Reference no: EM133525564

Manage Team Effectiveness

Assessment Task 1: Knowledge questions

Questions
Provide answers to all of the questions below:
1. Outline two benefits of good group dynamics on a team's performance.
2. Provide examples of three causes of poor group dynamics and how this can impact a team.
3. Explain why a team would need a team performance plan.
4. Complete the table below to show various methods that can be used to help overcome the following scenarios:
The team needs to complete a project by a certain deadline.
The team members do not understand the reason for undertaking the project or their own involvement in it.
The team members are a diverse group and have many different outcomes in mind. They are struggling to organise themselves as a team.
The team are struggling to communicate effectively. There have been a few miscommunications lately as some employees are using email and some are verbally providing updates and then forgetting what was said.

5. Provide at least five examples of communications in the workplace which can contribute to team morale and cohesion by completing the table below:
6. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and employees working from remote locations, provide examples of two tools or techniques for creating collaboration between team members.
7. Team leaders need to develop strategies to ensure that their team members have input into planning, decision making and operational aspects of work. Describe at least three strategies that can be used to accomplish this.
8. Explain how to give constructive feedback to a team member.
9. Explain what is meant by reaching consensus in a team.
10. Describe two strategies for reaching consensus in a team.
11. Outline two ways that issues can be identified by team members.
12. Describe three strategies a team leader can use to help resolve issues in a team.

Assessment Task 2: Project Portfolio
Activities
Complete the following activities:
1. Carefully read the following:
This project is about leading teams in the workplace and actively engaging with the management of the organisation. You need to demonstrate that you can manage the effectiveness of at least one work team.
You can do this based on the assumption that you are the team leader or manager of a team within the case study business provided in the Simulation Pack for this unit or a business that you work for, if applicable. It's important that this business has organisational objectives already developed. Speak to your assessor to get approval if you want to base this on your own business.
If you choose the case study business, you may select any of the teams that form part of the organisation to base your project on. You may assume the role of manager. If it is your own business, then you may choose any team that forms part of your workplace and in which you are involved.
Vocational education and training is all about gaining and developing practical skills that are industry relevant and that can help you to succeed in your chosen career. For this reason, basing your project on real relationships with classmates or work colleagues will mean that you are applying your knowledge and skills in a relevant, practical and meaningful way!
You will be collecting evidence for this unit in a Project Portfolio. The steps you need to take are outlined below. Before you begin, complete page 5 of your Project Portfolio.
2. Establish a team
Make sure you are familiar with the business you are basing this assessment on and have read through the necessary background information, policies and procedures that apply. For the case study business, this is all of the documents included in the Simulation Pack. If it's your own business or a business where you are working or are familiar with, it's important at this step that you have your business or case study approved by your assessor.
If you are using a real business, you will use your current team members to base this project on. If using the case study in a classroom or online situation, choose a group of at least three students who will act as your work team throughout the project. Open the Simulation pack, read through the case study and select the team you would like to base your assessment on.
Work through Section 1 of your Project Portfolio. As part of this step, you will need to:
• Specify your work team, or specify which team your group chose if you're using the case study.
• Outline the roles of each member of the team. If you are using the case study, each of you will have a turn to be the manager.
• State the purpose of the team
3. Establish team objectives
In a group round-table style discussion with your team and at least one stakeholder present, outline all the tasks the team must do to accomplish the expected outcomes.
The discussion should last for at least 15 minutes, but not more than 30 minutes. If you are using the case study, your assessor will assume the role of stakeholder. If you are basing the project on your workplace, the stakeholder might be a line manager or any member of senior management.
Ensure that each team member has a turn to participate in planning the tasks, share what they expect outcomes will be and decide as a team how performance will be measured.
As a team, making sure consensus is reached:
• create a list of tasks to be undertaken
• allocate the tasks to the team members based on their strengths and abilities
• set the start and end date for each activity
• set the KPIs for each team member
4. Write a Performance Plan
Use the Internet to find an example of a Performance Plan. Use the information you recorded in your Project Portfolio during the previous activities to write your own Team Performance Plan and attach it to your Project Portfolio at the end of Section1. The written plan should include:
• The team vision or a team purpose statement
• Main tasks and responsibilities of each team member
• Performance measures/ Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Start and end date for each activity

5. Facilitate team cohesion
Assume some weeks have passed and the team have implemented their Performance Plan and are working on their tasks. It has come to your attention that the team is not working cohesively and that they are not sharing information and are duplicating work.
In order to support your team in achieving their performance outcomes, you will provide coaching on team cohesion and collaboration. This will be a 10-minute session and you may use slides, visual aids or video clips in your coaching session.
If you are basing this on the case study, everyone in your group will have a turn to be the manager and present their coaching to the rest of the group. If this is your own workplace, this will be the members of your own team that you are providing coaching for.
The assessor will advise you of the date and time of your team meeting so that you can prepare in advance.
Use your Project Portfolio to outline the main points and attach your slides or links to the videos you use.

This can either be viewed in person by your assessor or you may like to video record the session for your assessor to watch later. Your assessor can provide you with more details at this step. Make sure you follow the instructions above and meet the timeframes allocated.
Complete Section 2 of your Project Portfolio and submit to your assessor.
6. Develop or modify policies and procedures

Despite your efforts to support your team through coaching, the team is still struggling to work cohesively. One of the issues the team identified is that one of the team members are not performing their tasks and is using the Internet for personal reasons during work hours. This is creating conflict within the team.
You will address this concern by developing a policy for Internet usage.
Use the Policy and Procedures Template provided for you in the Simulation Pack to create an Internet Usage Policy within the context of the business you are basing your assessment on.
Attach your Internet Usage Policy to your Project Portfolio to Section 2 of your portfolio.

7. Facilitate teamwork
Assume three months have gone by. Have a meeting and allow each team member to provide a 5-10-minute update on how their tasks are going.
Take turns to assume the role as manager and do the following:
• give feedback to team members on team effort and contributions
• encourage team members to take responsibility for team activities
• help to identifying work performance problems by addressing each of the issues, concerns and problems identified by team members
• help to resolve issues using your own problem-solving skills
Your assessor will be looking to see that you can:
• provide feedback to encourage, value and reward others
• model desired behaviour and practices
• encourage and foster shared understanding of purpose, roles and responsibilities
• Adapt personal communication style to build positive working relationships
As a team, brainstorm ways to address issues, concerns and problems identified by team members. Outline a process for addressing these concerns by deciding where and how concerns should be raised and who should be involved.
Use your Project Portfolio to record this information.

8. Communicating with line management
Develop an email to your line manager to address the main issue raised by team members, namely that the team is still struggling to collaborate and share information.
• Outline the issue
• Propose a solution
Attach this email to Section 3 of your Portfolio.
Assume that your line manager has responded to your email and would like you to communicate the following information to the team:
Line management would like the team to start using a new software application to help the team collaborate. You have approval to purchase a subscription to a collaboration tool such as Dropbox, OneDrive or any tool that suits the context, and to implement it.
Develop an email to the team to explain the decision and provide the team with details about the change including when it will be implemented.
Attach this email to Section 3 of your Portfolio.

9. Liaise with stakeholders
Schedule a meeting with the relevant stakeholders and prepare a short presentation using your choice of software or application e.g., PowerPoint, Keynote, etc. The meeting should last for at least 15 minutes each and no more than 30 minutes.
If you are using the case study, your assessor will assume the role of stakeholder. If you are basing the project on your workplace, the stakeholder will be an internal or external party that has an interest in the project.
Your presentation should contain an overview of how the project is going.
Your assessor will be looking to see that you can:
• establishing open communication processes with diverse stakeholders
• Address unresolved issues, concerns and problems raised by stakeholders
• demonstrate effective communication skills including:
o Speaking clearly and concisely
o Using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding
o Asking questions to identify required information
o Responding to questions as required
o Using active listening techniques to confirm understanding.
Ask for feedback from relevant stakeholders and take notes. Transfer this information to Section 3 of your Project Portfolio.

10. Submit your completed Project Portfolio
Make sure you have completed all sections of your Project Portfolio, answered all questions, provided enough detail as indicated and proofread for spelling and grammar as necessary.
Submit to your assessor for marking.

Project Portfolio

Section 1: Establish a team performance plan
Team Name:
What will your role in the team be and who are your team members?
State their roles in the team and provide a short description.

Provide an overview of the purpose of the team in line with organisational objectives.
What is the team seeking to accomplish?

Team manager responsibilities
What is the role of a manager or team leader?

Team tasks
What are the main tasks and activities the team needs to do?

What input was received from the stakeholder/s?

What input was received from your team member?

Team member tasks and KPI's
How did you decide which task to assign to each team member?

What are the timelines for completing each task?

Setting KPI's
Outline the key performance indicators for each task.
Supporting the members of a team to achieve expected performance outcomes

Section 2: Develop and facilitate team cohesion
Complete this section after the meeting.
Policies and procedures
How did you develop/ modify the Internet Use Policy?
Develop team cohesion
What were the communication skills you applied when giving feedback?

What are the issues, concerns, problems highlighted?

How did you help team members identify issues?

How did you apply your problem-solving skills?

How did you encouraging team members to take responsibility for team activities?

Facilitate teamwork
How did you adapt your personal communication style to build positive working relationships?

Model desired behaviour and practices
Promote collaboration
Encourage and foster shared understanding of purpose, roles and responsibilities

Complete this section after the brainstorming session.
Develop aprocess for addressing concerns.
What were your ideas?

Outline the process you developed
What brainstorming and group leadership techniques did you use?

Section 3: Liaise with stakeholders

Communicating with line management
You can use this space to plan your ideas if you like but you must include the emails as attachments
Create your email to your line manager. Include:
What were the issues?
What solutions are you proposing?

Create an email to your team. Include:
What was the decision line management informed you of?
When will this change occur?
How will it affect the team?
Attach to your portfolio.
Liaising with stakeholders
How can a manager establish open communication processes with stakeholders?

What unresolved issues, concerns and problems needs to be communicated to stakeholders?

Applying feedback
What feedback did you receive from the stakeholders?

Attachment:- Manage Team Effectiveness.rar