Assessment 1 – Case Study
Project Overview and context
You receive an email from Mary Johns, Managing Director of Business Operations.
Subject: Improving team effectiveness Hello,
As we move into the new financial year, we have many challenges to address in order to meet our business goal of 15% growth. One strategy I would like to implement is to improve team effectiveness at the outlet level.
Our current approach is to leave the management of outlet teams to the outlet managers. This will still be the case, but I would like all outlet managers to go through a process of documenting the approaches, methods, strategies and plans that they will use in leading and managing their teams.
This process of documentation will allow the outlet managers to formalise their approach to team leadership and use this documentation as a framework to evaluate their team leadership performance. It will also allow the organisation, as a whole, to learn what is and isn’t working and to improve our leadership skills.
Please refer to the tasks you are required to do. These tasks relate to how you, as the outlet manager, will lead and manage the effectiveness of your team through the implementation of our current operational plan.
I look forward to discussing this during our meeting (roleplay) where you will go over your report with me and your team members.
Regards,
Mary Johns
Managing Director: Business Operations
Tasks
Prepare a briefing document that outlines your understanding of (a) the team purpose, (b) roles, (c) responsibilities and (d) accountabilities in accordance with organisational goals, plans and objectives.
This document should be appropriate to distribute to team members as a consultation process to establish a common understanding.
Using the Performance and Development Plan template, prepare a six-month performance plan to establish (a) the expected outcomes, (b) outputs, (c) key performance indicators (KPIs) and (d) goals for the retail team. You may need to conduct additional research to determine realistic KPIs.
Outline the strategies you will use to support team members to meet their KPIs over the next six months.
These strategies should address any formal and informal learning requirements and may be in the form of an action plan.
Outline the strategy you will use to ensure team members have an input into the planning, decision- making and operational aspects of their work.
Outline the strategies you will use to encourage team members to participate in and to take responsibility for team activities, including communication processes, and to raise any issues or concerns.
XYZ currently has no policies or procedures around allowing and encouraging employees to take responsibility for their own work and to assist others to perform their roles and responsibilities within the team.
Prepare a draft policy and set of procedures that would achieve this. It may be relevant to utilise information that has already been documented in completing tasks 1–5 above.
For the policy and procedure created above, develop an implementation and monitoring plan to ensure that team members take responsibility of own work and assist others to perform their roles and responsibilities within the team.
XYZ currently has a formal feedback process that is documented in the performance improvement and development plan template. Senior managers feel this process alone is not appropriate as a mechanism to provide feedback to staff. Outline the leadership techniques and strategies you would use to provide feedback to encourage, value and reward the individual contribution of your team members.
XYZ expects its retail outlet managers to lead by example. Outline three ways you will ensure you serve as a role model for your team to enhance the XYZ company image among the stakeholders.
Develop a communication plan to share the progress of your team over the next six months with each of the stakeholder groups outlined in the current XYZ operational plan. Your plan should include who you will communicate with, what information they will receive, the method of the communication and the frequency of the communication.
Outline how you will facilitate a two-way flow of information on team performance issues between your team and senior management.
One of your team members is concerned that they will not be able to achieve the KPIs you have set and that they will probably get sacked. Explain what you will do to address and resolve their concerns, including referring to and following up with senior management and other relevant stakeholders.
Note: 12 Arial
Harvard Referencing
Appendix attached needs to be used from one of the task.
No specific word count from each task as long
Organisational Chart
Board Of Directors
Managing Director Business Operation: Mary Johns
Chief Executive Officer: Mike Smith
Managing Director Business Operations : Mary Johns
Business Operations Manager: Brad Nicol
Telecom / IT Manager Gina Pett
Project Manager
Project team
Telecentre Coordinators
Appendix 3: Performance improvement and development plan template
Performance relates to an employee’s ability to undertake and satisfactorily complete the duties of their position description and their compliance with the XYZ Company code of conduct.
Participants
| Employee name | Position | ||
| Manager/Supervisor name | Position | ||
| Senior manager name | Position | ||
| Work area |
Review period
| Performance improvement period: | From _____/____/_____ to _____/____/_____ |
| Performance will be reviewed: | [fortnightly/weekly] commencing _____/____/_____ |
| Review will be documented in a performance improvement review report completed by the supervisor/manager | |
| Final review will be conducted on: | _____/____/_____ |
Note: The employee must note that, where performance expectations are not being met without satisfactory reason, XYZ Company may commence disciplinary processes, which may include termination.
Responsibilities
Employee responsibilities:
Meet the performance expectations outlined in this document.
Report immediately to the manager/supervisor any circumstances that may impact the employee’s ability to meet the expectations.
Manager/supervisor responsibilities:
Conduct [fortnightly/ weekly] review meetings for duration of the plan.
Document progress in a performance review report.
Provide honest, constructive, timely feedback and reasonable support on an ongoing basis.
Identify and provide any additional and reasonable resources, training and assistance the employee requires to achieve a satisfactory performance.
Senior manager responsibilities
Ensure the process identified in this document is adhered to in accordance with the principles of natural justice, namely:
o thedecisionmakerisfreefrombias,objectiveandhasnopersonalinterestinthematterbeing decided
o the employee is advised of the allegations and has the opportunity to present their case before a decision is made.
Address any issues that arise from this process.
Performance issue/s being addressed
This section should note the current performance issues that are to be addressed within the performance improvement plan.
Performance expectations and assessment
This section should clearly outline the performance expectations that need to be achieved (the position description and XYZ company code of conduct should be used as a minimum performance standard). The strategies, actions or tasks to achieve the performance expectations should be realistic, clear and measurable. The agreed performance indicators, outcomes and/or time frames should be achievable and monitored during each review meeting.
|
Performance expectations (What needs to be achieved) |
Agreed KPIs/Required outcomes (How are the required outcomes going to be measured) | Time frames (What is the specific time duration) | Strategies/Actions/Tasks (How is this outcome going to be achieved, including training, coaching to be provided) |
Signatures:
| Employee | |||
| Signature | Date | _____/____/_____ | |
| Manager/Supervisor | |||
| Signature | Date | _____/____/_____ |
Performance improvement review report
Review
Review outcome
Note: Include whether the performance expectations were met or were below the required expectation. If the performance expectations were below the requirement, then an explanation should be included in the review comments.
| The performance improvement plan commenced on: | _____/____/_____ |
| Performance expectations (What needs to be achieved) |
Agreed KPIs/Required
outcomes (How are the outcomes measured) | Time frame (what is the specific duration) time | Review comments (Meets expectations/Below expectations) |
| Employee comments |
| Review met expectations | Meets expectations – Include in the employee’s performance appraisal and development plan the agreed actions in the instance that there is a reoccurrence of performance that is below expectation. |
| Review did not meet expectations | Below expectations – Disciplinary action may be necessary. Consult HR. |
Signatures
| Employee | |||
| Signature | Date | _____/____/_____ | |
| Manager/Supervisor | |||
| Signature | Date | _____/____/_____ | |
| Senior manager | |||
| Signature | Date | _____/____/_____ |