Effectiveness: Communication and Team Members Essay

Aims / details: The primary purpose of the report is for you to work with three other people and undertake a study of an organization – the steps for establishing team performance plans, the development and facilitation of team cohesion, the facilitation of teamwork and, liaising with stakeholders. Reviewing the effectiveness of teams within an organization is imperative so that opportunities for improvements may be identified and investigated. The study necessitates an evaluation of an organization’s policies, procedures, processes and resources – whether they are sufficient, or whether additional arrangements need to be looked into. The study may reveal a need for: more documentation, infrastructural changes and/or employee requirements. During your study of the organisation you must consider the following: how are team members consulted about their roles, responsibilities and accountabilities; how do team members develop performance plans; how are team members supported in achieving performance outcomes; what are the strategies, policies and procedures to ensure team member participation; how is feedback about team member efforts provided; what are the processes for raising and addressing concerns; how are team members encouraged to take responsibility for team activities; how does the contributions of team members serve as a role model; how are communication processes established and maintained; what are the arrangements for communicating information; what are the arrangements for communicating issues and problems; how is corrective action evaluated and taken to resolve those issues and problems. From the information that is gathered, you will also be required to make recommendations for improving the problem areas that you may have identified. It will be crucial for you to liaise and interview the appropriate key personnel for this report. These may be: employees, the chief executive officer, direct superiors, other management representatives, board members,  business or government contacts, funding bodies, union/employee groups and representatives and work teams. Elements / performance criteria: This workplace related report would assess all the topics of the module Ensure Team Effectiveness. The assessment is done holistically. Remarks: This assignment must be presented in a report form and Presented professionally – bound or presented in a file. Include an assignment cover sheet, table of contents, introduction, body, recommendation/conclusion, and in the bibliography use the Chicago style referencing (refer to Summers, J and Smith, B 2004, Communication Skills Handbook. How to succeed in written and oral communication, Wiley, Queensland, Australia, Chapter 2). As a guide, the report should be approximately 10 to 12 pages-this excludes the bibliography / any other attachments. Typed/font size 12 (Times New Roman) or 10 (Arial) Margins to be 2.5 cm all round. Line Spacing – 1  ½ BRIEF REASONS must be given to support the points raised in your report. The project (report) will be marked according to the headings / guidelines as provided in the DAS – the outline of what are to be included. Note that each report may contain different details –as each organization may have different systems, procedures, processes and programs etc. You are expected to be able to aptly apply the concepts to a real life situation. Granted that there will always be a degree of difficulty in assessing all the details of any company, a fair amount of secondary data and ‘common sense’ will be needed in working through this project. The company that you are choosing to ‘study’ must be willing to be interviewed / provide information where necessary. Actual information on the organisation and relevant information of organizations in a similar industry must also be available / able to be obtained. The following headings could be used in your report. You could also choose to have your own ‘headings’ and /or add additional headings / sub- headings as you deem appropriate. The notes following the headings provide some guidance of the kinds of information and analysis that would need to be considered. Group Report Provide an appropriate title (as it relates to the organisation under study) Suggested headings For report – EnSURE TEAM EFFECTIVENESS (name of organisation) 1. Introduction Provide an overview of what this report entails – include aspects of the purpose of your report and what the report entails. You should also briefly include a brief overview of the organisation (for example, its name, type of business etc) 2. Sources of information Outline the various sources of information that you used to gather your information. Such sources could include gathering information from primary sources (e.g. the relevant personnel in the company- personally and via questionnaires) and secondary sources (e.g. company reports, documents). Include copies of your interviews as an appendix in the report. 3. Develop Headings and Sub-headings Clearly describe what is included/considered (keeping in mind the Module Topics, required knowledge and required skills). a) Establish Team Performance Plan Explain the mechanisms that the organization has in place for consulting with team members to establish a common understanding of team purpose, roles, responsibilities and accountabilities in accordance with organizational goals, plans and objectives Briefly outline the steps and procedures that the organization has to develop performance plans to establish expected outcomes, outputs, key performance indicators and goals for work team Describe the steps/procedures that the organization has to support team members in meeting expected performance outcomes b) Develop and Facilitate Team Cohesion Briefly outline / summarize the strategies the organisation has in place to ensure team members have input into planning, decision making and operational aspects of work team Explain the steps that the organisation has in place to develop policies and procedures to ensure team members take responsibility for own work and assist others to undertake required roles and responsibilities Describe the arrangements that the organization has to provide feedback to team members to encourage, value and reward individual and team efforts and contributions Summarize the steps/procedures that the organization has to develop processes to ensure that issues, concerns and problems identified by team members are recognized and addressed Include copies of the organization’s policies, procedures and codes of practice in the appendix of the report. If these are not available, you should note these and make suitable recommendations on how these deficiencies should be addressed. c) Facilitate Teamwork Explain the steps that the organisation has in place to encourage team members and individuals to participate in and to take responsibility for team activities, including communication processes Describe the procedures  that the organization has to support the team in identifying and resolving work performance problems Briefly describe the arrangements that the organisation has to ensure own contribution to work team serves as a role model for others and enhances the organization’s image for all stakeholders d) Liaise with Stakeholders Explain the processes that the organisation has in place to establish and maintain open communication with all stakeholders Describe the steps that the organization has in place to communicate information from line manager/management to the team Outline/summarize the arrangements that the organization has in place to communicate unresolved issues, concerns and problems raised by team members and follow-up with line manager/management and other relevant stakeholders Briefly explain the provisions of the organisation to evaluate and take necessary corrective action regarding unresolved issues, concerns and problems raised by internal or external stakeholders 4. Recommendations & Conclusion Briefly summarize your findings Outline the problem areas that have been identified.  Explain whether the current procedures, processes, activities and resources in the organization are sufficient, or whether additional arrangements might need to be looked into. Indicate what those arrangements are (i.e. more documentation, infrastructural changes and/or employee requirements)