Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BSBLDR414 Lead Team Effectiveness Student Workbook V1
BSBLDR414 Lead Team Effectiveness Student Workbook V1
LEARNER RESOURCE
Learner Resource
Disclaimer
Precision RTO Resources has made a great effort to ensure
that this material is free from error or omissions. However, Course
Lead Titleeffectiven
team
you should conduct your own enquiries and seek
professional advice before relying on any fact, statement or
matter contained in this document. Precision RTO
Resources is not responsible for any injury, loss or damage
as a result of resource included or omitted from this
material. Information in this course material is current at
the time of publication.
Table of Contents
ABOUT THE BUSINESS SERVICES TRAINING PACKAGE ........................................................ 6
USING THIS LEARNER RESOURCE ...................................................................................... 8
ABOUT THIS UNIT OF COMPETENCY .................................................................................. 9
CHAPTER 1: PLAN TEAM OUTCOMES .............................................................................. 10
1.1 Lead Team to Identify and Establish Team Objectives and Work Processes ........................ 11
1.2 Support Team to Document Identified Objectives and Work Processes According to
Organisational Processes ........................................................................................................ 30
1.3 Encourage Team Members to Incorporate Innovation and Productivity Measures in Work
Plans......................................................................................................................................... 37
1.4 Lead and Support Team Members to Meet Expected Outcomes ......................................... 48
Key Points: Chapter 1....................................................................................................................... 62
Activity 1: ‘True’ or ‘False’ Quiz ....................................................................................................... 63
Activity 2: Fill in the Blanks.............................................................................................................. 64
Activity 3: List Concepts ................................................................................................................... 65
The BSB Business Services Training Package covers a diverse range of industries and occupations.
Business Services covers a range of cross-industry functions and services supporting the commercial
activities of all industries.
Defining Qualifications
When units of competency are grouped into combinations that meet workplace roles, they are called
qualifications. These qualifications are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Each
qualification will have ’packaging rules’ which establish the number of core units, number and source
of elective units and overall requirements for delivering the qualification.
Foundation Skills
Foundation Skills are the non-technical skills that support the individual’s participation in the
workplace, in the community and in education and training.
Further Reading
Includes links to websites, articles, or other online
reading materials to aid in your study.
Multimedia
Includes links to videos or audios you can watch or
listen to about the topic discussed.
Notes
Space for you to jot down important details or
information learned from the chapter.
Learning Checkpoint
Asks you to answer the learning activities related to the
chapter discussed.
Links provided within this Learner Resource are in Blue Text. You can open this link through
the following:
▪ For Windows Users: Hold the Ctrl key then click on the link.
▪ For Mac Users: Click directly on the link.
Most of the work in organisations is accomplished by teams who work together on tasks with defined
outcomes. The outcome is the way a task turns out to be. These are measurable results that determine
the success of a task. A prior understanding of these outcomes is necessary for the teams to achieve
them.
For example, a new marketing plan increasing the incoming leads by 20% over the previous quarter is
a well-planned outcome. It provides a direction to the team members to align their efforts with the
organisational goals. A team outcome is measured against its value to the organisation and the end-
user. Therefore, thorough planning of outcomes is crucial to team effectiveness. Leading a team
effectively in planning outcomes requires initiating a collaborative action resulting in real and valuable
results.
This chapter deals with the planning of team outcomes. It begins with a discussion on leading a team
to identify and establish team objectives and work processes. It also teaches you to support the team
to document identified objectives and work processes according to organisational processes. It then
talks about encouraging team members to incorporate innovation and productivity measures in work
plans. Lastly, it concludes with ways to lead and support team members to meet expected outcomes.
1.1 Lead Team to Identify and Establish Team Objectives and Work Processes
Objectives aim at leading the organisation towards its vision, and the work processes provide a
roadmap to the achievement of team outcomes. It is therefore essential for the teams to exercise due
diligence in identifying them. The clarity in these areas reduces the chances of having problems later
on.
As a leader, working with your teams to identify objectives and work processes ensures that all the
possible scenarios and associated pitfalls are adequately considered. This facilitates a culture of
collaboration in teams. Each member feels recognised and contributes effectively to the achievement
of desired outcomes.
In this subchapter, you will learn about the team goals, objectives, and plans to achieve the agreed-
upon results. Further, you will learn about the purpose and function of setting teams and developing
goals and objectives. The subchapter also defines work processes and provides a detailed discussion
on setting goals, objectives, and work processes.
A team comprises people who perform interdependent tasks to accomplish a specific objective
or a common mission. The members of the team have complementary skills which are
necessary to achieve the common goal. A team brings people from diverse areas of expertise
together. The productivity of team-based operations is higher than conventional operations.
Types of Teams
Teams may be of several types. These types are listed below.
▪ A manager-led team is a type of team where the leader determines the team’s
objectives, goals, and actions, and they also take responsibility for achieving the desired
goals.
▪ A self-managing team is another type of team where the leader may determine overall
goals and objectives. Still, members take responsibility for and controlling the entire set
of activities needed to realise them.
▪ A functional team comprises members from the same work area or department
working towards achieving a common goal.
▪ A cross-functional team is made up of members from different functional areas of the
organisation. These teams are created to bring together expertise from different
functional areas.
▪ A virtual team is created to connect geographically dispersed individuals. It ensures
effective collaboration using technology to achieve a common goal.
Team Purpose
A team purpose helps in defining the future; it gives motivation and energises members to act.
A high-performance team has absolute clarity around team purpose.
The team purpose provides answers to two fundamental questions:
▪ Who does the team serve?
▪ What value does the team create for them?
A team purpose performs the functions shown in the figure below.
Enhances employee
Motivates team members
engagement
Functions of a Team
A team cannot thrive without its members discharging their roles and responsibilities
effectively. A team performs a variety of functions as given in the figure below to achieve
desired results.
Provides advice
Suggests improvements
Solves problems
Builds trust
Embraces accountability
Achieves commitment
Focuses on results
Resolves conflicts
Having clear •The team determines goals and desired outcomes first and
direction uses them for clear direction.
Having common
•Members prioritise common goals over individual interests.
goals
Encouraging
•These teams understand the importance of divergent
difference in
opinions and their role in enhancing team performance.
opinions
•Rules defining what will and what will not be tolerated in the
Having ground rules
team are essential for building effective teams.
A team exists to achieve goals set collaboratively. The following section discusses the concept
of team goals.
Provide direction
•Goals define the expected outcomes and therefore provide a definite direction
to the team.
Stay motivated
•Goals assist you in defining your accomplishments that result from the
successful attainment of desired outcomes. This keeps you motivated and
encourages you to put in the required effort.
Support decision-making
•Whenever you are confused between two or more courses of action, the one
which leads to achieving goals may be chosen.
This is done by considering order of priority of goals and prerequisites for achieving goals.
These obstacles come in the form of knowledge, skills, expectations, and resources.
Measures to
Success Potential
Goals Deadlines Overcome
Measures Obstacles
Obstacles
achieving objectives
increasing productivity
encouraging retention
enabling members to understand their role in the overall strategy and contribute
effectively to the team
A positive working environment is created, thereby leading to team effectiveness. Goal and
objective setting is only fruitful if it is followed by a clear understanding of roles and
responsibilities by the team.
Types of Objectives
There are three types of objectives a team can set. These are the following:
Outcome objectives
Process objectives
•These are strategies or actions that will lead the team to the outcome.
Performance objectives
•These are standards that the team sets to apply to the process.
Consider the case of a customer service satisfaction survey, where the scores have fallen by six
points. The outcome objective may be defined as ‘to increase customer service satisfaction
scores by six points’. The associated process objective would be to have fortnightly check-ins
with your customer. Lastly, the performance objective would be to spend at least 15 minutes
listening effectively, discussing concerns with the customer, and ensuring that they are
satisfied.
Sometimes goals and objectives are used interchangeably, but they are different. The table
below shows the differences between objectives and goals based on some parameters.
OKR is an important focus for all global organisations. It helps organisations achieve
their goals faster.
Experience
Capabilities
RACI is a responsibility assignment chart that maps out all the activities, milestones, and key
decisions involved in completing a task. It provides clarity and structure to the roles performed
in a team. The four roles that team members might play include the following:
R – Responsible
The member doing the work
A – Accountable The member who will be held accountable for the work, or for
approving it (often a manager)
Given below is a sample RACI matrix, wherein in each entry, you are required to put one or
more letters R, A, C, and I.
Person or Role
Task
Person 1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5
Task 1 R I A C
Task 2 C I R A
Task 3 I AR C
Task 4 C R I A
Task 5 A C I R
Responsibilities are defined based on the team's type of work and each individual’s job role. For
example:
▪ Offer guidance and advice.
▪ Contribute strategic thinking.
▪ Generate innovative ideas.
▪ Perform a specific task or type of task.
When roles and responsibilities are clearly
defined, it leads to team effectiveness.
When all the team members know their
roles and responsibilities, it is their
responsibility to formulate plans to
achieve organisational objectives.
It reduces errors.
It increases productivity.
It saves time.
▪ It reduces errors.
Having a well-defined process reduces the chances of team members committing errors
while carrying out the process.
▪ It increases productivity.
Well-defined processes specify all the details required to carry out tasks. Therefore,
members develop a clear understanding of all the aspects of the process, which
increases productivity.
▪ It provides clarity to team members.
A well-defined process assists members in understanding their roles and responsibilities
and how they intersect and interact with each other.
▪ It ensures consistency in repeated tasks.
Setting a work process ensures that the repetitive tasks are performed with the same
level of accuracy every time.
▪ It saves time.
Setting the work processes saves the time required in gathering the required
information to complete the task.
Methods Examples
The teams need to be led effectively in setting goals and work processes to achieve desired
outcomes.
1.1.6 Leading Teams in Identifying and Establishing Objectives and Work Processes
Setting objectives and work processes lay the foundation for the hassle-free working of the
teams. A leader’s role is of utmost importance during this process for the following reasons:
▪ To maintain the focus of the teams
▪ To keep the teams motivated to identify and establish objectives and work processes
▪ To help the team members understand the expectations of the senior management
▪ To develop realistic work processes facilitating hassle-free working
▪ To establish SMART objectives that are challenging and in alignment with the vision of
the organisation
▪ To facilitate understanding of how the team objectives and processes contribute to
organisational success
▪ To facilitate understanding of the individual role in the accomplishment of team goals
There are many ways in which teams can be led during the process of identifying and
establishing objectives and work processes, such as in the following:
In setting accurate This establishes a reference against which objectives and work
goals processes are to be measured.
1.2 Support Team to Document Identified Objectives and Work Processes According to
Organisational Processes
Proper documentation lays the foundation of a strong organisation. Documents facilitate a clear
understanding and clarity and ensure that all the organisation's employees are on the same page.
Organisations having strong documentation processes yield better outcomes compared to the ones
having weak documenting processes. All the organisations document their policies, procedures, goals,
objectives, work processes, etc.
The objectives and work processes identified by the teams should be documented properly to provide
a common understanding and avoid confusion among team members. This documentation has to be
in line with the organisational processes. As a leader, providing support to the teams in the
documentation process is essential. This helps generate awareness among the team members and
aligns their actions to the organisation's strategic objectives.
In this chapter, you will learn about organisational processes, documentation and its importance, and
ways of documenting objectives and work processes. Further, you will also learn about the importance
of documenting in line with organisational policies.
Process optimisation Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies to locate the processes you
need to modify/get rid of.
Process automation Find potential tasks which can be automated, thereby saving time
and resources.
Operational Processes are repeated in the same manner every time, thereby
consistency saving time and energy.
Policies
•These are regulations that individuals should follow for the smooth
conduction of business.
Checklists
Forms
•A form consists of a printed sheet of paper soliciting input from the employees
in an organisation.
Tutorials
•These are step-by-step instructions for carrying out the various activities in an
organisation.
Screenshots
Process maps
•These are step-by-step guides detailing the inputs, actions, and outputs of a
process.
A documentation method that takes into account the organisational processes is very effective.
The next section discusses the concept of organisational processes and the benefits of
documenting in line with them.
Customer service
Order fulfilment
Resource allocation
Decision-making
Client onboarding
Procurement
Employee onboarding
The organisations have a wide variety of processes for the accomplishment of the objectives.
For the efficient conduction of these activities, the documentation must be aligned with the
organisational processes. The benefits of this alignment are:
▪ Ease in understanding
When in line with the organisational process, the documents prove to be very helpful
in understanding the processes and enhancing productivity.
▪ Smoothness in carrying out activities
An alignment between processes and documentation ensures that all the information
required for the smooth conduction of activities is readily available.
Planning is the process of making decisions regarding the future course of action. It is the most
effective way to resolve problems and complete any project. Having a work plan implies establishing
clear goals and objectives. These work plans provide a road map for the team to direct its efforts. The
more accurate is planning, the lower are the chances of facing bottlenecks.
Incorporating innovation and productivity measures in work plans is necessary for the regular
improvement of the same. These are the benchmarks against which the performance will be
measured. It facilitates the incorporation of the changes in the external and internal environment.
These measures are important for the team and the organisation to stay competitive.
In this subchapter, you will learn about work plans and their development, measures of innovation
and productivity, and their usage. Furthermore, this subchapter will also teach you about the team
plan and its development.
Helps in prioritisation
Measuring Innovation
The most important aspect addressed by measuring innovation is to ensure whether you are
moving in the correct direction. Innovation metrics help you identify if you are doing adequate
activities in the right direction to achieve results.
Measuring innovation enables you to:
▪ guide resource allocation process
▪ hold people accountable for their roles and responsibilities
▪ assess the effectiveness of your innovation activities.
Productivity
Productivity in the workplace is
defined as the amount of work
done over some time. It is a
measure of output per unit of
input, such as human and non-
human resources.
Car manufacturers and online
retailers are prominent examples
of organisations with a high level
of productivity.
Measuring Productivity
Productivity measurement facilitates communication within a team. The following are the ways
in which measurement of productivity can help the successful completion of the work plan:
Ratio Analysis
Trend Analysis
▪ Ratio analysis
Various ratios are calculated that indicate the financial health and profitability against
industry benchmarks using the current financial year’s profit and loss account and the
organisation's balance sheet. Some of the ratios that may be calculated are net
turnover ratio, gross turnover ratio, current ratio, etc.
▪ Trend analysis
The current income, expenses, profit, etc., and ratios are compared to the past
performance. The trend over some time reveals the direction in which the organisation
is proceeding.
These measures help measure innovation and productivity fairly and can track whether the
efforts are in the right direction and the pace of efforts is appropriate. They may be used in
work plans to analyse and estimate the various expenses related to innovation and productivity
by benchmarking them against the historical data or competitor’s performance.
Inviting input
Being available
Leading by example
▪ Inviting input
Keep the team members well informed of the strategies and challenges of the
organisation. Invite their input at the beginning of developing a work plan. Early
involvement motivates the members to work towards completion. Their active
participation leads to the generation of more ideas.
▪ Enabling team members to make decisions and act
Trust members to take calculated risks and attempt innovative ways of approaching
work. Do not be sceptical when things go wrong; otherwise, innovation and productivity
will take a backseat.
▪ Being available
Make sure you are available to your team members to listen to their valuable ideas and
suggestions. Encourage formal two-way discussions. You may also use brainstorming of
ideas, intranet, or even a box to invite suggestions.
▪ Removing unnecessary official procedures
Look for internal processes which are blocking innovation. Take measures to streamline
the process so that ideas are converted to action quickly.
Expected outcomes are the results that the team strives to achieve. The desired outcomes require the
team members to collaborate, take charge of their roles and responsibilities, and assist each other.
This creates a positive environment in the team leading to higher levels of productivity.
Effective leadership is of paramount importance in working towards desirable outcomes. Individuals
in the team rely on the processes, procedures, guidelines, and frameworks and performance
standards established by the leadership. In addition to leading the team members, adequate support
in the form of providing training, being available, resolving conflict, providing adequate resources,
etc., is also required for the team members to perform at an optimum level.
This subchapter discusses the concept of leadership and its styles, key features of common leadership
styles, the concept of expected outcomes and ways to achieve them. In this subchapter, you will also
learn about how teams can be led and supported to meet expected outcomes.
increased revenue
decreased cost
process improvements
Traits Descriptions
Strategic and critical ▪ Able to think critically for the team/organisation they
thinker work in
Leadership Styles
Leadership style is a leader’s approach to guiding and directing, planning implementations, and
motivating individuals. In 1939, Psychologist Kurt Lewin proposed that a leadership style may
fall into any three categories discussed below.
Leadership
Traits Applicable situations
styles
Multimedia
According to top UQ Business School researchers, these are the top five leadership
trends that will dominate the business landscape in 2021 and beyond.
Identify which capabilities are required across the team, strongly by some and moderately
or not at all by team members.
Share and discuss the personal development plan of all members of the team, including
your own.
Discuss in detail the responsibilities for individual and collective learning, supporting,
monitoring, and reviewing learning.
5. Share and discuss the personal development plan of all members of the team,
including your own.
This facilitates an understanding of the specialised areas of expertise of individual team
members and the team. It also sets the standards for personal and professional
development.
6. Discuss in detail the responsibilities for individual and collective learning, supporting,
monitoring, and reviewing learning.
This aligns the learning acquired by the team members with the overall team purpose
and is very important to achieve expected outcomes.
7. Establish the formal team development plan and its components.
These components address the following:
▪ Learning objectives
What skills are required to be
developed in the team members
to address issues management,
team cohesion, innovation, and
productivity?
▪ Resources
What are the human and non-
human resources required to
achieve these objectives? Are
they available in-house or need
to be outsourced?
▪ Timeframes
How much time is required and is available for the development of requisite
skills?
▪ Individual and collective responsibilities
Who is responsible for which task, and what is the collective responsibility of
the team?
Define the expected outcomes in terms of quality of work, deadlines, resources, and
support.
Define the value to be delivered at the individual, team, and organisational level.
Having the team development plan in place and implementing it properly leads to upskilling of
team members. At this stage, the teams need to be led to achieve expected outcomes.
Acknowledging and
Promoting growth
rewarding
▪ Checking in regularly
Regular catch-ups can be beneficial and can be done by conducting progress meetings
for projects and personal development. Providing access to regular and scheduled
feedback also helps in checking in.
▪ Communicating regularly
This requires sharing ideas, points of view, information, and expertise. This also involves
communicating what needs to be done and what areas need focus, giving and receiving
feedback, brainstorming ideas, and listening to team members.
▪ Being inclusive
All the team members should be given a chance to provide their inputs. Disagreements
and differing opinions should be heard and solved respectfully.
Notes
Learning Checkpoint
Now that you have finished this chapter, let’s do some learning exercises.
Complete the learning activities for this chapter on the following pages.
For guidance and additional instructions with these activities, talk to your
trainer/assessor.
Emotional Intelligence implies the ability to manage your and your team
☐ ☐
member’s emotions.
The team purpose defines who the team serves and what value the team
☐ ☐
creates for them.
Complete the statement given below by filling in the blanks with appropriate responses from the
selection options provided.
SELECTION
Catch-ups Expertise
Feedback
List three ways in which members can be encouraged to incorporate innovation and productivity
in work plans.
a.
b.
c.
Team formation must be followed by creating a culture of teamwork among the members of a team.
Team cohesion comes into play when a team works in a unified way to achieve team goals. Team
cohesion is an important ingredient for success in the workplace. It facilitates smooth interpersonal
relations, open communication, improved employee satisfaction, and increased motivation. The
leader must promote this cohesion. Teams can be trained to be cohesive by taking appropriate
measures.
A clear definition of roles and responsibilities is required for team cohesion. The members of a
cohesive team aim towards collaboratively achieving the expected outcomes. Members of a cohesive
team have a greater degree of focus on the entire group rather than themselves.
In this chapter, you will learn how to provide opportunities for input to team members into planning,
decision-making, and operational aspects of a work team. You will also learn how to support team
members to take responsibility for their work and assist each other in undertaking required roles and
responsibilities. In addition, you will also learn how to provide feedback to team members, address or
refer issues, concerns and problems, and model expected behaviours and approaches.
2.1 Provide Opportunities for Input of Team Members Into Planning, Decision Making and
Operational Aspects of Work Team
Teams achieve success when team members work collaboratively. This can be achieved when the
leader of the team involves the members in providing their valuable inputs. These inputs can be
solicited from the members in several ways. Leaders need to provide opportunities to the team
members to give their inputs. This calls for a positive work environment where the team members can
voice their opinions fearlessly.
Seeking inputs from the team members in planning, decision-making, and operational aspects ensures
greater chances of the team success. Following this process leaves no room for confusion and conflicts.
Being a part of the process, the members assume greater responsibility for achieving the goals.
In this subchapter, you will learn the concept and the process of team planning and decision-making.
Further, you will also learn about the operational aspects of a work team, the importance of taking
inputs from team members, and ways to invite the same.
Performance measures
Team plans are very important for the successful working of the teams. The following are the
advantages of having an effective team plan:
▪ Efficient use of resources
All teams have scarce resources. Having a team plan ensures that these resources are
utilised effectively without any wastage.
▪ Management of risk and uncertainty
Planning considers all the possible risk factors and develops what-if scenarios. This
helps in the identification of risk factors and the development of contingency plans.
▪ Team building and cooperation
When the plans are communicated to the team members, everyone becomes aware of
their roles and responsibilities and ways to take charge of them. They understand how
their work contributes to the achievement of the team goals.
▪ Accountability
A team plan helps establish the authority and responsibilities of the individual team
members and holds them accountable for the assigned tasks.
provide future direction and set the roadmap for the team
Team decision-making requires that the members of a team choose collectively from the
options before them. Such decisions are attributable to the team as a whole and offer two
distinct benefits. These benefits are the following:
•It implies the whole is greater than the •Each group member may contribute
sum of its parts. unique information and expertise.
•Collective decisions identify more •Sharing information increases
complete solutions and understanding and clarifies issues.
recommendations.
Define the problem in terms of how, when, and where members became aware of the
problem.
Gather information to verify that the problem has been defined correctly and develop
alternative solutions.
Select the best alternative by weighing it against the expected outcome and discussing the
adverse consequences of each alternative.
Implement the best alternative by proper planning and communicating the decision to all
the stakeholders.
Evaluate the outcome to examine whether the selected course of action has resulted in
desired outcome.
The operational aspects of a work team specify how the work processes would be put into
action. This includes finding answers to questions such as the following:
▪ What equipment and machinery are required?
▪ How many team members are required?
▪ What are the kinds of capabilities required of team members?
▪ What are the tasks to be performed?
▪ Who is responsible for which task?
▪ When will the specific resources be required?
▪ Is external assistance needed?
Answering these questions helps in the smooth sailing of the work processes and the successful
completion of the work plan.
The input from the team members can be solicited using the following ways:
▪ Brainstorming
This allows team members to come up with several ideas to be incorporated into the
plan/decision. Following guidelines should be borne in mind during the process:
Brainstorming
▪ Individual discussions
For issues requiring a specific knowledge set or expertise, individual discussions with
team members should be facilitated. This helps in saving time and gathering the inputs
in a relevant manner.
▪ Team exploration
Develop a culture of reading books and journals by team members, nominate the team
members to seminars and conferences. Encourage members to explore other industries
to look for similar issues and solutions.
▪ Suggestion box
Encouraging team members to give suggestions is a good way to invite input from team
members. This can be done by installing a physical suggestion box or designating an e-
mail or through an online form. Check the suggestion box regularly to incorporate ideas
in decision-making.
▪ Employee surveys
Conduct regular surveys to gather opinions, ideas, issues, etc., using a paper or an
electronic survey.
▪ Employee feedback
Getting feedback from employees helps understand how the business can improve.
2.2 Support Team Members to Take Responsibility for Own Work and to Assist Each Other
in Undertaking Required Roles and Responsibilities
Taking responsibility for own work is crucial to team success. As a leader, it is your responsibility to
help team members be responsible for their work. Often, individuals cannot assume responsibility due
to low engagement, being overworked, assuming pressure due to the complexity of the situation, and
anticipating failure. This calls for immediate attention by the team leader to understand and address
the issue. Such individuals affect team performance.
To encourage people to be responsible for their work, it is necessary to help them develop their skills
and provide them with adequate resources. Also, a change in ambience helps them to become
responsible for their decisions and actions.
In this subchapter, you will learn about the importance of and strategies for taking responsibility for
your work and assisting others. This subchapter also discusses the concept of team cohesion and the
impact of individual behaviour on team performance.
It builds trust.
It shows accountability.
It secures position.
It reveals character.
However, in teams, some members display irresponsible work behaviour. This behaviour can
be identified by watching the signs listed below:
▪ Lacking interest in their work
▪ Neglecting the well-being of the team
▪ Avoiding challenging tasks and projects
▪ Avoiding taking initiative
▪ Depending on others for work, support, suggestions, and directions
▪ Not having trust and belief in leaders and team members
▪ Blaming others for mistakes and failures
▪ Missing deadlines
▪ Being late
▪ Avoiding taking risks
▪ Complaining about partial and inappropriate behaviour by leaders and team members
This irresponsible behaviour has an impact on the performance of the team.
On the other hand, negative behaviour not only causes issues around misbehaviour but also
leads to:
2.2.2 Applying Knowledge of Organisational Goals, Objectives, and Plans to Work Tasks
Knowledge about goals, objectives, and plans leads to the development of efficient work tasks.
Designing and implementing work tasks in alignment with these ensures that every action
contributes to achieving organisational goals. Also, it reduces the scope of error,
misunderstanding, bottlenecks, and reworks required. It clarifies with the team members their
roles and responsibilities assigned in the work task, leading to high job engagement. Thus,
completing the work task ensures that the team has moved a step forward in achieving the
expected outcomes.
Developing work tasks can be completed by the cohesive teams discussed in the next section.
increased motivation
decreased anxiety
•In this stage, the team members get acquainted with each other,
understand the team environment, and adjust to it.
•Understanding of individual responsibilities, constraints, and team
Forming working is established.
By understanding these stages in detail, the leaders and team members can analyse the cause
of certain behaviours and make informed changes.
In cohesive teams, the members take charge of their responsibilities and take the responsibility
of assisting others. This assistance provided is important for the following reasons listed below:
▪ It reduces stress.
In being assisted by a team member, the issues and problems are quickly resolved,
resulting in reduced stress.
▪ It builds skills.
When assisting others in a team, you get exposed to various skills, learn from each
other, and become more productive.
Developing trust Create an environment where it is safe to interact, give, and receive
feedback.
Creating personal
connections Help people come together to develop care for each other.
Developing tolerance
and empathy Be tolerant and empathetic so that the team members follow suit.
Leaders can support the team members to assist each other in the following ways:
▪ Form teams where members have complementary skills so that they can collaborate
and assist each other.
▪ Do not overburden the team members with the workload so that they have time to
assist others.
▪ Appreciate the team members when they extend their helping hand.
▪ Provide assistance to team members; this may be incorporated as an appraisal
parameter.
Separate non-essential information from the useful one, which helps identify problems,
resolves issues and concerns.
The success of any team is attributed to the efforts and contributions of its members. Some teams are
effective in achieving desired outcomes, whereas some fail to deliver expected performance. Team
members work to the best of their abilities if their efforts and contributions are acknowledged and
valued by the leadership.
The leader’s contribution also has a bearing on the efforts made by the team members. When the
leader is viewed as making an equal effort and leading by example, the team members are motivated
to put their best foot forward. An effective technique is to model the behaviour expected from the
team members. Always having a positive attitude and being approachable keeps the team's morale
high and encourages them to work more towards team success.
Team members look forward to feedback to understand the effectiveness of their actions and identify
the areas of improvement. Giving constructive feedback is crucial to team success.
In this subchapter, you will learn how to identify the contribution and efforts made by team members,
the feedback parameters, and give constructive feedback to the team members for their efforts and
contributions.
The most important indicators of efforts and contributions made by team members are as
follows:
▪ Attendance
Presence is worth tracking as it is a good indicator of efforts being put forth by
individuals. If a team member is consistently late, leaves early, taking several off and
sick days, it implies that they are not exhibiting their full potential.
▪ Helpfulness
individuals who help others are major contributors to the team. Leaders can identify
which team members have been most helpful in assisting others in the teams over a
given period. Helping others creates a culture of teamwork and boosts the productivity
of the team.
▪ Efficiency
Team members should be able to complete their work on time within the given
resources. If an individual clocks in several hours of overtime, it is a cause of concern
and an indicator of inefficiency.
▪ Initiative
Taking the initiative by the team members is an indicator of satisfaction. It is difficult to
measure but can be quantified by keeping track of the number of times a team member
has taken the initiative.
▪ Quality
An important indicator of efforts made by team members is the quality of work
produced. This can be assessed by using the number of times and the rework required
as a proxy for quality work.
▪ Hourly commitment
Productivity and procrastination are inversely proportional. If an individual wastes time
at the workplace, their productivity will be low. Measuring hourly commitment allows
you to measure the level of effort made by the individual.
The recognised contribution and effort made by a team member is communicated in the form
of feedback. The following section discusses the concept of feedback in detail.
Feedback is the process of giving constructive information or advice to the team members
based on their performance, behaviour, and skills in the process of achieving outcomes. The
purpose of providing employee feedback include the following:
▪ Ensuring performance standards are met
▪ Improving performance
▪ Helping teams function effectively
Feedback is important because it helps employees grow and is more useful for growth than
training and development activities.
Types of Feedback
The type of feedback given to team members has a major impact on their performance. There
are three types of feedback detailed as follows:
▪ Positive feedback
It is in the form of praise for the
team members for achieving
success in their endeavours.
Statements like ‘Great work!’,
‘Keep up the good work!’,
‘Excellent job!’, etc., are small
signals which increase
motivation. Positive feedback is
used to enhance effectiveness
and productivity.
An example of positive feedback is given below:
‘I noticed that you learned how to use SPSS to analyse your project, which facilitated
understanding, even though it was not a part of your job description. It proves your
readiness to learn new skills as and when required.’
Such feedback motivates the individual to work harder and learn new skills.
▪ Negative feedback
It is provided to stop the actions or behaviours which did not result in desirable actions.
When negative feedback is unbiased and behaviour-specific, it helps people to correct
it. However, in cases where it is subjective and specific to people rather than their work.
An example of criticism is cited below:
‘You are not communicating effectively. This is impacting the performance of the team.’
It can be replaced by the given statement below.
‘I’ve noticed you are finding communicating a challenge effectively. Is there anything I
can do to help you?’
▪ Constructive feedback
It is supportive feedback given to team members to identify solutions in the areas of
weakness they might have. It is a supporting tool to address specific issues or concerns.
It provides a basis for actionable change. It helps employees achieve results and builds
a positive team environment.
An example of constructive feedback is given below:
Situation: George is frequently late to work and often misses the beginning of the daily
meeting held every morning. He does not want to disturb, so he does not attend the
meeting at all.
Constructive feedback can be provided to George, like the example below.
Feedback: ‘George, you are a valuable team member, and we require your input in
meetings. In your absence, we miss your insights, and I feel that it negatively affects
your relationships with your co-workers. Is there a way I can help you to be there for the
daily morning meeting?’
Multimedia
These are the three steps you need to take to give powerful constructive feedback.
Feedback Parameters
A leader can provide feedback to the team members on the parameters related to employee
effectiveness and improvement. A list of such parameters is given below:
Meeting deadlines
Attitude
Punctuality
Communication
Overall performance
Skill gaps
Be straightforward.
•Describe observations and resulting problems, as: 'You were late and you
have missed two meetings.'
•Do not give feedback about the individual but his behaviour.
2.4 Address or Refer Issues, Concerns and Problems Identified by Team Members
Teams comprise people who work towards a common goal. These people come from different
backgrounds, have different mindsets, and are different in their capabilities. As a result, working
together may not always be easy. Therefore, several problems, concerns, and issues may arise within
the team. These should be resolved timely to maintain the productivity of the team. Overlooking them
may cause several difficulties such as low motivation and morale of team members, unproductive
environment, interpersonal conflict, high rate of attrition, etc.
Leadership should look at properly resolving these issues to enable the smooth functioning of the
team. A mechanism needs to be devised for handling any problematic situation which the team
members identify.
In this subchapter, you will learn about issues, concerns, and problems faced by team members and
the concept of issue management. You will also learn about the organisational policies and procedures
and how to refer to them to solve issues.
Issues
An issue refers to a situation that requires discussion and has a readily available solution. The
workplace has individuals coming from diverse backgrounds and has people with different
personality types, communication styles, and points of view interact with each other. These
differences cause several workplace issues.
The common issues faced by the employees in the workplace include:
▪ gossip
▪ bullying
▪ harassment
▪ discrimination
▪ communication problems.
Workplace issues result in decreased performance and productivity, reduced job satisfaction,
stress, and anxiety.
Concerns
Concerns are the cause of worry for the individuals and impact their welfare and happiness.
Approximately 30% of our time is spent in workplaces giving rise to several concerns. These
concerns, which keep on arising from time to time, are the following:
Problems
A problem is a situation that requires immediate attention. Otherwise, it may convert to a
damaging situation. The most common problems that hinder employee growth and adversely
affect the organisation are the following:
Lousy bosses
Understanding the issues, problems, and concerns paves the way for addressing them
effectively in line with the organisational policies and procedures. The following section
discusses the importance of resolution in line with the policies and procedures.
Policy
Policies are a set of general guidelines laid down by the organisation specifying the
organisation’s plan for addressing the issues, problems, and concerns. Policies communicate an
organisation’s vision and values, its day-to-day operations, and how they are linked to one
another.
Procedure
A procedure provides a specific plan of action to carry out a policy. It informs the employee how
to deal with the situation.
Modelling leadership behaviour implies the leader enacting behaviours and actions which he expects
his team to follow. If you expect people to be punctual to the workplace, be on time to the workplace
regularly. Leadership behaviours should be communicated, and every leader should be held
responsible for modelling them. The behaviour should be in line with the organisation’s values and
policies. Appropriate behaviour impacts the organisational image, and therefore leaders should take
the accountability of modelling it.
There are several leadership styles and approaches. No one style of leadership suits all the situations
faced in an organisation. Therefore, it becomes important for a leader to adapt his leadership
approach to the situation. A correct approach helps build a strong and positive relationship with the
team members and enhances morale and productivity. This lays the foundation of an effective team
steering the organisation towards success.
In this subchapter, you will learn about leadership behaviour and approaches and modelling them.
You will also learn about organisational image and behaviours which enhance the image. This
subchapter will also give you an understanding of how a leader’s behaviour can impact team
effectiveness.
It retains people.
•Being empathetic
For clients and •Benchmarking with the best companies
customers •Being humble
•Talking to customers
These leadership behaviours go a long way in developing a positive organisational image. The
team members replicate the behaviour modelled by the leader, resulting in happy employees
developing a positive organisational culture. The culture reflects in the operations of the
organisation and its dealings with its clients and customers. This satisfaction of the various
stakeholders creates a positive image of the organisation.
Understanding leadership behaviours, a study of leadership approaches is equally important.
The next section provides an insight into these approaches.
Physiological or traits
Behavioural
Situational
Knowledge
Willpower
Integrity
Creativity
Assertiveness
Decisiveness
Trustworthiness
This theory believes that these leadership traits are present in all leaders, and they are born
with these traits. These traits cannot be developed by learning or observation.
Behavioural Approach
▪ It assumes the success of a leader is because of his behaviour rather than his natural
traits.
▪ It involves observation and evaluation of a leader’s behaviour when responding to
specific situations.
▪ It believes that leaders are made, not born.
This approach strongly advocates that anyone can become an effective leader provided he can
acquire and implement certain behaviours. This theory focuses on the actions taken by the
leaders, not on mental capacity. This theory advocates that an individual can learn to be a leader
by learning and observation.
Situational Approach
▪ It is flexible and adaptive.
▪ It focuses on adapting the leadership style to suit the requirements of the situation.
▪ It does not prescribe any specific skill for a leader.
This approach asserts that there is no single way to lead a team and emphasises that a leader’s
style and behaviour should depend on the situation at hand and the characteristics of the team
members based on their readiness. This advocates that a leader can extract maximum
performance from his team when he can tailor his style according to the team member’s
capacity, willingness, ability.
Being honest
Exhibiting integrity
Being approachable
▪ Being honest
This helps team members in being transparent and open to communicating what they
are thinking or feeling.
▪ Earning and building trust
This helps the team members rely on you and share their ideas openly.
▪ Exhibiting integrity
This helps in setting ethical codes of conduct in employees.
▪ Providing objective feedback
This helps in identifying the root cause of the problems and areas of improvement
▪ Making time for your team and learning about them
This helps to identify the causes of individual performance.
▪ Being approachable
Having an open-door policy helps team members in sharing ideas with the leaders
without any fear of consequences.
▪ Offering support and encouragement
Extend help to team members when required. Appreciate team members on their
achievements.
Notes
Learning Checkpoint
Now that you have finished this chapter, let’s do some learning exercises.
Complete the learning activities for this chapter on the following pages.
For guidance and additional instructions with these activities, talk to your
trainer/assessor.
In your own words, explain the importance of providing feedback in promoting team cohesion.
Match each technique of positive behaviour modelling with the appropriate content to be included
with it.
DESCRIPTION SELECTION
Unscramble the words below to reveal ways to support teams in taking responsibility for work and
assisting each other.
EPRODIV PPIORINTOEUTS
LECERABET UCSESCS
EENCUOGAR OCMUMNIACNOTI
DPOEVRI SECEROUSR
Effective team performance is necessary for the success of the organisation. Team performance is
dependent on several factors, some of which are controllable, whereas some are not. Identifying the
controllable factors, such as absenteeism, low employee morale, lack of proper job description and
training, etc., and their resolution prevents minor issues from becoming major problems.
Team members require support from the leader to identify problems before they start or are in the
early stages. This facilitates resolving and addressing the issues timely and easily. Leaders need to
create an environment facilitating open communication with the team, where the team members find
the leader available and approachable for discussing issues.
In this chapter, you will learn how to encourage team members to participate in and take responsibility
for team activities and communication processes, support team members to identify and resolve
problems, and the possible ways of identifying contribution to the team members and being a role
model.
3.1 Encourage Team Members to Participate in and Take Responsibility for Team Activities
and Communication Processes
The success of effective teams depends on teamwork. The more members engage in teamwork, the
more productive the team is. It is essential that the team members feel responsible for the teams'
activities and problems and provide their inputs for the same.
The leader’s role is very crucial here. The type of environment and culture the leader creates in a team
affects employee participation. A positive environment boosts the morale of the employees. It
encourages them to be a part of the teams' activities ranging from planning, decision making,
implementing, setting up communication processes, etc.
In this subchapter, you will learn about team activities and ways to encourage the team members to
take responsibility for and participate in the same. This subchapter also gives insights into the team
communication process and ways to encourage the team members to develop and maintain the same
actively.
Planning
Decision-making
Documentation
Problem solving
Communication
Team activities form the core of high-performance teams. A lack of alignment in the teams has
a negative impact on the achievement of team outcomes. Team activities are important
because they help in:
▪ Encourage ownership.
Allow people to take responsibility for their work, as discussed in the previous chapter.
This makes them take part in team activities in a disciplined manner because they will
be held responsible for their actions.
▪ Avoid unnecessary meetings.
This wastes the productive time of the team members and shifts their attention from
team efforts to individual work performance.
▪ Give everybody a chance to speak.
Having a voice in the way plans and decisions are formulated and implemented
encourages the team members to participate actively.
▪ Do not punish failures.
Even if some course of plans and actions do not yield desirable results, do not punish
your employees. Instead, ask them to look for alternate solutions.
▪ Encourage personal growth.
Support team members in their personal development. This motivates the employees
and encourages them to participate more and more in team activities.
Verbal Written
Team communication is essential for the teams to be effective. The benefits of team
communication are the following:
Encouraging Team Members to Participate in and Take Responsibility for the Communication
Process
Leaders can inspire and encourage team members to be a part of and feel a responsibility
towards the communication process in the following ways:
▪ Setting team communication goals
Setting goals helps maintain the effectiveness of the communication process.
Identifying the challenges in your team will help you define clearer communication
goals.
▪ Making time for communication
Allotting time for quick meetings and updates can help build trust and facilitate the
team members to communicate effectively.
▪ Having an open-door policy
Allow team members to ask
questions, give ideas, and raise
concerns.
▪ Providing communications training
It improves basic conversation and
improves presentation skills,
business writing, listening skills, etc.
This helps improve overall team
communication.
3.2 Support Team to Identify and Resolve Problems Which Impede Performance
As a team leader, you want your team to be successful. If you want your team to succeed and generate
revenue, the team members should perform optimally. It is known that poor employee performance
can doom even the most effective teams. They can excel if and only if they can identify performance
problems at the onset.
Teams face a lot of problems when working towards the accomplishment of goals. This can be
attributed to the heterogeneous nature of the teams, workplace issues, etc. Problem identification is
the first step towards resolving problems. To solve a problem, it should first be accurately defined.
Having defined the problem, the next step is to look for ways and means to solve it. There are several
effective strategies to identify and solve problems that will ultimately lead to high productivity and
enhanced team members' job satisfaction.
In this subchapter, you will learn about how problems can be identified and solved. Furthermore, this
subchapter will teach you the importance of communicating with team members to identify and
resolve problems.
Checking absenteeism
• This is done when team members take more sick days than usual.
If all the issues listed above are present, it implies that the team is heading towards problems.
The factors which lead to performance problems are the following:
Ineffective communication
Lack of motivation
Interpersonal conflict
The team members require the support of their leader to identify these performance problems.
The leader may extend support in the following ways:
▪ If the team members are repeatedly committing mistakes, the team leader may initiate
a personal discussion with the team members to identify the root cause of the issue.
▪ Leaders may encourage the use of biometrics to help team members identify
punctuality issues.
▪ Leaders may use missed deadlines, poor quality of work, incomplete work to help team
members identify engagement issues.
▪ Excessive unpaid leaves are an indicator that the team leader may use to help team
members identify absenteeism.
Any team is as good as the people it contains, and regardless of the size of the team,
underperforming members can lead to low levels of productivity. This calls for effective
performance management by the team leader. Underperformance can be resolved by following
the process given on the next page.
3.3 Ensure Own Contribution to Work Team Serves as a Role Model for Others
Team leaders are significant for organisations to realise their vision and enhance team productivity.
They help extend the necessary support and expertise to develop their team members by offering
guidance as and when required, enhancing morale, creating an atmosphere of creativity, and
promoting essential values.
An effective leader leads by example. This implies you are creating a roadmap of behaviours and
actions for your team to follow. This helps in directing the team members to work towards a common
goal. It helps people to understand what lies ahead and how it can be coped with. If a team has an
ineffective leader, there will be frequent conflicts, and each team member will try to approach
situations and problems their way. This will result in poor team performance.
In this subchapter, you will learn about the concept of leading by example and how teams can be led.
You will also learn about how leaders can contribute to their teams.
Be truthful.
Multimedia
Leading by example is the most powerful way to influence those around you. This
video gives four practical tips to lead by example and, in turn, change the behaviour
of others.
Leading by Example
If you have answered the questions as always and often, your contribution to the team's
development is good enough. However, if you answer rarely and never in most cases, you need
to retrospect your leadership style.
Leaders should evaluate themselves regularly to identify areas of concern that might have a
negative impact on the productivity of the team. This helps in the early identification and
solution of problems. Also, leaders should invite feedback from team members to evaluate
themselves. An analysis of the feedback would point to areas of improvement and identify
strengths. This, in turn, would improve teamwork and contribute to the effectiveness of the
team leader.
Notes
Learning Checkpoint
Now that you have finished this chapter, let’s do some learning exercises.
Complete the learning activities for this chapter on the following pages.
For guidance and additional instructions with these activities, talk to your
trainer/assessor.
All the necessary steps are taken to help the employee should be
☐ ☐
documented.
Your team members need to know that they can approach you in case of
☐ ☐
any problem.
Identify any three means of encouraging team members to participate in team activities with an
example of each.
Means Example
a. a.
b. b.
c. c.
SELECTION
Create a performance
Provide regular feedback
improvement plan
Effective team performance depends on the extent of liaison between the management and the team.
Liaising with management offers many benefits such as a clear understanding of goals, work
processes, policies, procedures, increased job satisfaction, enhanced morale and motivation, quick
resolution of issues, reduced stress, etc.
In this chapter, you will learn about establishing open communication with the team, communicating
information from the line management to the team. This chapter will also provide insights on
communicating unresolved issues, concerns, and problems raised by the team to line management
and communicating issues raised by management to the team for action.
Line managers are the most important link when effective internal communication is required. They
are extremely busy, and this calls for an effort by the team members to use their time judiciously.
Open communication between the line manager and the team is a convenient and effective way to
update, solicit support, communicate issues, etc. The line manager having accurate information about
the various facets of his team emerges as an effective leader in the organisation.
In the fast-changing environment and dynamic nature of work, the line manager must be on the same
page as his team. Identify the preferred channel they wish to receive communication from email, in
person, or a phone call. A team’s active involvement in facilitating open communication with the line
managers creates a constructive work environment. This helps the team in several ways, which are
positively related to the team’s productivity.
In this subchapter, you will learn about the concepts of line management and open communication.
You will also get insights into the importance of open communication and ways to foster open
communication with the line managers.
The line manager reports to senior management and is a link between the team and the
leadership. His primary responsibilities include overseeing the operations of a business,
managing and supervising them daily. They are also referred to as supervisors or team leaders.
Raising issues
Open-door policies Sharing financial Real-time and
instead of side-
for meetings information frequent feedback
tracking them
Multimedia
Learn to identify strategies for maintaining open communication during team
meetings.
Line managers are the only link between the front-line workers and the rest of the organisation. They
have an impact on morale, productivity, engagement, retention, thereby impacting the employer
image.
Communication between a line manager and his team members is vital for successfully running a
team's operations. In most organisations, only a few team members understand what their team goals
are and how they are related to the company’s goals. Lack of communication from the managers
creates an environment of uncertainty and indecisiveness in the team.
This subchapter will provide insights into the importance and purpose of communication from line
management to the team and communication methods. You will also learn about conventions and
protocols related to business etiquette, communication policies, legislation, culture, and diversity
used in communication.
Explaining the linkages between their work and other jobs in the
organisation
A team leader should choose the appropriate form of communication to ensure that the team
members have understood the message in totality. Some of the popular ways in which the
information can be passed on to the team are:
▪ Meetings
Gathering teams for passing on information focuses the attention and helps them listen
effectively. Let the meeting be a two-way process where the team members participate
helps better comprehend the information. Adding a ten-to-fifteen-minute open forum
helps develop clarity.
▪ Telephone
It is an indispensable mode of communication in today’s world. It helps to pass
information faster. When issuing instructions, ask the team member to repeat. In cases
where emotional issues are being discussed, avoid using a telephone.
▪ Face-to-face interactions
This mode of passing information is useful when team members’ non-verbal cues also
have a role to play. This is a very effective mode.
▪ Writing
Email is the cheapest and least time-consuming method. Care should be taken to keep
the information precise and to the point to avoid any misunderstanding.
Team leaders may also use traditional forms of communication such as:
Performance
Diversity and inclusion
management policies
policies and procedures
and procedures
▪ Culture and diversity – Communicating to a culturally diverse team can be made easier by
following the strategies listed below:
Practising paraphrasing
4.3 Communicate Unresolved Issues, Concerns and Problems Raised by the Team to Line
Management to Action
Your team members may be very efficient, but they are subjected to several workplace issues and
concerns. These problems, such as not being punctual, regular sick leaves, harassment, interpersonal
conflicts, lack of motivation, missing deadlines, scarcity of resources, etc., need to be communicated
promptly so that they do not impact the team's productivity. It is required that organisations have
appropriate communication policies and procedures to encourage quick escalation. The sooner the
problems are resolved better it is for the team.
These issues are to be addressed and dealt with by the line manager to facilitate a positive work
environment. After being informed of the issue, the line manager must take stock of the situation and
take the necessary action as required to resolve the same. The action taken should be in line with the
organisational policies and procedures. The employees should be informed that a system of resolution
exists and how it operates. This leads to satisfaction in team members.
This subchapter teaches you the importance of communicating problems, issues, and concerns to the
line management, ways to communicate, and when to communicate. This subchapter also explains
the actions that the line manager can take.
4.3.1 Communicating Unresolved Issues, Problems, and Concerns to the Line Manager
The problems, issues, and concerns related to planning outcomes, supervision, and team
cohesion may be task-system related or interpersonal. are directly related to the team's
productivity. These should be communicated to the line manager at the earliest for the reasons
listed below:
▪ Unresolved issues lead to employee dissatisfaction, affecting their ability to think
creatively and contribute effectively to team plans and identify desired outcomes.
▪ Conflicts in the team result in differences in team members, thereby impacting team
cohesion negatively.
▪ Communicating unresolved issues prevents them from becoming major problems.
▪ Unresolved issues may require a change in plan or work process, which can facilitate
timely completion of the tasks if communicated promptly.
▪ Unresolved issues may require a training, coaching, or developmental program to be
initiated. Communication helps to identify the same.
These issues should be communicated to the management when they cannot be resolved at
the individual and group efforts and start affecting the team's productivity.
Any of the modes listed below can facilitate this communication:
Formal letter
Modes of
Email Phone
communication
Personal
discussion
▪ Formal letter – This mode of communication ensures that all the aspects related to
unresolved issues/problems and concerns are formally communicated to the line
management.
▪ Email – These can be effectively used to detail and follow up on unresolved
issues/problems and concerns.
▪ Phone – This mode of communication is useful when the unresolved issue, problem, or
concern is minor. Also, it can be used in conjunction with a formal letter and email.
▪ Personal discussion – When the unresolved issue, problem, or concern has a major
impact on the team's functioning, this method ensures thorough communication and
quick resolution.
Conduct
Performance
The communication of the issues raised by the line manager to the teams and the concerned members
is important. This helps the team members take necessary actions which lead to the resolution of the
issue. This communication must follow the protocol established by the organisation. Adhering to it
leaves no room for miscommunication and information gaps.
The issues raised by the management can be communicated to the team members in a variety of ways.
This can be done by using one or a combination of communication channels. These communication
channels may be formal or informal. There should be clear and concise communication that is easy to
understand and follow by the team members to facilitate action.
This subchapter teaches you the importance of communicating issues to team members and the type
of actions that may be required to be taken by teams.
▪ Accommodate
The team members may put aside their priorities and focus on others. It results in the
quick resolving of issues. This approach should, however, be avoided when making
critical decisions.
▪ Avoid
In this approach, the team members avoid the issue until it gets resolved on its own. Be
cautious while avoiding the issue, as in some instances, it might make the issue worse.
▪ Collaborate
The team members join hands in resolving the issue. This requires equal effort from
each of the team members in resolving the issue. Each member makes a unique
contribution to the resolution of the issue.
Notes
Learning Checkpoint
Now that you have finished this chapter, let’s do some learning exercises.
Complete the learning activities for this chapter on the following pages.
For guidance and additional instructions with these activities, talk to your
trainer/assessor.
1. Outline any two methods of communication between line managers and teams.
a.
b.
Search and identify examples of actions taken by the line managers to resolve conduct related
issues:
1. Face-to-face interaction
2. Assigning a lower designation
3. Temporary removal from work
4. Permanent removal from work
5. A formal notice
F S L H X D G P D I W P H S W H Z L Q K
S W A R N I N G I P V I T M Y W D F G I
T C U R S G Y O S S D U O P Y A Y I X O
M K C E Q T L A C U R P Z J T H Y O S B
E G O T T D L E U M Y K N W E S R H U D
R D L W R S R P S M Z Z P K A Z U B S M
O S V A C S I G S A K R L A D R L F P S
L Y N E L I E G I E Y V H X B R A Z E V
Q U P P T O G V O R D E M O T I O N N O
V G L C U N O K N K Y E Y I L E Q L S F
W A O S M X E L W F O S G E M C S J I U
Z P Z D X B F W T V T V T A F U T S O G
A B O C I F F Z G A E V N G S E M L N Q
T E R M I N A T I O N M K Z I G D I C E
S V K P O Y N O A X O K J B T N X X H A
Summary
“The world
rewards those
who take
responsibility
for their own
success.”
Curt Gerrish
This unit of competency details how teams can be led to be effective. The team leaders can enhance
the productivity and efficiency of their teams. It starts with planning collaboratively for the team
outcomes. Seeking inputs from individuals in the planning stage inculcates a sense of ownership and
motivates them to achieve expected results. Furthermore, the leader should support and direct the
team towards cohesiveness for the team to be successful. Constructive feedback paves the way for
collaboration in teams.
Cohesive teams are an asset to any organisation and need continuous nurturing and supervision by
the leaders. The leader can facilitate this by supervising the team in undertaking team activities,
solving problems, and leading by example. Communication also plays an important role in establishing
a positive team environment. The leader has to encourage and support open communication in the
team, which motivates the team members and leads to job satisfaction and low employee turnover.
References
These are some references that we feel may be of assistance to you in completing the Assessment for
this unit of competency:
• Brearley, B. (2018, February). The importance of planning and why leaders can’t ignore it.
Thoughtful Leader. https://www.thoughtfulleader.com/importance-of-planning/
• Chastney, R. (2020, October 19). 10 ways to support your team at work. FutureLearn.
https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/ten-ways-support-your-team-at-work
• Diplomacy Dojo. (2021, January 17). How to give employee feedback with examples: 3 key
steps [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6Ib1HxJplY
• Franz, A. (2016, July 15). What are your business outcomes?. Business 2 Community.
https://www.business2community.com/strategy/what-are-your-business-outcomes-
01595484
• Garvin, D. A. (1998, July 15). The processes of organization and management. MIT Sloan
Management Review. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-processes-of-organization-
and-management/
• Gothelf, J. (2020, December 17). Use OKRs to set goals for teams, not individuals. Harvard
Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/12/use-okrs-to-set-goals-for-teams-not-individuals
• LBMC Family of Companies. (2019, February 11). 5 best practices for managing employee
performance issues. https://www.lbmc.com/blog/managing-employee-performance-issues/
• Leonard, K. (2018, August 03). Definition of a work plan. Small Business - Chron.com.
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/definition-work-plan-39791.html
• Levin, M. (2018, February 28). Harvard research reveals how mindful leaders develop better
companies and happier employees. Mansueto Ventures. https://www.inc.com/marissa-
levin/harvard-research-reveals-how-mindful-leaders-develop-better-companies-happier-
employees.html
• Lumen. (n.d.). Managing group decision making. Retrieved September 18, 2021, from
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-management/chapter/managing-group-
decision-making/
• Mitrefinch Canada. (n.d.). Five reasons why measuring productivity can increase business
results. Retrieved September 18, 2021, from https://www.mitrefinch.ca/blog/workforce-
management/five-reasons-why-measuring-productivity-can-increase-business-results/
• Nesco Resource. (n.d.). Tips for identifying performance problems in the workplace.
Retrieved September 7, 2021, from https://nescoresource.com/blogs/details/tips-for-
identifying-performance-problems-in-the-workplace/136/
• Newlands, M. (2016, November 28). 9 powerful ways to lead by example. Entrepreneur.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/285579
• Skillsoft YouTube. (2017, July 08). Strategies for maintaining open communications [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hniJfc2FqPQ&t=1s
• TenBoer, K. (n.d.). Team cohesion in the workplace. Russel Tobin. Retrieved September 18,
2021, from https://www.russelltobin.com/culture/team-cohesion-in-the-workplace/
• UQ Business School. (2020. December 3). Leadership trends for 2021 [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_a3rmZv7uA&t=77s
• Wilhelmsen, T R. (2019, May 02). How to create a culture of collaboration in the workplace.
Great Place to Work. https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/how-to-create-a-
culture-of-collaboration-in-the-workplace
End of Document