relevant and timely information.
Ensuring that everyone knows what is going on is vital to the success of the organisation and
to the people who work in it.
Executive expectations
The role of a successful leader also entails understanding as well as meeting the needs of
senior management, their peers and team members.
Leaders are primarily tasked with leading a work group or a team on their journey to
achieving set goals. Executives will often determine
these goals and objectives and then anticipate that
the frontline manager/ leader will relay the
expectations to their teams at the operational level.
To ensure mutual understanding of what is
required, leaders must demonstrate sound
interpersonal and communication skills along with
practical or technical skills specific to the industry in
which they are working.
Employees’ expectations
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Expectations about performance and behaviour
do not only come from above, but also from the
peers you lead in your role as a frontline manager.
Your peers and colleagues will have an
expectation that your appointment to a
leadership role is based on your level of
competence. It will be assumed that you will
possess, and subsequently demonstrate, the
qualities necessary to be a good leader.
Employees are more likely to show commitment if they respect and have confidence in the
person they are being led by. Behaviours displayed by leaders will influence sustained
organisational performance. Employees tend to take their cues on what is important and
how to behave from their leaders and when a leader says one thing and then does another,
employees/workers quickly figure out the real story. Therefore a major obligation of
leadership is integrity between words and actions.
Management behaviour
To communicate performance expectations effectively and to increase commitment to
them within the team, leaders should lead by ‘walking the talk’. In other words, leaders
must be seen to live and model the performance
standards they are communicating and prove that
they help to achieve business goals.
If leaders model the types of behaviours they expect

their team members to adopt, there is consistency
between words and action and a greater likelihood
that others would adopt these performance
standards. For example, a manager may openly state
that the team needs to provide high levels of service
to its customers, and recruit team members who
enjoy working with customers and have excellent
customer service skills. As such, managers who deal with their team members by being
polite, friendly, helpful, and enthusiastic are demonstrating behaviours consistent with
customer service performance standards, and are contributing to the development of a
supportive team culture.
Through their behaviour, leaders can also

reinforce and reward the efforts of team
members when they meet or exceed
performance expectations. For example,
leaders can:
• Implement an incentive/reward scheme
• Provide specific positive feedback about
the results achieved – either oral or
written, or both
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• Show their trust by asking team members to become
involved in other projects
• Offer promotional opportunities
Although there may be endless possibilities for recognising a

team’s effort, the guiding principle remains to offer a reward that
is appropriate to the needs of team members. Offering additional
or more varied work opportunities may be attractive for some but
not others. Therefore, it pays to ask team members what they
value, and tailor reward and recognition efforts accordingly.
Likewise, leaders are also required to address performance shortfalls when they occur.
Given below are some tips for providing feedback to improve performance.
• Timely is best. Provide improvement suggestions as soon as appropriate. Although

sooner is better is a good guideline, people involved in emotional situations often
benefit more from feedback that is provided after a cooling-down period. Timely
feedback allows people to act on suggestions when they can use them most while
still having the time to improve the situation or apply the feedback to upcoming
situations.
• People are more willing to accept suggestions that are given in a timely manner.
When people face difficult or challenging situations, they usually want to know how
they are doing and what they can do to improve. However, if they receive this
information after they have become comfortable doing things in a certain way, they
might consider the feedback unwelcome. In such circumstances, the feedback
provides little help at best and at worst, it frustrates and angers people. This is so
because no one wants to hear what they could or should have done long after
something has already happened.
• Keep your balance. Balancing feedback to improve performance with positive,

reinforcing feedback is an important
consideration over time as well as every
single time feedback is provided. To ensure
balanced feedback over time, routinely look
for opportunities to provide both formal and
informal feedback. In the process of providing
feedback, strike an appropriate balance
between suggestions for improvement and
positive feedback.
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• Provide feedback to ‘enhance’ as well. Another way to become more comfortable in
giving feedback for improvement is to think of it as something that can benefit
everyone, not just someone with a performance problem.
This can be done by replacing the word improvement with
words such as development, learning, fine-tuning, and
enhancing. By these definitions, even high-achieving self-
starters can benefit from feedback for improvement.
• Make feedback part of your job. Encourage people

to continuously strengthen the how and what of their jobs.
Urge them to take responsibility for their own growth by
actively seeking feedback from their leader, peers and
customers. Broaden their perspective by suggesting sources
of feedback they might not have
considered.
• Make feedback ongoing.

Remember that feedback, especially
feedback for improvement, is not a
one-time event. Development can be a
slow process, requiring successive
feedback discussions. As such, timely
feedback helps people move to the
next level of performance by reinforcing effective actions and providing suggestions
for improvement. For top performers, ongoing feedback can help them address new
challenges and achieve success even more quickly.
1.6. Investigate incidents promptly and communicate results clearly to relevant groups
and individuals
Investigation of workplace incidents is an integral part of an organisation’s workplace health

and safety management system. The main purpose of this investigation is the prevention of
similar occurrences. Incident investigation should be seen as a preventive exercise rather
than a punitive one. The investigation does not seek to allocate blame but searches for, and
defines, as clearly and objectively as possible, the factors that
have contributed to the incident. The success of an
investigation depends on a systematic approach to
determining the causes.
What is an incident?
An incident is an accident or other occurrence that has the
potential for causing a death, injury, occupational disease, or
damage to equipment or property.
Incidents include:
• accidents in which a worker is injured or killed
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• accidents in which no one is hurt but equipment or property is damaged
• near misses
• serious bodily injury
• work caused illness
• serious/ dangerous electrical incidents
• major accidents
• death
The terms incident and accident are often used interchangeably, but the preferred term is
incident because it includes near misses as well as accidents.
Investigation process
In order to carry out an effective investigation, the investigation process must start as soon
as possible after the event so that vital evidence is not missed. Where an investigation is
delayed, reasons for the delay must be immediately communicated to all relevant parties.
Reasons for the delay must also be included in the report when it is completed.
A person or persons conducting an investigation must

have:
• a knowledge of, and familiarity with
investigation procedures
• sufficient technical knowledge of the work
processes or access to such knowledge
• objectivity
• an analytical approach to the problem
• an ability to communicate
If possible, the investigation should not be conducted

by persons directly involved in the event, or in the
series of events, immediately preceding the incident.
Considering contributory risk factors

These may include, but are not limited to, an examination of:
• whether there was a formal risk assessment conducted prior to starting the job
• whether there was appropriate awareness of safety issues in planning the job
• whether there were safety procedures in place
• what level of training/instruction had been provided
• the level of supervision
• tools and equipment - whether these contributed or should have been used
• environmental conditions whether these contributed
• the positions and actions of other personnel both at the workplace or involved in the
sequence of events
• personal protective equipment – its requirement, availability and usage
Findings
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The primary purpose of an investigation is the identification of deficiencies in the workplace
health and safety management system in place at the time of the incident, in order to
prevent a recurrence.
In the final analysis being filed on the company record, it is important that the investigator
separates:
• facts from opinions
• direct evidence from circumstantial evidence
Conclusions should only be drawn from known facts, consistent with the investigator's
knowledge. In some cases, expert assistance may also be required.
Feedback
It is important to ensure people in the workplace where an incident occurred are aware that
an investigation is to be conducted. When it is completed, they need to know what the
findings are and what follow-up actions are intended. As each action is completed, it should
be reported back to the work area.
Investigation Report
The content of a Workplace Incident Investigation Report is made up of the following
information:
• Date, time and location of incident
• If applicable, name of any injured person(s)
• If applicable, details of injury/illness
• The role the person was undertaking at the time
• If applicable, details of property damage
• Name and contact details of any witness(es) statements to be attached
• Description of how the incident occurred
• Underlying conditions or actions which could
have caused the incident
• Basic causes which led to the incident
• Recommended action (control measures taken
or proposed to prevent similar incidents in the
future). This should be consistent with control
measures outlined in the company’s
occupational health & safety system
• Name of investigator
• Date and location where investigation was
performed
• Details of recipients of the report - As a general
rule, the original should be sent to the relevant General Manager, with copies
distributed within each operational area as required. In addition, a copy must also be
forwarded to the Area Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator for filing and
record purposes.
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Chapter 3: Influence Groups and Individuals
One of the most critical areas of management function is the development of strategic and
operational plans, together with resourcing and the assigning of responsibilities for their
achievement to teams and individuals. However, the setting of plans and their delegation
alone do not guarantee successful implementation. Amongst other factors, successful
implementation of plans is dependent on employees being sufficiently motivated/
influenced to expend their energy and abilities at a level consistent with that required for
efficient and effective operations.
The leader must therefore be able to motivate individuals and groups within the
organisation so that successful organisational performance is achieved. An understanding of
the factors that influence individual and group motivation and performance is required in
order to do this effectively.
2.1. Build trust, confidence and respect of diverse groups and individuals, through
positive role modelling, and effective communication and consultation
The greatest change occurring in the area of workplace motivation is one’s ability to
understand and recognise individual differences since most motivational theories have so
far tended to treat all employees as the same. While it is true that all employees can be
motivated by receiving rewards, the types of rewards that motivate individuals will differ
from person to person. Although the general theory of having rewards system in place may
be correct, its implementation must also take into account individual needs of diverse
groups and individuals.
Diversity in the workplace

In an increasingly globalised business environment, successful businesses emphasise the
importance of bringing diversity into an organisation. As businesses engage in contact with
an ever-widening customer/market base associated with different ethnicity, race, religious,
political, age, gender differences, their ability to
successfully transact their business increasingly relies
upon not only understanding the needs of their
externally diverse markets, but also in establishing and
managing diversity within their own workforce.
As workplaces recognise the importance of creating

workforce diversity in order to successfully operate in
an increasingly diverse business environment, they
must also recognise the equally important function of
managing workplace diversity. As such, managing
diversity must start with a strong positive mission
statement, and core values that incorporate the
management of diversity as a long‐term strategic objective. Unless this is the case,
Page | 31
managers and employees are unlikely to accept the concept as a genuine and necessary
business practice. Rather it may be perceived as a forced compliance with legislative or
social expectations. The concept may then result in confusion and resentment within the
organisation, delivering outcomes that will be opposite to its aim.
Introducing greater diversity in the workplace can result in increased workplace conflict, as
more people with different backgrounds of culture, age, etc., must work with each other.
The potential for increased misunderstanding and miscommunication, the contrast and
contest between differing priorities, personal likes and dislikes increases as the diversity of
the workforce increases. Therefore, increasing diversity will only assist the organisation if it
is effectively managed otherwise it may create more problems than benefits.
Workplace diversity can offer potential benefits such as:

• A wider pool of ideas, perspectives and experience to anticipate and solve problems
• Enhanced creativity and innovation
• Greater opportunity to move into new markets such as those culturally different to
traditional markets
• The organisation's business risk is improved as it is spread over a wider
customer/market base
• Minimising the potential for making bad decisions, for instance, helping to recognise
decisions that may apply in one culture but be inappropriate in other cultures
• Scarce resources can be more effectively and efficiently used
• The ability to understand and respond to culturally different competitors is
enhanced
• The organisation's ability to succeed and survive is improved
Positive role modelling

In order to enhance and effectively manage the issue of diversity in the workplace, the
organisational leader should assume the responsibility of being a proactive role model in
demonstrating the benefits of embracing diversity and working together as one team. This
will help to ensure the establishment of trust, respect and confidence among all team
members. This can be achieved by adopting certain leadership approaches and enforcing
leadership actions accordingly, as outlined in the following table:
Effective leadership approaches Specific leader actions
Creating a shared understanding of • Set clear goals and

how team members are expected to standards.
Page | 32
behave at work. • Help team members to
understand these goals and
standards.
Identifying behavioural issues when • Monitor team members’
they occur, and agreeing on action performance.
to address those issues. • Bring behavioural and
performance problems to
their attention.
• Find out the reason(s)
behind problems.
• Agree on action to improve
behaviours and bring
performance back to
standard.
Doing things every day to lead and • Manage by walking around
develop individuals so they can (talk to your team members
achieve their short and long term and be around them).
goals. • Praise good performance.
• Coach team members when
needed.
• Listen to their concerns and
suggestions.
• Organise training when
needed.
Effective communication
Effective communication in organisations can both unite a group of individuals as a team,

and connect the different parts of an organisation together into an enterprising, efficient
and effective whole. Effective communication helps to achieve specific objectives when
dealing with different groups and individuals within an organisation. For instance, effective
communication:
• with customers helps the organisation provide more useful services or products
• between sales and production departments helps plan to meet anticipated
requirements and give more accurate information to customers
Page | 33
• between finance, research & development and marketing departments helps an
organisation in developing strategies to meet market demands
• between supervisors, employees and safety representatives helps an organisation to
operate more safely and economically
The role and importance of leadership

While everyone in an organisation communicates, leaders set the tone for this climate. They
set the stage for how well ideas and information are exchanged through how they establish
open and clear communication with each other, team members, customers, suppliers, and
other stakeholders. The effectiveness of the resulting communication affects the
organisation’s morale, productivity, and ultimately, its success.
As such, frontline leaders, supervisors and team managers are the link in the communication
chain between their own and other areas of the organisation as well as between
management and line team members.
To fulfil this role, they need to ensure that:
• All team members understand their own, each other’s, and their department’s
objectives
• Members of their team understand the organisation’s values, mission, goals, and
how they contribute to this big picture
• Team members understand relevant policies and procedures
• Team members can carry out their duties
• A climate is established where team members feel free to ask questions, contribute
ideas and challenge the status quo
• The organisation’s changing requirements of its team members are explained
• The needs and requirements of their work team are communicated to senior
management.
Means of communication
Page | 34
The communication channels used to deal with inappropriate team member behaviours
may be described in an organisation’s code of conduct, or policies and procedures. A
communication channel is the method used to communicate information and ideas. The
different means of communication can be categorised into written and spoken channels
which include the following:
• Written channels: emails, SMS messages, reports (including counselling and
appraisal reports), memos.
• Spoken channels: phone calls, informal conversations, meetings, formal performance
appraisal and counselling sessions.
These channels may be appropriate to directly question the team member/s involved, or to
direct the issue to the relevant manager and/ or department.
The advantages and disadvantages of using some of these communication channels to

question or challenge team member behaviours that could be damaging to an organisation
are tabulated below:
Channel Advantage Disadvantage
Email • Quick • May be seen as threatening or

• Provides written record too formal for minor issues;
not formal enough for major
• Can invite response
or recurring issues
• Overcomes problems of
• May be accessed by others:
distance
possible privacy issues
• May be less costly than face-
• May be ‘lost’ or overlooked if
to-face meetings
email traffic is high
• To reinforce or confirm an
• Can be used as inappropriate
earlier spoken message
substitutes for face-to-face or
telephone communication
SMS • Quick • May be seen as too informal;

• Overcomes problems of not taken seriously
distance • Difficult to convey complex
• May be less costly than face- issues
to-face meetings
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Reports • Provides a record for future • Usually one-way with no
reference opportunity for immediate
• Message is seen as feedback to check mutual
authoritative understanding
• Allows time to carefully • May be delayed or lost
prepare and review message • No guarantee if or when it will
before sending be read or interpreted
• Overcomes problems of correctly
distance • Can be costly and time-
• May be less costly than face- consuming to prepare
to-face meetings
Records of • Provides a written record of • If not recorded accurately can
counselling discussion for future be misleading
discussions or reference, plus agreed • If annual performance
performance goals/improvement actions appraisal is the only avenue
appraisal • Appropriate to raise major or for discussion, the questioning
sessions recurring problems may not be timely enough to
• Allows for discussion of allow for action when
reasons for problem required
behaviours
Phone calls • Quick • No written record of
• Personal discussion or agreements
• Informal; less threatening • Limited non-verbal elements
(eg body language) could lead
to misinterpretation of the
message
Informal • Useful to raise minor issues • No written record of
conversations for the first time discussion or agreements
Formal • Provide a clear forum for two- • May be seen as too formal &
conversations way face-to-face discussion threatening for raising first-
e.g. meetings, • Provides a written record of time or minor issues
counselling and discussion, plus agreed
performance goals/improvement actions
appraisal
• Appropriate to raise major or
discussions
recurring problems
Page | 36
The above table makes it obvious that more than one channel can be used to communicate
the same message. For example, a phone call can also be confirmed with an email or vice
versa. Regardless of whichever channel is being used, it is essential to consider ‘the seven
C’s’ of communication to help in preparing and communicating the messages successfully:
• Is it clear?
• Is it complete?
• Is it concise?
• Is it considerate?
• Is it concrete?
• Is it correct?
• Is it courteous?
2.2. Embrace, resource and effectively implement improvements to organisational and

workplace culture
What is organisational or workplace culture?

Organisational culture represents the shared values and beliefs that guide how members of
an organisation approach their work and interact
with each other. It is expressed and manifested
through the behaviours, customs and practices
these members collectively display. An
alignment between what the people who work
for an organisation value and what actually
needs to be valued for the organisation to
succeed-creates a functional culture, sometimes
referred to as a 'high performance' culture.
Organisational culture is the outcome of many
factors, forces and influences. Key elements and
attributes of culture are:
Page | 37
1. Individual values Individual values are the ideas, actions and relationships that
an individual holds to be of most importance. They are a
significant influence on the way an individual interprets,
responds to and acts within the workplace.
2. Organisational The roles, functions and aims of an organisation determine

values what needs to be collectively valued most in order for the
organisation to succeed. These are commonly expressed
through corporate documents such as strategies, annual
reports or press releases.
3. Alignment A functional culture is fostered when staff members perceive

between personal that there is some alignment, connection or 'line of sight'
values and between their individual values and what needs to be valued
organisational for the organisation to succeed.
values
4. Dynamism Just like an individual's values can shift and be re-ordered,

things that need to be valued within an organisation can
similarly change in response to a range of internal and
external influences. Thus, the collective alignment of
individual and organisational values, or organisational culture
is fluid and subject to change.
5. Role of leaders Leaders in organisations influence culture by acting as role

models for the behaviours and actions that align with what the
organisation needs to value the most. Leaders also help staff
to identify a connection between personal values and
organisational values.
Improvements to workplace culture

Improving organisational or workplace culture pervades across all units of an organisation.
This is because workplace culture can contribute to the success of an organisation if it is
aligned to the business environment the organisation must operate within. Likewise, if the
culture is not aligned to the organisation's business environment, it can severely hinder its
ability to operate in an effective and efficient
way. The topic of organisational culture and
how to manage or implement changes into it,
is a current high-profile area because most
organisations now exist in a business
environment characterised by continuous and
rapid change.
When managers have tried to introduce

measures within their organisation to ensure
Page | 38
it can survive and effectively operate in its present and perceived future business
environment, they have often been hampered from doing so by the prevailing culture of the
organisation. This failure can be mainly attributed to employees’ resistance and
unwillingness to cope with change. Employees’ resistance to change can result from the
belief that the initial values the organisation stands for, which they personally support and
have worked to uphold, are under threat. Such resistance is likely to be most strong in
organisations where there has been a strong core culture associated with valuing stability
and the traditional ways of operating a business.
Given such circumstances, the organisation leader can take an active role in the change
management process by being a role model who enacts the new cultural values and puts in
place processes that will reinforce them. These can include:
• Defining the organisational culture as one that embraces concepts such as quality,
continuous improvement, creativity and innovation, and where change is accepted
as a normal part of business life.
• Employing people that embrace these values.
• Reinforcing the culture through recognition and reward processes.
• Ensuring communication and education processes effectively convey the reasons for
changes.
• Providing opportunities for employee input into change decisions, particularly those
that significantly impact on them personally.
• Listening to what employees are saying as they may provide important issues for the
organisation to consider.
• Personally conveying an image of accessibility, flexibility and adaptability to change.
2.3. Demonstrate understanding of the global

environment and new technology in work activities
The key to success in today’s business world consists of

understanding and adopting global influences into
existing business concepts and practices. This further
entails the consideration of new technologies available
from the emerging markets which can prove to be
crucial in effectively managing and ultimately
contributing to the success of an organisation.
Page | 39
Therefore, a major change evident in businesses in recent times is their focus on devising
strategies for surviving and thriving in a business environment that reflects the impact of
globalisation. In simple terms, globalisation implies that an organisation’s market is no
longer restricted to their immediate geographical location or traditional customer base only
as a result of changes in technology, communications systems, transport and freer trade
markets. Globalisation, for the consumer, means a far wider access to goods and services
and a more competitive market as means of finding and acquiring products has been
significantly enhanced. For an organisation, new market potentials are available while at the
same time competition is also significantly increased and traditional markets are put at risk.
Thus, greater potential also entails greater risk.
Globalisation also subjects all organisations to

greater external influences than ever before. For
this reason, the public image of the organisation
is important as it can significantly influence
consumer behaviour, e.g. their brand loyalties,
product purchases, etc. Hence, an additional
developing trend for all organisations is the
emergence of more sophisticated and user--
friendly technology, particularly communication technology in conjunction with the global
economy that has resulted in a far more immediate and diverse interaction between the
organisation and its external environment.
As previously explored, access to the organisation and access by the organisation to virtually
all parts of the world means an organisation's external environment and potential customer
base are no longer restricted to their immediate community. Rather, they are global and as
such can be servicing diverse markets from virtually anywhere. Consequently, the issues of
emerging technologies and globalisation have important implications for organisation
leaders given the fact that information on organisations is now far more accessible and
immediate. Through technology such as the Internet, satellite communication, global news
services, mobile/text phones and computers, the actions of an organisation and its leaders
in any location can be quickly distributed across the globe.
As such, the image and actions of the organisation now face a much wider public, thereby
making it virtually impossible for positive or negative actions to be hidden or ignored by the
public. Likewise, globalisation will require
organisations and their leaders to interact with
and understand a far more diverse public
expectation. While leaders may fully understand
the needs of the public in the organisation's local
or traditional community, they may have little or
no understanding of public concerns in another
fifty different communities, in as many different
countries, where they now operate due to the
emergence of globalisation and the new
technology.
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Therefore, companies will not only benefit from the many advantages of globalisation and
new technologies but will equally have to face many challenges in order to keep up with
these trends of globalisation and new technologies which have made the world become one
place.
2.4. Ensure actions convey flexibility and adaptability to change and accessibility
There are a number of contributory factors that can

sink attempts to make cultural change more quickly
than if employees perceive their managers not
practicing the new values. Therefore, it is important
for team leaders to personally convey an image of
accessibility, flexibility and adaptability to change.
If managers are accessible, employee concerns can

be addressed quickly, before they become difficult to
manage. Likewise, this will also provide managers
with early feedback on acceptance or possible
problems with proposed changes, and an
opportunity to re-evaluate their plans.
Demonstrating flexibility and adaptability by

listening to and taking on-board employee
concerns also helps reinforce the attitudes and
values the leader is trying to establish as core
organisational culture and core values. The whole
concept is lost if the leader is telling employees
they need to be flexible if he/she cannot
demonstrate genuine adaptability. Acknowledging the potential creative and innovative
value of each individual and group within the workplace significantly expands the
probability of finding the right solution to important issues.
Adoption of these practices by the leader reinforces the perception that change is not
forced upon employees, and helps create a culture where change is not automatically
perceived as a negative experience.
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Making informed decisions in the workplace is an essential leadership skill. Leaders’ ability
to make timely and well considered decisions places them in a better position for leading
their team to success. The nature of problems faced within an organisation ranges from
being easily identifiable to being hard enough for working out what the problem is in the
first place. Therefore, it is essential to gather and organise relevant information in order to
help solve problems and make informed decisions.
2.5. Ensure consultation and participation in decision making occurs with relevant
groups and individuals where appropriate
It can be argued that the leader of an organisation is ultimately accountable for all the
decisions made within his/her organisation, whether these are made directly by the leader
or others within the organisation. This is so because decision-making is at the core of an
organisation leader’s role and is central to all the management functions of planning,
organising, leading and control. Consequently, everything done by a manager involves
decision-making.
Within a management perspective, decisions form the basis of plans, actions and outcomes.
It is in the leader’s best interest to ensure efficient and effective decision making processes
exist within the organisation, as the quality of decisions ultimately determines not only
organisational performance but also their own performance and how they are perceived by
others as an effective manager. The process of decision-making can be said to be three-fold
as it necessitates the consultation of relevant groups and individuals, the consideration of
internal and external groups’ needs and expectations and thirdly, decision making needs to
take place in accordance with the organisation’s risk management plans.
Decision making process
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A commonly used tool to aid in systematic decision making is the 6-step decision-making
model, as follows:
-Define what the problem or issue is and

Define the situation and the desired clearly state the outcome being sought.
outcome -Gather all information relevant to the issue.
-Even if ideas may seem irrelevant on the

Research and identify alternatives surface, they may give rise to concepts that
can assist with developing a solution.
-No attempts should be made at this stage
to appraise alternatives – they should simply
be listed.
-Find the advantages and disadvantages
Compare and contrast each alternative and (including risks) of each alternative.
its consequences -Assess each idea in terms of its likely fit and
impact on current operations.
-Give each option a numerical value or
‘weighting’ to assist with the filtration
process.
After thoroughly examining the available
Make the decision options, it now becomes possible to make a
choice.
-This stage involves mapping a
Design and implement an action plan comprehensive ‘how to’ guide which
identifies all of the required actions,
deadlines, costs and resources required as
part of executing the decision.
-Just as in any problem solving experience, it
Evaluate results is important to rate the success of the
implementation for future reference.
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Consultation process
Successful leadership often stresses the
importance of consulting relevant individuals and
groups, i.e., internal and external stakeholders, in
decision making processes. In a competitive
customer focused market, organisational success
largely depends upon satisfying the needs of
customers. The better customer needs are
understood the better informed are
organisational decision makers to make decisions
that can optimise the benefits to both the customer and the organisation.
Consulting relevant stakeholders and providing opportunities for their participation in

decision making processes are ways represent an avenue for leaders to satisfy the needs of
the organisation, existing and potential customers as well as other stakeholders. Identifying
and understanding the decision making issues is the first step in making effective decisions.
Through consultation and participation processes with key stakeholders, better quality
information is obtained on the decision making issue(s) so that the real issues and risks
associated with decisions can be understood and managed. Likewise consultation and
participation is likely to result in the generation of a wider range of options to evaluate as
solutions to the issue(s). Again, the outcome will be
more effective decisions.
A further benefit of consultation and participation

processes is that stakeholders are more likely to feel
they have contributed to the outcome. Even if their
input or perspective isn't fully accepted, they will still
appreciate that they had been given a chance and
that their views and needs have been listened. This
will help them to accept and support the final
outcome even if it is not their preferred result.
Additionally, by understanding the views of key stakeholders, the organisation’s decision
makers will be better placed to assess the likely response by these, e.g., resistance, legal
action and acceptance in circumstances where the final outcome is not the one preferred by
certain stakeholders.
Encouraging consultative decision making

As discussed earlier, most important workplace decisions are not made in isolation but are
instead the product of collaboration between management and employees who possess
skills and experience that others, including supervisors and management, may not have. The
leader therefore requires enough foresight to acknowledge the skills that others bring to the
team and utilise them effectively.
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In order to encourage consultative decision-
making, leaders must consider the following
approaches:
• Hold regular meetings to help keep staff in
touch with each other and with the work
being completed.
• Conduct team building or planning days
where business objectives are openly
discussed. Openly request assistance or
advice from staff members who are
experts in the required subject matters.
• Communicate electronically through email and intranet to encourage efficient
responses and to ensure employees working in remote or off-site locations are
included in discussions.
• Encourage team awareness through newsletters or emails.
• Provide feedback to employees regarding their input and celebrate successes that
have come as a result.
Limitations
Although a wide range of ‘ideal’ decision making models
circulate within organisations, there are always certain
constraints are limitations attached to each model,
thereby requiring decision makers to modify the rational
approach through appropriate measures. These
constraints are generally termed as 'bounded rationality',
meaning the model is bounded or constrained by the
rationality of limitations and barriers organisations
experience in the real world.
Nonetheless, it is essential to remember that limitations and constraints will vary depending
on the size and type of organisations. Provided below are some of the measures that can be
implemented to address certain limitations faced by different organisations.
1. Satisficing
In situations where time or other resources are not available to undertake the rational
decision-making model promoted within the organisation, a decision that satisfies the
situation may be chosen (even though it is accepted that it may not represent the best
possible decision). Satisficing meets the immediate need of the current situation and
therefore, it may only represent the base decision that decision makers are physically able
to make because sufficient time or access to relevant information and resources may not be
available.
2. Conservatism
Where there is a high risk associated with the outcome of a decision, decision makers may
choose to make conservative decisions. In this way they minimise the risk of catastrophic
outcomes.
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3. Incrementalism
This is where decision makers choose to progress through making a number of small
decisions rather than one large decision. This may be the result of high risk or relative ease
of implementation, for example it is often easier to introduce and implement a number of
small changes that will ultimately lead to a large overall change, than to make a large
change in one giant leap.
4. Intuition
Intuitive decision-making is where decision makers rely upon their experience and ‘gut
feeling’. Decision makers may consciously or subconsciously adjust outcomes based on
rational processes as a result of their experience and accumulated knowledge.
Similar to the limitations of decision making models, certain reality constraints may also
influence the degree to which a leader consults and seeks active participation of key
stakeholders in decision-making processes. This is so because the leader must assess the
benefits of seeking the involvement of others against
the potential limitations of consultation and
participation. Time constraints can be a determining
factor on this issue as may be the importance of the
decision, the need for support by key stakeholders
for its successful implementation, the extent to
which others want to participate and issues relating
to confidentiality.
An important reality constraint is that many decisions

are routine in nature and of low priority or have low
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impact on individuals and groups in the organisation. Their outcome may be obvious and
participation would represent a waste of other people’s time. In such situations, an
'autocratic' decision making style may represent the most efficient and effective approach
for a leader to adopt. A further consideration will be that participation processes can
actually increase conflict over an issue due to which the resulting aftermath may be more
difficult to resolve than the initial decision making issue.
2.6. Ensure decision making takes into account needs and expectations of both internal
and external groups
The leader of an organisation needs to be fully

conversant with the issues associated with group
decision making. Group decision making has become a
frequently used management process due to the fact
that it can result in more efficient and effective decisions
than those made by an individual.
Group decision making provides the opportunity for

participation and empowerment of employees while taking advantage of a wider
knowledge, skills and experience base on which to make decisions. The pooling of such
resources can result in sharing the workload, more and better option generation, and
greater commitment to the outcome. In the modern business environment, group decision
making also recognises that decisions that may have once been made by the leader are now
too complex for one person to effectively cope with. Ultimately, group decision making aims
to achieve a synergy effect where decisions made by the group are more efficient and
effective than what would be made by the same individuals working alone.
Additionally, group dynamic processes such as

social and cognitive facilitation prevalent in
group decision making can raise the level of
performance of individuals within the group to
above their normal level. However, processes
associated with the group dynamics can also
mean that groups make less efficient and
effective decisions than individuals. For
instance, in situations where decision outcomes
are straight-forward and not subject to
contention, group decision making can be a waste of resources. Then it becomes essential
to analyse the efficacy behind using seven people for a decision that could just as effectively
be made by one. Other factors such as the influence of pressures to conform to the group
majority or respecting the views of senior members can also result in more conservative or
risky decisions being made.
In the same way, the process of group think where the group as a whole adopts a tunnel
vision and places greater value on meeting group norms than effective decisions can also be
a factor that must be effectively managed. Therefore, the leader of an organisation must
ensure groups are structured and use process that result in group decisions being more
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efficient and effective than individual decision making processes. This requires deliberate,
planned and ongoing action by the leader.
The whole area of group processes, not only in specific

relation to decision making, is one that all organisation
leaders must be fully conversant with and give
continuous attention to. It is important for them to
understand and acknowledge that group decision
making is not compulsory but is rather, a management
option that can enhance organisational performance
and employee satisfaction, provided that it is properly
structured, maintained and used in the appropriate
circumstances.
Decision making tools

Some of the commonly used techniques used for
improving group decision making include:
1. Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a technique used with groups to create new ideas, solve problems and
develop and motivate teams. Brainstorming is particularly useful for eliciting creative and
innovative solutions to problems.
The leader should begin a brainstorm session by clearly stating the session’s objectives, for
example:
• Formulate a promotional activity for the launch of a new product
• Opportunities for cost-saving using electronic conference facilities
• Find ways to build better relationships between the customer service and site teams
The session should be concluded by advising team members what will happen next and
making sure to keep participants informed about the outcomes of the session. This will
encourage them to continue to participate in future sessions.
2. Cause and effect diagrams

Cause and effect diagrams are also known as fishbone diagrams because the completed
diagram resembles a fishbone. The identified problem should be positioned at the head of
the fish followed by possible causes of the problem which should then be recorded on the
bones that are growing out of the spine of the fish. The benefit of this method is that it
helps to clarify the actual problem by separating it from the symptoms of the problem.
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3. Force field analysis
Force field analysis is a useful decision-making technique as it helps to make a decision by
analysing the forces for and against a change and it also helps to communicate the
reasoning behind the decision taken. The forces for change are listed in a column on the
left-hand side while the forces against change are listed in a column on the right-hand side.
The following questions need to be considered when using force field analysis:
• What is the problem?
• When does it occur?
• Where does it occur?
• How does it occur?
It is important to identify as many of the factors that can influence the change by involving
other people, such as team members and experts within the organization, in order to take
the most appropriate decision.
For instance, customer enquiries are becoming more complex and preventing the
receptionist from achieving her targets. However, these enquiries are also the driving need
for change. As represented in the diagram below, restraining forces can also be forces for
change.
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Once the force field analysis has been completed, it can be used in the following two ways:
• To decide whether or not to move forward with the decision or change.
• To think about how to strengthen the forces that may support the change and
weaken the forces opposing it in order to make the change successful for the
organisation.
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Decision-making is synonymous with organisational management wherein organisational

leaders are expected to make not only many diverse decisions but also 'effective decisions'.
Effective decisions are those that result in or assist in the achievement of organisational
strategic objectives. This does not imply that the leader makes decisions in isolation or
alone.
2.7. Ensure decision making occurs in accordance with risk management plans for all
options, and within appropriate timeframes
Traditionally, risk management has been associated with the organisational area of
Workplace Health and Safety. However, it is important for an organisation leader to
understand that risk management is associated with all aspects of organisational
management and operation, particularly decision making. This is because all decisions have
some chance or probability that they will not turn out as expected. In other words, the
higher the likelihood the decision will not turn out as expected the higher the risk associated
with the decision. Risk is thus associated with the issues of certainty and uncertainty in
decision making.
Risk management is the process that allows the leader to identify, examine and address the
risks that employees or the organisation faces. It is based on a structured approach to
thinking through threats, risks and hazards, followed by an evaluation of the probability and
cost of events occurring. In relation to decision making, important decisions should
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incorporate risk management processes. This does not only imply evaluating the risk
associated with them and determining plans of action to manage this but also formulating
contingency plans that will be implemented if the risk does materialise.
Outlined below are the essential steps involved in the risk management process:
Step 1 - Establish the Context

When making decisions about risk at any level, it
is necessary to be aware of the context in which
the decision is being made.
• Consider the environment
Any decisions about risks need to be made in the
context of the environment in which they occur.
This may include reference to documents such
as the Corporate Plan, Action Plans, Operational
Instructions, Codes of Conduct, any published risk criteria and relevant policy documents.
Other issues to be considered include systems and procedures, the culture of the
organisation, staff competencies and technological capabilities.
• Identifying stakeholders
In considering the context in which risks may occur, it is important to identify the various
stakeholders associated with the project and the task or operation in question. These
stakeholders may be internal or external to the project.
• Develop risk criteria
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This entails awareness of the overall organisation’s
view of risk acceptance or the type and level of risk
the organisation is prepared to accept. Developing
risk criteria will give a framework for deciding on the
acceptability of risks in specific situations.
Step 2 – Identify risks

It is necessary to identify all risks arising from various
aspects of the environment identified in the previous
step, no matter how small they may appear. Some of
the most common methods for identifying risks
include:
• Interviews
• Focus groups
• Past experience, including operational results
• Audits and physical inspections
• Examination of overseas experience and trends
• Systems analysis
• Operational modelling
• Scenario analysis
• Flow Charting
• Brainstorming
It is also useful to compose risk or audit checklists, which can be referred to and adjusted as
potential hazards are identified.
Step 3 – Analyse risks

Risk is analysed by combining estimates of likelihood (frequency or probability) and
consequences (impact or magnitude of the effect) in the context of existing control
measures.
The analysis of each risk is performed in three stages:

Stage 1: A rating is given for the likelihood of the event occurring.
Stage 2: A rating is given for the consequence, should the event occur.
Stage 3: An overall risk rating is given, by combining the ratings for likelihood and
consequence.
The most basic form of assessment uses three definitions of likelihood and three definitions
of consequence. When represented in a matrix format, this enables the level of risk to be
identified. The 3 x 3 matrix is illustrated below.
LIKELIHOOD: What is the probability that the event will happen?
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CONSEQUENCE: What will be the damage as a result of the event taking place?
Step 4 – Evaluate risks

This step consists of two main objectives:
a. to identify which risks are acceptable and which
risks are not
b. to prioritise the unacceptable risks
Evaluating ‘acceptability’
Using the previously developed risk criteria as a guide, and expanding the criteria where
necessary, the task now is to examine the list of identified risks and to determine whether
or not they constitute an acceptable or unacceptable risk to an organisation. Any
consideration of the acceptability of risks must be made in the context of:
• the external environment
• the organisational context, and
• the objectives of the activity or project
This requires reference to such things as stakeholder expectations, an organisation’s

obligations, responsibilities and commitments; the extent of the opportunities which could
result from taking the risk. Reasons for accepting a risk may include:
• The threat posed by the risk is so low that its treatment is not warranted in the
context of available resources.
• The cost of treatment is so high that there is no real option but to accept it. This is of
particular relevance to lower level risks.
• The potential opportunities available if the risk is accepted significantly outweigh the
threats posed by the risk.
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Rank the unacceptable risks
The priority ranking of each risk is taken from its rating on the Risk Matrix wherein a risk
rated ‘High’ will be given a higher priority than one which has been rated ‘Medium’ or ‘Low’.
In cases where risks are equally ranked, judgements will need to be made by examining
each of the equally ranked risks and determining which, in the context of the exercise,
constitutes the greater risk.
Step 5 – Treat risks

This step is about identifying a range of possible risk treatments for each prioritised risk and
then testing them to ensure that when applied, they would have the desired effect on the
level of risk. It is often the responsibility of operational staff to put in place the treatment
and to monitor its effectiveness in operation. It is important that staff understand how to
assess the impact of a treatment and how to initiate the necessary procedures should the
treatment not meet expectations. Risk treatments may include:
Avoid
the risk
Retain Accept
the risk the risk
Treat
Risks
Transfer Reduce
the risk the risk
• Avoiding the risk - this option involves the decision of not proceeding with the
activity that causes the risk. In some cases it may be appropriate to avoid the risk, or
choose an alternative approach to the activity that achieves the same result.
• Accepting the risk – this provides the option to accept the risk, and establish an
appropriate risk financing plan; i.e. choose to ‘pay out’ the problem should it occur.
• Reducing the risk - this option involves reducing the likelihood or the consequence,
or both through initiatives such as supervision, training and control.
• Transferring the risk - Under this option another party, such as an insurance
company, is invited to share the risk (liability) so that if the identified risk does occur
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then the loss is shared. Examples of other risk sharing mechanisms are joint ventures
and partnerships.
• Accepting and retaining the residual risk – there are situations where risks cannot be
completely eliminated, irrespective of
whatever risk reduction method is
adopted. A typical example will be the
excess often imposed when an insurance
claim is lodged, which needs to paid by the
organisation. Risk is also retained when
there is a failure to identify and
appropriately transfer the risk.
Step 6 – Monitor and Review

The monitor and review functions play an important part in the overall risk management
process since one is an ongoing process while the other a periodic process.
Monitoring
There is a need for ongoing monitoring during the
risk management process as some risks tend to be
static while others evolve with the changing
nature of circumstances. The action plan
developed as part of the risk management
planning will identify a person as being
responsible for monitoring the risk management
plan, checking to see that treatments and controls
are in place, initiating treatments once pre-
determined risk thresholds have been reached
and gathering data against the agreed performance indicators.
The proposed monitoring process together with responsible persons, roles and
responsibilities should be prepared in the form of a monitoring plan to be circulated among
all key stakeholders.
Reviewing
Once the risk treatment has been fully implemented, the entire process should be the
subject of review. At this stage, all assumptions, decisions and actions are subject to review.
Issues to be considered here include:
• How efficiently and effectively were objectives achieved?
• Were the strategies effective in reducing the risk?
• Did the risk treatment have the expected result?
Thereafter, it is important to communicate the findings to relevant people especially those

who have responsibility for key aspects of the plan.
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Step 7 – Communicate and consult
It is essential that appropriate communication and consultation processes are in place
throughout the risk management cycle, as an ongoing process. For example:
At the outset It is essential that managers and staff understand the philosophy of
risk management, as well as the organisation’s stated policy and
practice.
Establish the context It is important to consult with internal and external stakeholders to
ensure that those who are involved in the risk management
exercise are fully acquainted with any policies, directives and
legislative requirements which may impact on the project.
Identify the risks This cannot be done without communicating and consulting with
those who are familiar with the activities or processes under
review.
Analyse risks Again, it is likely to be those who are most familiar with the activity
or process under review who can best contribute to the
identification of the likely impact and occurrence of risks.
Evaluate and It is extremely important to obtain management input, as they are

prioritise risks ultimately the ones who will be held accountable for any risk
management decisions taken by the organisation. Managerial input
becomes increasingly important as the risks under consideration
become more strategic in nature.
Treat risks It is important to discuss options with those who have responsibility
for the day to day administration of the activity under examination.
It is also important to consult with other stakeholders who may be
affected by the proposed risk treatments and other stakeholders
will need to be consulted prior to introducing arrangements that
will impact on their business.
Monitor and review One of the essential ingredients of any review mechanism is
feedback from stakeholders, both internal and external. Needless to
say, communication and consultation form a major part of the
monitoring and reviewing process.
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Contingency Planning
A contingency plan, an integral part of the risk management process, is developed to
minimise the effects of something going wrong. It
is often referred to as ‘plan B’ and is a secondary
or alternative course of action that can be
implemented in the event that the primary
approach fails to function as expected.
Contingency plans are not just useful for major

disasters but can be valuable for smaller scale
issues such as the loss of data, customers or
employees.
2.8. Ensure that the organisation is represented positively in the media and community
In today’s diverse and globalised workplace, as previously explored, the actions and motives
of an organisation are constantly placed under scrutiny, which is thereafter used to
construct a public image of the organisation. For all organisations, the public represents
their potential customer base and therefore, listening to the needs and concerns of the
public concerning general community issues, and those specifically related to the
organisation, is an important step in developing a public image that will influence a positive
public attitude towards the organisation.
Establishing a positive public image of the

organisation, in the community as well as in the
media, is important as it can significantly influence
consumer behaviour relating to brand loyalties,
product purchases and preferences.
Social responsibility of an organisation

The issue of an organisation’s social responsibility
towards the public is important as it is instrumental in reinforcing a positive image of the
organisation. There are two broad perspectives that can be adopted in understanding an
organisation’s social responsibility, which include the social responsibility view and the
classical view.
1. Classical view
The traditional view propels the following arguments:
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• It is the purpose and right of businesses to maximise profit for their
owners/shareholders and nothing should be allowed to interfere with this purpose.
• This view and purpose is argued to be in the best overall interest of the society.
• Measures to make organisations
responsible for community issues interfere with
this fundamental purpose of businesses are
therefore unjustified.
2. Social Responsibility
The social responsibility perspective of an
organisation puts forward the following arguments:
• Businesses have a right to make profit but

they also have a broader social obligation to their community.
• Profit is still important but not at the expense of the health and well being of the
general public.
• Organisations should look beyond profit maximisation to a responsibility for
protecting and endeavouring to improve society’s welfare.
• It is in an organisation’s interest to be perceived as socially responsible.
There are additional three sub-levels of social obligation that represent a progression in the
level of an organisation's social responsibility.
a. Socio-Economic View – An organisation’s obligations, beyond that required by law, is

to pursue long-term goals that are beneficial to society.
b. Social Responsiveness - This represents the capacity of a firm to respond to changing
societal conditions.
c. Social Obligation - This represents the obligations that a company has to meet its
economic and legal responsibilities.
In strengthening a positive public image, business leaders

need to recognise that different cultures and
communities may have very different perspectives and
needs in relation to an organisation's social responsibility.
In other words, what may be acceptable in one
community may not be the case in another community.
For this reason alone, the importance of talking with and
listening to community needs and expectations should
not be ignored as it may prevent leaders from making
decisions that may be detrimental to themselves as well
as their organisation and its public image.
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Therefore, a major responsibility for organisation leaders is to effectively guide the
interaction of their organisation with the external environment. Leaders have this social
responsibility because it is highly probable for people from the wider community and the
media to judge an organisation based on its performance and commitment to the external
environment. Therefore, leaders have an important role in establishing and maintaining the
positive public image of their organisation in order to ensure its success and survival.
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Chapter 6: Build and Support Teams
Over the past two decades there has been a significant and increasing interest paid by both
public and private sector organisations, in workgroup and team processes. Most major
industries and many individual organisations have investigated and/or implemented 'team'
processes in part or all of their workplaces. Many Australian businesses that had been
traditionally operating in an authority based hierarchy, where individuals have set roles and
relationships, are now using a variety of team processes and structures that either replace
or complement the more traditional work practices.
As such, the use of work groups and teams is seen as a major way of utilising the concepts of
diversity within the workplace. Similar to the issue of diversity, group processes can provide
significant benefits to an organisation. However, these are only likely to be achieved if the
factors that influence group processes are understood and effectively managed as failure to
manage group processes can result in a costly waste of resources. The leader of an
organisation therefore has the option of using group processes and teams to achieve
organisational objectives
3.1. Assign accountabilities and responsibilities to teams consistent with their

competencies and operational plans
The present business environment is characterised by increased complexity and uncertainty

resulting from many factors including:
Increased domestic competition

Increased economic and marketing globalisation
Increased scarcity of resources
Continuous technological change
Uncertainty regarding the future of traditional markets and customers
Less Government involvement in the running of the economy, resulting in a more "free
market" economy
The corporatisation and privatisation of many public sector organisations
Increased legislation regarding business activities
Shifts in industrial relations processes
An increasingly well educated and demanding population
Changes in attitudes to work and authority figures
Continued high levels of unemployment
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These factors, both individually and in combination, have placed increasing pressure on
organisations' ability to survive and succeed. In particular, there has been a growing
realisation that:
• Many decisions and situations are too complex for one individual to decide upon
• The pace and diversity of change is often too rapid for one individual to keep in
contact with
• Stability is unlikely to be a major component of the business environment in the
foreseeable future
• Profitability and continuous productivity improvement are the major focus of all
organisations (both private and public)
• Organisational flexibility and innovation are essential for survival
• The workforce is less likely to accept decisions of managers, just because they are
managers, and expect greater involvement in decisions that impact on themselves
These realisations have forced organisational management to reassess their traditional

approaches to managing their businesses and seeking out and implementing additional or
alternative approaches that offer improved and continuous productivity improvement,
thereby increasing their organisations’ ability to survive and prosper in the current business
environment.
While many different elements of workplace management and practices have been
considered, a major focus has been on the potential benefits of using team processes.
Putting together a team of skilled people may be the best choice for accomplishing
particular tasks that may not be otherwise fulfilled despite the consistent effort and hard
work of any individual employee. Some of the strong points and benefits of enlisting the
help of teams for getting certain jobs done are:
Benefits of teams
A team broadens what individuals can do. Team members gain from the fact that being part
of a group makes it possible to do things they could not necessarily do alone. A good team
supports and enhances the skills and learning of its members, and brings out the best in
them.
Several heads mean a wider range of ideas. Teams can be more imaginative than
individuals, and consider issues from fresher and varied perspectives.
Teams can have a greater array of talents and skills than can be found in a single individual.
That obviously increases both their effectiveness and the variety of what they can address.
Team members learn new skills from their colleagues. This increases their own range, and
also constantly broadens the team's capabilities.
Teamwork is more efficient than a number of individuals working on their own. The
members of a good team know how to assign tasks to the appropriate people, and how to
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coordinate tasks to maximise efficiency.
Teamwork provides relief when someone is having a problem. There is always backup and
help available and the stress is equally shared among all the team members.
The fact that each member knows and understands his/her responsibility works to make the
latter more effective because no one wants to be seen as the weak link in a team.
Team members have more ownership of what they do because by being involved in the
planning stages of the team's actions, they can see how their jobs fit into the larger purpose
of the team and the organization.
Good teams can build leaders. They give everyone a chance to show what they can do to
exercise leadership whenever appropriate.
A team’s shared vision keeps everyone moving forward.
Accountabilities and responsibilities

One of the fundamental aspects of building and supporting teams involves the delegation of
tasks, which becomes inevitable with the expansion and growth of a business. Delegation
involves the process of assigning certain responsibilities along with the necessary authority
by a leader to his/her subordinates or teams. It requires the transfer of certain
responsibilities to subordinates and giving them the necessary authority to discharge their
responsibility properly. In delegation, an attempt is being made to have meaningful
participation and cooperation from team members in order to achieve certain well-defined
results. Additionally, delegation provides team members an opportunity to assume the
responsibility and accountability for the functions transferred to them.
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Responsibility indicates the duty assigned to
a position. The person holding that position
has to perform the duty assigned and it
becomes his/her responsibility to perform
tasks in accordance with his/her job
description provided at the time of
recruitment. The term responsibility is often
referred to as an obligation to perform a
particular task assigned to a staff member.
Some of the defining characteristics of
responsibility include:
• The essence of responsibility is the obligation of a team member to perform the duty
assigned.
• Responsibility always originates from the superior-subordinate relationship.
• Normally, responsibility moves upwards and assumes the form of a continuing
obligation.
• Responsibility cannot be delegated.
• The person accepting responsibility is also accountable for the performance of
assigned duties.
Alternatively, accountability involves the acknowledgment of responsibility for policies,

decisions and actions within the scope of the role being undertaken by a team member.
Accountability encompasses the obligation to report, explain and be answerable for
resulting consequences of actions or inaction. When tasks are delegated to a team member,
the person becomes accountable to the superior for his/her performance in relation to the
assigned duties. If the subordinate does a poor job, the superior cannot evade the
responsibility by stating that poor performance is
the fault of the subordinate. A superior is
normally responsible for all actions of groups
under his supervision even if there are several
layers down in the hierarchy. Simply stated,
accountability means that the subordinate
should explain the factors responsible for non-
performance or lack of performance.
In a nutshell, an accountable person is the

individual who is ultimately answerable for the
activity or decision and only one accountable person can be assigned to an action. On the
other hand, a responsible person is the individual who actually completes the task and is
therefore, responsible for action/implementation. Responsibility can also be shared with
team members.
3.2. Ensure teams are resourced to allow them to achieve their objectives
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Resources are needed to turn plans and goals into actual outcomes. Strategic plans remain
as concepts until they are implemented. Resources are used to turn the idea upon which
plans are made into actual outcomes, thereby supporting teams in achieving their goals and
objectives. Some of the most common and widely used resources in an organisation include:
• People
• Technology
• Raw materials
• Equipment
• Machinery
• Finance
Ensuring work units are adequately resourced commences by identifying what resources are
needed to achieve the planned outcomes. This can be done through a gap analysis which is
used to compare what is needed against what is already available. The leader must then
determine how any gaps identified between these two will be resourced.
The process of gap analysis can be applied to all resource categories. For example, in
relation to human resources, a skills analysis/inventory can identify what skills employees
currently have. This is compared to the skills needed to successfully implement the relevant
planning outcome. Where it is identified that a skills gap exists, i.e., a particular skill is not
presently available within the work unit responsible for implementing the plan,
management must determine how the skill will be made available. Options for acquiring the
skill may include training of existing employees, recruiting new employees or even
transferring an existing employee who has the skill but works in a different department.
The same process is used to identify gaps for the other categories of resources. It is
important to appreciate that in some instances it may not be possible to immediately fill
identified resource gaps. For example, finance may not be available to purchase necessary
equipment or pay for additional employees. Alternatively, required technology may not be
readily available or may require major
realignment of existing processes and/or people
skills to accommodate this shortage.
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In cases where resource gaps cannot be immediately or easily filled, managers and leaders
must determine alternative strategies of action. This process may include reviewing
strategic objectives and plans, and/or assigned time frames in order to allow adequate time
for the procurement of the required resources. In this way, team leaders will be in a better
position to support and ensure that their teams have access to resources that are
instrumental in helping them achieve their objectives.
3.3. Empower teams and individuals through effective delegation and support for their
initiatives
In the contemporary business world, an increasingly popular management trend is reflected

through the approach of adopting leadership through employee empowerment.
Empowerment relates to increasing the decision making scope of employees. It is important
to understand and make the appropriate differentiation that empowerment is not restricted
to mere delegation where the leader 'offloads' excess workloads or unimportant activities
to employees.
Rather, empowerment represents a conscious policy decision to develop employees and
involve them in more decision making processes. Empowerment recognises the importance
of employees. Greater employee involvement in decision making, particularly those
decisions that directly impact on the operational aspects of their work unit, brings potential
benefits to the organisation, the leader, the employees, and ultimately customers and other
stakeholders. As such, empowerment refers to an effective way of capturing and utilising
the untapped potential within employees.
For an organisational leader, empowerment provides the important benefits of:
Benefits of Empowerment to Organisational Leaders
Freeing leaders from routine issues so they can devote more time to those issues that only
they can manage
Developing a more skilled and capable workforce
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Knowing decisions and opportunities will not be delayed or lost because the leader is not
available at a particular time
Reducing the stress and management control issues resulting from the increased span of
control that most leaders have inherited as a result of organisational downsizing and
restructures
Having a more motivated and productive workforce
In order to ensure the success of employee empowerment, there must be a genuine

commitment to the concept by both management and employees. Empowerment is unlikely
to work if it is perceived by leaders as undermining their power and position in the
organisation. Likewise if employees do not want to be involved in taking on more
responsibility and accountability, or if they view the whole concept as nothing more than
their leaders offloading more work onto them, the concept is bound to fail.
The importance of developing the appropriate organisational culture, and resourcing it with
employees that embrace concepts of continuous organisational and personal development,
is highlighted by the issue of empowerment. Leading by empowerment changes the role
and focus of the leader. Rather than the traditional role of directing employees, the leader's
focus must change to that of developing employees. The organisational leaders must not
only demonstrate their commitment to empowerment through personal role modelling, but
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by simultaneously ensuring that the concept is formally embodied in policies and
procedures.
Organisational leaders must further ascertain that strategic and operational planning
processes are functional throughout all levels of the organisation because it is unrealistic
and dangerous to expect employees to embrace empowerment if they do not understand
the organisation's overall strategic direction, specific strategic and operational objectives,
and strategies. Consequently, a fully functioning strategic and operational planning process
is an underpinning requirement for the implementation of successful employee
empowerment.
Empowerment and delegation

As discussed in the previous section, the effective delegation of tasks to subordinates, which
also entails the delegation of authority, is instrumental in instilling a sense of responsibility
and accountability in team members. Similarly, delegation plays an influential role in
empowerment since it involves the process of giving more decisive power to employees. As
such, delegation involves the following three basic elements:
a. Assignment of duties to subordinates
b. Granting of authority to enable the subordinates to perform the duties assigned
c. Creation of obligation on the part of subordinates to perform duties in an orderly
manner
Additionally, some of the key objectives of effective delegation as related to employees’

empowerment include the following:
• Providing opportunities of growth and self development to junior executives.
• A technique of management and human resource development assisting in the
creation of a team of experienced and matured managers for the organisation.
• Improving individual as well as overall efficiency of the organisation.
Advantages of delegation
Importance of Delegation
Leads to motivation of subordinates Subordinates are encouraged to give their best at

work when they have authority with
responsibility. They take more initiative and
interest in the work and also exercise caution in
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performing their work. Delegation leads to
motivation of employees and manpower
development.
Facilitates efficiency and quick actions Delegation saves time enabling subordinates to
promptly deal with problems as they are given the
power to take decisions within their authority.
Thus, it is not necessary to go to the superiors for
routine matters. This raises the overall efficiency
in an organisation and offers better results in
terms of production, turnover and profit
Improves employee morale Delegation raises the morale of subordinates as

they are given duties and supporting authority,
making them feel that they are responsible and
trustworthy employees. As such, the attitude and
outlook towards work assigned becomes more
constructive.
Develops team spirit Effective communication develops between the

superiors and subordinates wherein the
subordinates are answerable to superiors and the
superiors are responsible for the performance of
subordinates. This brings better relations and
team spirit among the superiors and subordinates
Maintains cordial relationships The superiors trust subordinates and give them
necessary authority. The subordinates accept their
accountability, thereby developing cordial
superior-subordinate relationships.
Facilitates management development Delegation acts as a training ground for

management development. It gives opportunity to
subordinates to learn, to grow and to develop new
qualities and skills. It builds up a reservoir of
executives, which can be used as and when
required. Delegation creates responsible and
efficient managers.
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Chapter 7: Build and Support Teams
3.4. Create and maintain a positive work environment
A positive work environment is not only

important for employees’ physical, mental and
emotional health, but is also important for the
efficient production of goods and services
within the company. The better employees will
feel at work, the more will they take pride in
their work functions and demonstrate loyalty
towards their place of employment. Therefore,
employees will find it much more pleasant and
less stressful to work in an environment that is positive and enjoyable.
The work space is not a homogenized one as any work group is going to have a broad range
of needs and personalities, bringing the concept of diversity in the workplace into
perspective. Despite the fact that each group is made up of unique and sometimes
conflicting personality types, it is essential for that group to function in a way that works
towards a common goal. In so doing, employees contribute to and help maintain a positive
work environment. Ultimately though, management sets the tone, raises the bar and brands
the conduct of the group. Therefore, any good organisational leader will agree that the type
of atmosphere prevailing in the workplace can make a huge difference in the way tasks are
viewed and performed.
Accordingly, it is essential for the organisational

leader to adopt a proactive stance in fostering and
maintaining a positive work environment. Some of
the ways in which organisational leader can
successfully achieve this, include the following:
• Encourage trust
The desire to nurture a positive work environment
should be laid on the foundation of trust within
the workspace. This will entail maintaining
confidentiality and respecting the privacy of employees by not discussing an employee with
another employee. Employees who know that they can trust their leader will be loyal and
will more than likely thrive in the workplace.
• Demonstrate positive communication

Listening to what employees have to say shows respect towards them. Being open with staff
and encouraging them to share ideas can assist in creating a positive work environment.
Leaders should not only enforce their own ideas but also ask employees for feedback. This
will help employees to assure employees that the organisation is not keen on giving
directions only but also encourages open communication.
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• Encourage staff to give their best
Maintaining high expectations and extending
constructive criticism or providing positive reinforcement
will encourage employees to realise their capabilities and
perform to their best. This will also help employees in
approaching their work with a positive and optimist
attitude.
• Find ways to create team spirit

Unity amongst coworkers allows everyone in the team to feel that they belong and are
valued within the organisation. This will make staff want to come and work each day,
making tardiness and absenteeism issues of the past. Therefore, team spirit and creating a
positive work environment does begin with reinforcing to staff members that they play a
significant role in the workplace.
• Offer recognition and appreciation

Whenever ac staff member is involved in doing great things for the company, make sure
that others are made aware of it. Recognition does not have to be elaborate and something
as simple as a ‘thank you’ will go a very long way.
• Offer credit and be responsible

Always extend credit and acknowledgement to staff members when things go well in the
organisation. Assume responsibility when it is the other way round. While not giving proper
acknowledgement can prove to be unproductive for
the organisation, using employees as scapegoats can
lead to worst outcomes.
• Be accessible
Creating and maintaining a positive work
environment begins by having an ‘open-door’ policy.
This will help ensure that employees from all levels of
the organisation understand that they can approach
their leader with any work issue that they may be having. Closed office doors will only
create carriers and reinforce hierarchy.
• Present an encouraging physical environment

Keeping the workplace setting clean and nice looking will help to promote a cheerful
attitude. Little things such as natural light and personal space for each employee will help in
creating a positive work environment.
• Make evaluations an encouraging experience

Staff evaluations are a great opportunity to offer praise to employees for doing an excellent
job. When going over areas where the employee may need further development, the
meeting can still be made positive by focusing on what they are doing right instead of
focusing only on what is being wrongly done.
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• Maintain the fun element
Creating a positive work environment can begin by welcoming celebrations. Acknowledging
an employee’s birthday is a great example of this which can be made effective by merely
singing happy birthday or putting up a sign in the office. This will make staff feel
appreciated.
Key Points to Remember
♣ Humour is a good thing when used tactfully and

tastefully. It may diffuse a touchy situation and break the
tensed environment.
♣ Give credit and appreciation to your co-workers.
♣ Be approachable.
♣ Remember that everyone is equal and every job is
important in fulfilling the goals of the organisation.
♣Be willing to take on tasks and assignments.
♣Be proud of your workplace...remember you are a part of
it.
Checklist for maintaining a

positive work environment
 Be kind.
 Be organized.
 Be on time.
 Be open-minded.
 Treat others as you
would like to be
treated.
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3.5. Encourage teams and individuals to
develop innovative approaches to the
performance of work
As the rate of organisational change shows no sign of lessening, the focus of organisational
leaders must be on the development of an organisational culture that encourages
innovation as a means of improving the organisation. Improving the organisation is ideally
aimed at improving effectiveness and efficiency and thus providing a competitive advantage
in the market. This reinforces the concept that change is necessary for survival, even if it
does not appeal to an organisation, its management or employees.
Change management
In order to foster innovative approaches in the workplace, it is essential for the leader to
develop an environment in which all employees are encouraged to contribute to
organisational innovation. In order to successfully implement innovative approaches, the
leader must firstly ensure that the organisation is able to identify and respond in a planned
way to the forces of change, rather than adopting a reactive approach of trying to cope with
the change after it has impacted on the organisation.
Advantages of a planned approach to change include:
Managers and employees are aware of potential changes in advance.
Time is available to evaluate the potential impact of the changes on the organisation.
It may be possible to take action to influence the nature of the change, e.g. through
lobbying, exerting market influence, etc.
Alternative options can be considered for responding to the change.
Time is available to develop a preferred plan of action for responding to the change that will
maximise the advantage to the organisation in situations where the change will benefit the
organisation (an opportunity), or minimise any negative impact from changes that are
threats to the organisation.
Crisis management is avoided.
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Employees have greater respect for their managers.
Greater control of the organisation's destiny is in the hands of its leaders.
Managing change is largely addressed through the organisation's strategic planning and risk
management processes. However, two important factors also need to be taken into due
consideration:
• Employees may resist whatever plans managers have made to manage change
unless an organisation culture that accepts change as a normal part of organisational
life is in place within the workplace.
• The organisation may still be responding to influences for change in a planned and
systematic way initiated by others. The organisation is not initiating these influences
or changes itself.
It is for these two reasons that the leader must develop an organisational culture that
embraces and fosters innovation and positive change. In such a work environment, the
concepts of creativity and innovation need to be fostered through encouragement and
reward processes as well as through demonstrated commitment by the management. The
aim is to create and maintain a work environment where everyone within the organisation
accepts innovation and change as the norm rather than a disturbance of the norm. This then
enables the organisation's managers to focus not only on maximising their response to
influences for change that are initiated by others, but also to take a leadership role as
initiators of change that provides a relative benefit to the organisation over its competitors.
Innovation and transformation

The development of a work culture that fosters creativity and innovation in all individuals
and groups within an organisation is unlikely to occur by chance. Rather a process is needed
to manage this development wherein the leader must understand the factors that can
impact on the inputs to creativity and innovation. These will include individuals, groups,
organisations, and transformation processes that can turn these inputs into innovative
outputs that benefit the organisation.
The following diagrammatic models portray the issues involved in facilitating innovation
within the workplace. The various elements outlined in the models provide a concise
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summary of these issues as well as stimulating debate (especially relevant for organisation
leaders) on their importance within contemporary organisations.
Additionally, in order to facilitate innovative approaches, it is essential to transform input

from creative individuals within the organisation into creative and measurable outcomes/
outputs.
As exemplified in the diagram below, innovation and transformation within the workplace
can only be encouraged through the combined efforts and forces of the organisation’s
structural, cultural and human resource variables.
It is important to understand that the issues presented in these models are not one-off
events but are ongoing continuous processes. Hence, it is not enough to merely introduce
them into the organisation. Instead, they must be nurtured and maintained if they are to
have the chance of developing an organisational culture in which innovation and change are
the norm rather than the exception.
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Chapter 8: Demonstrate Personal and
Professional Competence
Based on organisational expectations, organisation leaders need to monitor their behaviour
to ensure that it is in line with the organisation’s values and standards. They need to be
further aware of the differences between personal values, ethics and behaviours and how
this impacts on other individuals and groups, both within and external to the organisation.
As such, organisation leaders who possess the ability to understand their values and the
sources of their motivation will easily be able to set personally worthwhile goals and direct
their behaviour in productive directions, thereby demonstrating both personal and
professional competence within the work environment.
4.1. Model ethical conduct in all areas of

work and encourage others to adopt business
ethics
All individuals have ideas about what is right

and wrong derived from various values,
behaviours and experiences that individuals
have practiced over their lifetime. Personal
ethics, professional ethics and corporate ethics
are sets of moral principles by which human actions and proposals can be judged as being
good or bad, or right or wrong. The behaviours of managers can influence the ethical
standards by which staff will operate. Ethical behaviour leads to professional behaviour.
Ethical behaviour also requires people to treat others equally, fairly and impartially.
However, some workplace situations often become difficult to manage, as being true to the
workplace ethics may entail behaviour that is contrary to personal ethics or values. As such,
dealing with personal ‘ethical dilemmas’ acts as an important step in questioning values and
standards that might be damaging to the effectiveness and success of an organisation.
Having an effective personal ethical framework in
place within the workplace will assist organisation
leaders to better confront ethical dilemmas along
with modelling ethical conduct in different work
areas.
Ethical Framework
Without a predetermined ethical framework in
place to guide workplace conduct and decision
making processes, inconsistencies can arise within
the organisation. Thus, manager should develop an
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ethical framework, which can then guide actions, rather than just reacting to each situation
as it occurs. A key development skill is critical analysis in relation to ethical decision making
as managers need to develop the ability to assess the adequacy of ideas, knowledge and
content as it becomes available. This involves the following:
• What are the strengths and
weaknesses of particular
arguments?
• What and where are the gaps in
knowledge?
• How valid is the evidence on which
these arguments are based?
Managers are often faced with the need to

maximise income as well as the need to be
an ethical role model. Therefore, attention needs to be placed on the expected employee
behaviours relating to reward systems, performance and evaluation systems and the
delegation of decision making. Self-leadership through self-awareness is advocated as a
means to establish high ethical standards throughout all levels of the organisation wherein
managers need to ensure that factors of the firm’s organisational structure are congruent
with leadership.
Ethical guidelines
Outlined below are useful ethical guidelines that can be used by leaders to model and
encourage ethical conduct and behaviour within the workplace.
Know and live by your Be aware of your standards and be highly cautious about
values compromising them.
Be ethically watchful Seemingly innocent situations may gradually escalate into

ethical dilemmas. Seek advice from experienced colleagues
about how to deal with potential ethical dilemmas.
Recognise people as Identify people by their name, rather than by a label or the
people group to which they belong. People who use labels become less
sensitive to treating other people badly.
Refrain from rationalising Such as saying ‘everybody does it’ or ‘at least I’m/we’re not as
bad as ‘X’. You are personally responsible for your actions and
failures to act.
Find your balance Manage the balance between organisational duties and
personal standards/responsibility. Accept key organisational
values and norms while searching for ways to have an
individual impact on them.
Seek guidance Seek the advice of a mentor or senior member of your
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organisation. Discuss ethical dilemmas with colleagues and
challenge your assumptions, but use a range of networks to
maintain objectivity.
Code of Ethics
The desired behaviours are often described in an organisational context through the use of
a Code of Ethics. A code of ethics benefits an organisation and staff by:
• Reinforcing the organisation’s standard of conduct

• Reminding staff that management wants ethical issues considered in all decisions
made
• Identifying practices that are and are not permissible
• Allowing leaders, managers and others to share experiences and ideas about what is
and what is not an ethical position
• Developing a shared culture based on ethics and accountability
Managers cannot make employees act ethically, however, they can set in place rewards,
rules and procedures to facilitate ethical behaviour but ultimately individuals are
responsible for their own actions.
A heavy responsibility is placed on the individual to make their own decisions. This is due to
the general trend of flattened organisational hierarchy, decentralised decision-making, and
the empowerment of employees, often in self-managed teams. It is less likely that
employees will regularly see first line managers to enable them to be credible role models.
Individuals must develop their personal cognitive and behavioural attributes to enable them
to make their own judgements about ethical decisions
4.2. Adapt appropriate interpersonal and leadership styles to meet particular

circumstances and situations
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People bring varying patterns of behaviour to the workplace using which they form
relationships to fit individual styles and preferences, often ignoring what the organisation
requires. An effective manager firstly builds trust between individuals and then controls and
generates the bonds of trust across a group of people in order to build a cohesive and
unified team.
However, before leaders can model desired actions, they must clarify their own values and
align their actions accordingly. This concept links back to ethics and the ethical framework
that guides a manager’s conduct and decision making. Managers are constantly interacting
with peers, employees and customers and as a result they are constantly displaying their
strengths and weaknesses. This communication defines the team’s ability to optimise the
quality of team member’s interactions through resolution of dispute, utilisation of co-
operative behaviours and the use of motivational reinforcing statements. This can be
considered as the most explicit emotional aspect of leadership as it involves encouraging
the heart by showing appreciation for others’ accomplishments as well as celebrating the
achievements.
As detailed below, there are three key criteria that establish the effectiveness of leaders and
their leadership style enforced within an organisation:
1. Task accomplishment:
• Appropriately define a problem and
differentiate essential objectives from
less relevant concerns.
• Anticipate likely obstacles to achieving
objectives and identifying sensible means to avoid them.
• Critically examine the accuracy of underlying assumptions being relied upon.
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• Articulate the strengths and weaknesses of the suggestions or arguments posed by
others.
• Recognise what is known about an issue, what more needs to be known and how
best to obtain the relevant and
accurate information needed.
• Use multiple perspectives to
identify likely unintended
consequences of various action
plans.
2. Working with people:

• Recognise the conclusions that
can and cannot be drawn from
a particular exchange.
• Recognise the likely underlying
agenda and motivations of individuals and groups of people that are involved in a
situation.
• Recognise the likely emotional reactions of individuals to actions or communications.
• Accurately identify the core issues and perspectives that are central to a conflict.
• Appropriately consider the probable effects and likely unintended consequences
that may result from taking a particular course of action.
• Recognise and balance the different needs of all relevant stakeholders.
3. Assessing oneself:
• Pursue and encourage feedback that may reveal an error in judgment and then make
appropriate adjustments.
• Demonstrate an ability to recognise
personal biases or limitations in perspective
and use this understanding to improve one’s
own thinking and plans for action.
• Recognise when serious flaws in one’s
own ideas or actions require swift public
acknowledgment of the mistake and a
dramatic change in direction.
• Appropriately articulate the flaws in the
arguments of others and reiterate the
strengths of one’s own position.
• Recognise when it is appropriate to
resist the objections of others and remain committed to a sound course of action.
A manager interacts with many people and at many different levels within and outside an
organisation. Consider the manner in which the actions of a manager are perceived by their
colleagues, direct reports, senior managers and customers. There are varying expectations
from all participants of the conversations with the manager as to the behaviours, the
attention and demeanour of the manager. The direct reports will likely see the manager as a
role model, supportive in their own development and offering advice to solve more difficult
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task oriented issues. The manager would expect a level of respect from the direct reports as
well as the comfort to approach him/her about any concerns relating to the workgroup
environment.
Interpersonal competence becomes more important as people develop within an

organisation. In entry-level roles, the individual is focussed on task ability and completion.
As they develop task competency, the individual may take on supervisory responsibilities to
assist other employees and manage a small team. With further development into a
managerial position, the task ability component of an individual’s role becomes less critical
and their ability to interact with people across the organisation is far more important. With
further development into senior management roles, the interpersonal competence of
leaders is unquestionably their most important asset. There is a minimal requirement for
senior leaders to have an intimate understanding of the individual tasks conducted in daily
business but there is a definite need to be able to communicate effectively, motivate staff
and provide effective leadership within a dynamic environment.
4.3. Set and achieve personal objectives and work program outcomes
Organisational vision and values become evident in the actions enforced as leaders and
managers. They are the evidence of the management’s commitment to the organisation’s
vision and values, particularly the Code of Conduct. It is essential to note that the factors
driving the behaviours of organisational leaders are not visible to the public as the values of
an organisation or an individual’s personal values cannot be actually seen by others. These
are often more conceptual than concrete but they support what is evident on the surface,
for example, policies and procedures that drive behaviours.
This concept is likely to be better symbolised in the form of an iceberg where only the tip
remains visible.
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Although only the actions and behaviours of employees remain visible within an
organisation, it is primordial to have a clear understanding of the relationships between the
actions, attitudes and values. This is so because an organisation leader’s behaviours need to
be congruent with his/her words and deeds.
In order to achieve this congruency between behaviours, opinions and values, it is necessary
for leaders and managers to clarify their personal beliefs and values in order to unify people
around the shared organisational values for facilitating the achievement of desired and
expected work outcomes.
Clarification of personal beliefs and unifying people around shared organisational values
encompasses numerous benefits. Some of the benefits will be as follows:
• It fosters strong feelings of personal

effectiveness and commitment.
Employees are clear about how to
operate, and to what standards.
• It fosters teamwork and facilitates
consensus by providing common ground.
• It encourages ethical behaviour because
values form the basis of ethical
behaviour.
• It reduces stress and tension because
team members are provided with relevant tools (vision and values) to better choose
between conflicting demands.
• It fosters pride as it supports team members in behaving according to their values.
• It facilitates understanding about one’s job as it brings the awareness of what is
expected from employees.
The importance of setting personal objectives

The setting and achievement of personal objectives are deeply and strongly influenced by
personal values and principles held by oneself. The personal value system of effective
leaders covers such things as whether their beliefs are right, wrong, appropriate or relevant
to desired work outcomes or not. It provides an ‘inner
compass’ that guides all their actions and decisions.
Cultural and organisational pressures may influence

attitudes and beliefs, causing values to be in a constant and
dynamic mode of change. Therefore, it becomes essential
to identify those essential values that provide direction to
an individual’s lives. As such, this helps to establish a sense
of purpose which is essential for achieving success. As a
result, organisations and their leader may spend vast
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amounts of energy, time and money in refining their values, visions, and standards. Without
a defined value system, some people can be indecisive and inconsistent. They can waste
energy and their potential may be left untapped.
Undoubtedly, leaders and employees want to maximise efforts in realising their own
potential, especially if it is related to their professional lives. Similar to business plans, and
individual’s personal plans must also begin with and address such questions as:
• What do I want out of life?
• What are my values?
• What is my definition of success?
For organisation leaders, this represents one of the best ways to improve their personal
effectiveness, which can be done by developing a better self-understanding. Thereafter,
they can build on that understanding to create an environment most conducive to their
success, adapt their behaviour to the needs of others, and develop strategies to influence
the behaviours of others which will ultimately reflect the organisation’s values and
standards.
Implementing values
As previously explored, leaders must pay constant attention to how they, and others, are
living the values in the workplace. Some additional ideas on how leaders’ personal
objectives can also be effectively employed for modelling the way and making their actions
count are provided below. This process should firstly start by identifying the leader’s,
team’s and organisation’s values which will then lead to the progression of the following
steps to be carried out by the leader:
Allocate time according to what is valued - you

should do this by checking your diary/meeting
agendas. What is the duration of these meetings,
who attends and who presents? Are these meetings
consistent with what is valued by the organisation?
Use story telling - to do this collect stories; get into

the habit of telling stories and using analogies to
support the values of the organisation.
Remember your audience and your purpose - Stories

around critical incidents are opportunities to teach
values and the norms of behaviour. Create stories to
remind people of what they have accomplished and
why the effort was worth it. Stories can also be used
to reframe setbacks as learning experiences.
Use symbols, artefacts and celebrations as visible

reminders of key organisational values. - Anything
can be used, for example, posters, buttons, mugs,
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pins. Celebrations can be official and spontaneous.
They can indicate a transition, a new beginning, a
loss, a tradition and even an achievement.
Consciously design and manage the physical space

where people work - Use the space to encourage the
preferred ways of interacting and working together.
4.4. Ensure self performance and professional competence is continuously improved

through engagement in a range of professional development activities
In simple terms, Professional Development refers to a means of supporting people in the

workplace to understand more about the environment in which they work, the job they do
and how to do it better. It is an ongoing process throughout the working lives of employees,
regardless of their role and hierarchical position within the workplace.
The contemporary society is characterised by a rapidly changing world where legislative,

social and economic developments directly affect the environment in which people live and
work, and where technological advances provide radically different ways of working. As
such, professional development opportunities provide a means whereby enterprises can
keep abreast of these changes and consequently, broaden their employees’ skills and
support them to be more effective in their work.
In terms of ensuring self performance, professional development can be part of an

organisation’s leader personal ambition to be a better leader, enhance his/her career
prospects or to simply feel more confident about his/her work and make it more personally
fulfilling. It can be a step on the ladder to higher qualifications or enhanced job prospects or
be required by professional bodies to
maintain professional status. Professional
development can also be part of meeting
targets set by workforce performance
management schemes or an opportunity
for individuals to change their career paths.
Being an important part of employees’

professional lives, professional
development also represents a means for
employers to support their staff.
Professional development can facilitate access to specialised structured training, help to
review working practices and contribute to a more effective and profitable business.
Engaging staff in professional development activities can be invigorating for individuals and
the business alike. The range of professional development activities undertaken by
Page | 85
organisations to assist their staff in achieving professional competence and personal
ambitions can be diverse, flexible and varied.
While professional development activities can be as simple as developing practical skills

through highly focused short courses, they can also be designed to increase theoretical
knowledge and in depth understanding based on critical examination of specific working
practices over a longer period of time. These activities can be organised by the organisation
in conjunction with an appropriate external body. Moreover, the provision of appropriate,
effective and relevant professional development opportunities that helps to ensure success
demonstrates organisations’ commitment towards their employees.
Professional development activities

The following list provides an extensive account of a wide range of professional
development activities that can help an organisation in supporting the growth of their staff
members, thereby improving their self performance and professional competence.
Expand -Expand a staff member's job

accountabilities content to include a wider
variety of tasks, risk taking
opportunities, greater
responsibility and authority.
-Ensure that different types of
tasks and levels of
responsibility are needed, not
just more work in the same
task.
-Monitor and review the staff
member's progress.
Attendance and -Select the meeting(s) which

involvement in will provide the staff member
department, with the knowledge, exposure
division, staff or or broadening needed.
other specially -Pre-plan the staff member's
designated involvement in the meeting
meetings and determine the expected
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outcome for the staff member.
-Review the meeting with the
staff member by emphasizing
the areas related to the
anticipated results (e.g.
exposure to thinking at a more
global instead of local level).
On the job -Provide skill and knowledge by

coaching, answering questions, reviewing
counseling and work, discussing progress and
feedback providing general direction.
-Work through actual problems
in order to share insight and
problem solving strategies.
-Monitor development
progress and provide
constructive feedback on
results
Serving as a -Schedule the staff member to

conference leader serve as a conference leader or
or trainer trainer. Teaching others is a
valuable way to obtain new
knowledge, broaden one's
viewpoint and clarify one's
thinking.
-Select training responsibilities
that put the staff member in
touch with new operations,
process or operating problems.
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-Review audience responses
with the staff member.
Formal -Assign a presentation that will

presentation give the staff member an
opportunities opportunity to develop
planning and organization skills
as well as effectiveness in
speaking.
-Review and critique the plan
prior to presentation.
-Provide feedback on the
effectiveness of presentation.
Planned exposure -Expose the staff member to

to another lateral job functions either on a
function project or observation basis.
-Identify and plan the expected
outcomes with the staff
member.
-Review and critique the
exposure experience.
Lateral transfer -Transfer the staff member to

another job at the same
position level to broaden
his/her knowledge and
experience as well as develop
an appreciation for viewpoints
and interrelationships of
various groups within the
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organization.
Special team -Place the staff member in a

projects and group problem-solving
assignments situation to develop his/her
skills in working with others.
-Place the staff member in a
group with representatives
from various parts of the
organization to develop the
participant's knowledge and
understanding of the
organization.
-Review and critique the staff
member's performance or
participation.
Work one-on-one -Arrange to have the staff

with a specialist member talk or work with
people experienced in specific
areas.
-Arrange to have the staff
member talk or work with
external professionals.
-Follow-up to review new
ideas, perspectives, and
knowledge gained.
In-house training -Enroll the staff member in an
programs applicable in-house course or
program offered by the
organisation
Page | 89
-Have the staff member report
on learning.
-Provide the staff member with
access to computer-based
training.
Self-development -Schedule participants in

programs interpersonal skills and
motivational programs.
-Expect only short-term effects.
Mentoring -Share your experience,

knowledge and ideas on
specific topics with the staff
member in order to encourage
him/her to try new approaches
to solving problems.
Active -Encourage the staff member

participation in to become involved in
community affairs community organizations in
order to develop leadership
ability, skills in planning and
organizing, problem-solving
ability and community
awareness.
Personal -Carefully select and evaluate

development the workshops.
workshops -Select workshops to help gain
new insights into the staff
Page | 90
member’s personal style and
how others perceive him/her in
interpersonal relationships.
Modelling or role- -Demonstrate to the staff

playing member the appropriate
behavior in a specific situation
-Allow the staff member to
practice the demonstrated
behaviors.
-Critique the staff member by
providing effective and positive
feedback.
Plan structured -Identify desirable behaviors

behaviour change that need to be promoted.
-Provide a means of
systematically reinforcing
positive behaviors.
Personal Arrange professional

counseling by a counseling for a staff member
trained who has personal or
professional adjustment problems.
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4.5. Participate regularly in industry/professional
networks and groups
Networking
Formal and informal networks can provide additional,
non-biased support for managers seeking clarification or
validation that a course of action implemented within
their workplace is ethical, professional and within
generally acceptable behaviours. There are numerous
ways to develop a viable and supportive network, which can be made up of individuals and
groups who are both internal and external to the organisation.
1. Internal network will usually consist of the

following people:
• Mentors
• Coaches
• Colleagues
• Senior Managers
2. External network will be made up of:

• Friends
• Family
• Professional Associations
• Social Media Platforms (e.g. LinkedIn)
An effective network is essentially a collection of people, preferably with a broad array of

experience and knowledge to which an individual is in periodic contact. An effective
business network requires constant maintenance and review, with a balance of give and
take. A person does not have a network unless the people in it are readily available to
support each other when the need arises.
Informal networks can benefit the whole organisation in many different ways, including:
• Less re-invention of the wheel
• Alignment of people
• Assisting in making fast and accurate decisions
Advantages of professional networks

Professionals use networking as a means to
form relationships with others, in like or
related fields, that help to expand ones’
effectiveness in an organization or industry. A
key element to effective networking is to
make oneself known as networking involves
forming acquaintances with as many people
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as possible. Therefore, every professional and social opportunity to meet and connect with
new people should be explicitly utilised.
Additionally, it is important to leave a positive impression with everyone you meet and to
send the message that you are not only competent, but also a pleasant person to deal with.
Being optimistic and excited about what you do makes them remember you and want to
maintain a connection with you. A key to this is to be diligent with returning emails and
phone calls in order to maintain your credibility within your network.
Some of the key advantages of professional networking include:
Advantages of professional networks
Business leads Networking is a great way to acquire new business leads. Using
the contacts from professional networks can open doors for
business opportunities. It is essential to communicate
professionally when following up on leads because although
people want to help others, they are not interested in someone
badgering them for business. Be sensitive to timing and use
common courtesy when following up with contacts.
Career opportunities Statistics show that networking is the best way to land a new
job. Professional networking can expose an individual to jobs
that do not get posted online or in newspapers. As such, letting
others know that you are looking for a job, and what your
expertise and experience is, could open career doors of
opportunity.
Personal opportunities Networking can also be a personal benefit. Professional

relationships developed can be used for identifying practical
solutions to routine problems. For example, you can use your
network to identify a contractor to do a remodelling project on
your home or help you find an athletic club for your children.
Weaving personal conversations into networking helps others
in getting to know you in an intimate way, thereby helping to
build and strengthen relationships.
Identify best practices Networking is a great way to identify best practices for a
business or industry benchmarks. Learning from what others do
is a valuable strategy for all businesses. For example, if you own
a restaurant and you belong to a restaurant association, you
can find out what the latest software programs are or
employee management practices that you can bring back to
your own business.
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New business trends Networking can help an individual to stay on the cutting edge
of technology and new business trends. These types of
relationships and “inside” information can provide an
advantage over competitors by implementing new and fresh
ways of doing things.
Professional Bodies Membership

The development of personal competencies required in a particular industry can be
accelerated through the membership of appropriate professional bodies. Usually, these
organisations are focussed on delivering benefits to their member constituents and may
involve any of the following activities:
 Conferences and trade exhibitions

 Industry related education programs
 Optimised leadership development programs
 Awareness of legal changes related to the industry
 Lobbying government and other stakeholders on behalf of the industry
 Promotion of the industry as a means of changing consumer perceptions or
recruiting new staff
For organisation leaders and managers, these associations allow for the sharing of ideas and
the potential to leverage knowledge that is available within the membership.
Advantages of professional membership
Benefits of Professional Association Membership
Access to exclusive The websites of most professional associations have “members-

online resources only” sections that provide access to a variety of databases and
message boards, as well as subscriptions so that members can be
Page | 94
notified via e-mail about upcoming events and special activities that
may not be open to the general public. These provide a variety of
topics, such as running a business, advancing your career or
boosting your technology expertise.
Networking When joining a professional organization, individuals will deepen

opportunities existing business relationships and make new contacts on a regular
basis. Such networking goes beyond the exchange of business cards
an encompasses activities such as attending periodic meetings,
becoming active on a committee or taking a prominent leadership
role, thereby forging lasting ties with others who have common
professional interests and similar business concerns. These
relationships ultimately prove to be a rich, ongoing source of
inspiration and ideas.
Education Many professional associations offer their members the chance to

update their knowledge of business and trade basics or acquire new
skills through seminars, workshops, break-out sessions at
conferences and online courses. Typical subject matter can run the
scope from tax tips and business financing to advice about
recruitment and staff management.
Free or discounted Membership in many groups includes a free subscription to the

publications organization’s magazine. Some associations also offer their
members free publications and discounts on CDs, journals,
videos/DVDs and other materials.
Conferences and Members are often given priority registration for their
seminars organisation’s convention and may receive discounts on conference
fees or special rates on related expenses, such as hotel reservations
and car rentals.
Support systems Members of professional associations can often take advantage of

formal coaching or mentoring relationships with more experienced
business people who provide guidance and useful insights. Even on
an informal basis, such relationships can be a source of answers and
solutions when facing a challenging business situation. At the very
least, they help to provide the assurance that there exists a support
network behind you to boost your confidence when problems arise.
Page | 95
Summary
Frontline management provides the first level of leadership within the organisation.
Frontline managers and leaders have a strong influence on the work culture, values and
ethics of the teams they supervise. As such it is important that organisation leaders and
managers model good practice and professionalism so that they can confidently represent
their organisation.
Moreover, it is usually the role of organisation leaders to develop individual and team goals,
objectives and performance standards. Since these are the things performance is measured
against, they are vital to the success of the performance planning and management system
of an organisation. Without them, any assessment or management of performance
becomes difficult, flawed, and often meaningless. Nonetheless, organisation leaders need to
ensure that individual goals are related to the goals of the team, the department, and the
organisation so as to allow the resulting outcomes to effectively meet the expectations of
the organisation.
Therefore, leadership requires being strategically focused and applying relevant behavioural
techniques to build commitment and attain the best work from team members. Developing
leadership capabilities also requires leaders to understand their own strengths and
weaknesses and to be willing to continuously improve their skills and knowledge as they
gain experience. By developing an understanding of leadership, leaders will be better
equipped to inspire and motivate their teams to achieve results for the organisation.
Additionally, effective communication is another crucial factor in any organisation because if
the leader is not an effective communicator major problems can arise for all those who have
dealings with the organisation, including both internal and external persons and bodies.
Making informed decisions in the workplace is another essential leadership skill. Leaders’
ability to make timely and well considered decisions places them in a better position for
leading their team to success. The nature of problems faced within an organisation ranges
from being easily identifiable to being hard enough for working out what the problem is in
the first place. Therefore, it is essential to encourage consultative decision making processes
within the workplace, which can be seen as a means of empowering employees and making
their contributions an integral part running the organisation.
As the rate of organisational change shows no sign of attenuation, the focus of

organisational leaders must be on the development of an organisational culture that
encourages innovation through embracing the concept of working in a global environment
and adopting the use of new technology as a means of improving the organisation’s
efficiency, thus providing a competitive advantage in the market. This aspect of embracing
Page | 96
change can further be complemented by providing professional development opportunities
to employees in order to enhance their self performance and professional competence.
Affiliation with professional networks will further provide a number of benefits to
employees and enterprises alike.
Page | 97
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Learning Activity - Chapter 1
A. In teams, or as directed by your instructor, define or indicate if your

organisation has readily identifiable objectives, values and standards and they are
part of the organisation's strategic direction?
Objectives Values Standards
To expand the business worldwide Working with Team building

collaboration
To accelerate sustainable growth Integrity Builds trust

among the
workers
Set the priorities for development and growth Diversity Quality assurance
of the company globally.
Quality and Safety

accountability performance
Provide excellent quality products to the
customers that can enhances the customer
loyalty and brand value as well.
Page | 98
Strategic direction (summary)
B. Using workplace examples, in teams or as directed by the instructor, complete the

following:
Identify linkages between organisational objectives, values and standards and the
responsibilities needed.
Reference the agreed policy or procedure in place for delivering this
Detail any specifications in place for the Detail any methods used to validate the
relevant media and language used. receipt or understanding of the message.
Page | 99
A. What is the importance of stating clear expectations of internal groups and

individuals?
How would you explain the expectations, in a manner which builds commitment to
the organisation?
B. Provide expectations and issues involved for the examples provided below.
Examples What are the issues/expectations?
Environmental Environmental issues caused by the organization are-

management
1.Waste disposal
2.Climate changes
3.Inadequate access to water
4.Air pollution while manufacturing
Workplace health and Issues in workplace regarding health and safety are as
safety follows-
1.Constant loud noise
2.Vibrations
3.Working from ladders
4.Tripping hazards etc.
Product safety Issues in product safety-

1.Quality and quantity issues
2.Expiry of products
Page | 100
Service issues while providing services-
1.Consumer behaviour
2.Quality
Values and ethics Issues in values and ethics-

1.Integrity
2.Trust
3.unwavering commitment
C. In teams, or as directed by the instructor, explain your views or provide

examples from your workplace on communicating results of incidents to relevant
groups and individuals.
Who needs this information?

Relevant groups and Top management of company
individuals
Managers
And the team members as well
What is the information that Information related to the objectives and goals of
needs to be communicated to the organization.
relevant groups and
individuals?
How can the incident be Through video conferencing, personal emails,

communicated to other staff? phone calls, social networking etc
Page | 101
What limitations may exist for The information does not be overloaded and it
communicating to relevant should be communicate with relevant information
groups and individuals? and details, so there would be no chances of any
miscommunication (Nahavandi, 2016).
A. In groups, or as directed by the instructor, complete the following:

Reflect on your workplace for examples or reference.
Suggested area Your comments or

suggestions
What examples are there of a culture of trust, confidence 1.Diversified human

and respect with communication from appropriate workplace resource
senior management?
2.predetermined
wages
3.safety specially
women
What are some examples of positive role modelling existing Mandatory reporting in
in your organisation? organization
What examples are there to explain what effective 1.Memorandum

communication is?
2.E-mails
3.Proper notice
Page | 102
What are the benefits of diversity for your 1.Healthy
company/department? organizational culture
2.High efficiency
3.Effective
communication
B. Describe in your own words what you understand by the term

‘globalisation’?
C. What are some examples of new technology in your work processes that
you can identify?
D. What are some of the benefits and potential challenges facing your
organisation as a result of globalisation?
E. Detail examples from your workplace of actions conveying flexibility.
F. Detail examples from your workplace of actions conveying adaptability.
G. Detail examples from your workplace of actions conveying accessibility.
A. Give examples of a variety of leadership roles or actions that you would

consider require consultation and participation in the decision making.
B. Describe who may be the relevant groups or individuals involved.
1.Your details may include assessments, observations, questioning or evidence

gathered from the workplace.
2.Draw on your workplace for examples, or as directed by the instructor.
Workplace Consultation and participation in decision making with

examples appropriate people
Page | 103
Employee turnover Manager and the top management department take decision in
certain situation.
Union election HR adopted the democratic leadership for taking the decision
Lean Production manager adopted autocratic for reducing the waste

manufacturing materials
Developing the Leaders of the department

team
A. In groups, or as directed by the instructor, complete a SWOT analysis of an

example from your workplace of leadership decision making where you have
encountered or have knowledge of:
1.The needs and expectations of both internal and external groups

2.Risk management plans for the decision made
What is the workplace example of the leadership or management decision that was
made?
SWOT analysis of this decision example
Page | 104
Its strengths Its weaknesses
• Easy to understand • Inconsistency
• It has Adaptable quality by everyone. • Uncertainty
• Flexible
Its opportunities Its threats

• Challenging environment
• Too much efforts
• Learning from other leaders
• Cultivating notability
B. In teams/groups or as directed by the instructor, consider an

example from your workplace of an important decision announcement and
detail what undertakings were employed to ensure that your organisation was
represented positively in the media and community.
• What example of an important announcement are you using?
• Detail the media undertakings.
A. Job roles/descriptions and specifications. Does your organisation have a

standard job or position description/specification template?
Yes? o
No? o
If Yes:
Page | 105
Describe/discuss your organisations template and its features
If No?
Describe/discuss an example template
B. How can you ensure teams are well resourced?
C. What does delegation mean and involve?
A. Using your own workplace analysis and knowledge, review the key elements
that make up your team. These key elements may be of an internal nature or relate
to external factors.
B. Using Tuckman’s of team development, what stage do you think your team
is at and why?
A. In groups, or as directed by the instructor, describe the following using your

workplace as an example or reference.
Identify the following:
Page | 106
Ethical investment made by your Some part of profit has been invested in
organisation and what that represents environmental activities for preserving the
to you? local flora and fauna.
Enhances brand value and image of the

company.
Ethical training programmes. Women safety and security

Equal treatment
Against to discrimination
Codes of conduct with particular By providing diversity training to the

reference to the increasing diversity in employees and ask them for referrals.
the workplace.
B. In groups, or as directed by the instructor, detail your understanding of the

following leadership styles, and using examples from your workplace, give examples
where these qualities have met particular circumstances and situations.
Leadership
styles
Conceptual Conceptual skills allow a leader to visualize the entire organization

and work with ideas and the relationships between abstract
concepts.
Participative Participative leadership is a managerial style that invites input from

employees on all company decisions.
Behavioural It includes the behaviour of the leader at particular situation that how
he or she reacts on this.
Page | 107
Delegating Delegate leadership, is a type of leadership style in which leaders
are hands-off and allow group members to make the decisions.
Directive The directive style has the primary objective of immediate

compliance from employees.
Authoritative An authoritarian leadership style is exemplified when a leader

dictates policies and procedures, decides what goals are to be
achieved, and directs and controls all activities without any
meaningful participation by the subordinates (Goetsch. and Davis,
2014).
C. To achieve your personal objectives what are the conditions you would
need to allow or provide for?
D. Which resources would you need and would you need to get them
externally of your organisation?
E. What skills would you need or develop to set and achieve these personal
objectives?
F. What knowledge should you acquire?
G. Is there anything significant such as milestones which you should achieve

before you can reach your personal objectives or goals?
H. Complete the self-assessment table: my leadership over the past 12

months.
Do well Somewhat Not
Some examples of assessment
Page | 108
I clarify roles and responsibilities •
I define priorities for our organisation •
I make planning strategically a high priority •
I understand the ethical responsibility that comes with •

leadership
I align the efforts of individuals and teams with the •

organisations vision, values, and objectives
I deal with issues and concerns promptly •
I regularly build team spirit and morale and get results •
I consider and offer developmental challenges. •
I work diligently and selflessly to achieve •

organisational goals for performance, quality, service,
profits, and corporate responsibility
I. What is your networking purpose?
J. What are your networking opportunities?
Page | 109

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Provide leadership

across the organisation

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the

Elements and Performance Criteria

ELEMENT PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Communicate 1.1. Clarify objectives, values and standards in accordance

Strategic and Operational Planning

The strategic plan is then used to develop plans

Organisational values often cover important areas

Common Core values

Accountability Acknowledging and assuming responsibility for actions, products,

Balance Taking a proactive stand to create and maintain a healthy work-life

Commitment Committing to the delivery of great products, services, and other

Community Contributing to society and demonstrating corporate social

Diversity Respecting the diversity of staff members and establishing an

• Employees will never directly or indirectly engage in theft, fraud or

• Company policy prohibits unlawful discrimination against employees or

Standards are introduced to:

Vision Value through innovation

1. Changes in the market represent opportunities.

1. Realising our vision is our objective.

Goals define what an organisation wants to achieve. Examples include:

The goals themselves are general and too broad to

Therefore, the goals must be distilled into measurable

Strategic direction of an organisation

Once the Vision, Mission, Strategic Goals, Objectives

Communication refers to the process of

This is so because effective communication between individuals in a business setting can

Business language etiquette

Irrespective of whether a team has just been

Importance of performance planning

Determining performance expectations

Developing team goals, objectives and performance standards

Organisation goal Objective KPI

To maximise returns for To decrease overall To decrease payroll

Expectations of internal groups and individuals

An important issue in meeting internal customer needs is to recognise that different

1.5. Address expectations of the organisation

Communicating performance expectations

Provided below are some of the obvious and the

Once a team member becomes familiar with the

Other times when performance discussions might be appropriate are:

• Induction and training

• Company vision and values

However, face-to-face communications do have a number of advantages over other

If leaders model the types of behaviours they expect

Through their behaviour, leaders can also

Although there may be endless possibilities for recognising a

• Timely is best. Provide improvement suggestions as soon as appropriate. Although

• Keep your balance. Balancing feedback to improve performance with positive,

• Make feedback part of your job. Encourage people

• Make feedback ongoing.

Investigation of workplace incidents is an integral part of an organisation’s workplace health

A person or persons conducting an investigation must

If possible, the investigation should not be conducted

Considering contributory risk factors

Diversity in the workplace

As workplaces recognise the importance of creating

Workplace diversity can offer potential benefits such as:

Positive role modelling

Effective leadership approaches Specific leader actions

Creating a shared understanding of • Set clear goals and

Effective communication in organisations can both unite a group of individuals as a team,