LEAD AND MANAGE TEAM EFFECTIVENESS ASSESSMENT TASKS

ASSESSMENT TASK 1 - PROJECT

Before you commence this section of the assessment you are to complete the checklist. This is similar to the one being used by your assessor during this assessment. This checklist should be reviewed by you to evaluate your readiness for assessment, and to confirm your understanding of the criteria by which this assessment task will be judged.

Once you feel you have the required skills and knowledge to demonstrate each of the following assessment criteria, you are ready to be assessed. Please speak with your assessor if you feel you are not ready to be assessed before the assessment has commenced.

You may refer to this checklist at any stage PRIOR to the commencement of your assessment. You may not refer to this checklist whilst you are being assessed.

Assessment instructions

For this assessment, you are to assume you will be opening a small customer service based business (such Australian Hardware). In doing so, you are to develop detailed policy and procedures to ensure team cohesion within your organisation.

The size and scope of your business is not the focus in this task. Your assessor will be looking for your policies / procedures to encourage a cohesive and inclusive working environment for all team members.

This project needs to be professionally presented to your assessor, and should be ready for implementation within your business. You have scope as to the size of your business, but as a minimum, you need to include provisions for 10 staff members.

It is also suggested that you keep in contact with your assessor with this unit, and hand in your drafts as you go, to ensure you are heading in the right direction.

ASSESSMENT TASK 2 - CASE STUDY

Assessment instructions

SCENARIO / CASE STUDY (detailed answers required):

Read the following case studies and choose which type of management style is used by each of the following people. Provide detailed suggestions to improve each person's effectiveness as a manager?

Provide your responses in report format

1. John believes that as a manager, he leads by example. He is by far the best sales person in his store and believes that is why he was promoted to branch manager. He is always busy serving clients and has little time available to listen to staff concerns as any spare time is taken up with managerial administration tasks

2. Michelle loves all her staff members in Australian Hardware. She does not see herself as "the boss" but rather as one of the team. Any decisions that need to be made are made collectively by the team. Whilst she has always gotten along with everyone well socially, she has recently experienced some hostile reactions from a couple of the staff in the work environment.

3. Maria is the supervisor of Australian Hardware retail. She is proud of the fact that she "runs a tight ship" as everyone obeys her instructions and works through lunch or after work if necessary to complete their tasks for no extra pay. Her team of five have a great reputation in the industry. She always reminds staff at weekly meetings that if anyone ever has any problems, they are welcome to knock on the door of her office and she will assist them. Recently, there have been a few staff absences (sickles) and Maria has heard through the grapevine that two of her staff have been applying for other jobs.

ASSESSMENT TASK 3 - CASE STUDY

Assessment instructions

SCENARIO / CASE STUDY (detailed answers required):

Sean was about to be promoted to a new position as "Department Manager" within Australian Hardware. He often worked back late for no extra pay to complete special projects and put together new ideas. He was the most skilled and innovative employee in the department. He also knew that his company was concerned with increasing profits and it's employee's attitudes towards the company. He was excited that he would now have the power to make changes at work to increase productivity.

At home that night, Sean prepared to write a memo to his employees wanting to share his aspirations for his department.

Please answer the following questions in detail and in repot format:

1. What should Sean say in his memo?

2. What results is he likely to achieve by writing this memo?

3. List Sean's strengths and weaknesses in his new supervisory role.

4. Do you believe Sean will be successful in improving the staff's attitude towards the company? Why?

5. Do you believe Sean will have a lot of power as a supervisor? Why?

ASSESSMENT TASK 4 - OBSERVATION

Before you commence this section of the assessment you are to complete the checklist. This is similar to the one being used by your assessor during this assessment. This checklist should be reviewed by you to evaluate your readiness for assessment, and to confirm your understanding of the criteria by which this assessment task will be judged.

Once you feel you have the required skills and knowledge to demonstrate each of the following assessment criteria, you are ready to be assessed. Please speak with your assessor if you feel you are not ready to be assessed before the assessment has commenced.

You may refer to this checklist at any stage PRIOR to the commencement of your assessment. You may not refer to this checklist whilst you are being assessed.

Assessment instructions

You will be observed leading and managing a team (minimum 3 people) allocated by the assessor in a task relative to your skills. This will require you to:

• Develop a team performance plan (appendix 1)
• Encourage and motivate your team
• Support your team
• Communicate your plans and objectives clearly
• Demonstrate high level communication skills at all times
• Include your team members
• Mentor / assist your team members as required

ASSESSMENT TASK 5- WRITTEN QUESTIONS

1. Define/Describe the following:

A Manager:       

A Leader:            

Delegation:        

Motivation:       

5. What is delegation? Please explain the principles of delegation.

6. Choose a leader of your choice, and write ten points as to why you would take this leader as your role model.

7. Answer the questions below relating to this case study:

Sparks would fly every time there was a meeting of executive housekeepers from the different hotels, particularly between Frieda and Consuela. Frieda was a legend. She had been with the company for 12 years and had worked her way up the housekeeping hierarchy to become a domineering, no-nonsense manager. She told the others that her style was not negotiable. She was working with a group of low-level, low-skilled employees from a wide range of cultural backgrounds who had no career aspirations. She accepted that staff turnover would always be high in the housekeeping department and insisted that this should be taken into account when dealing with staff. She said that she needed to be tough and task orientated - she and her staff were there to get the job done and not to socialise. They all had families to go home to. Consuela, on the other hand, was an ex-school teacher and a people-focused person. She and Frieda had major discussions about 'team building' and providing support for staff self- development. Frieda always told Consuela she was wasting her time. Housekeeping was too busy, with too much pressure, to suit anything but an autocratic (authoritarian) style.

8. List 15 different actions you would take to assist in the resolution of conflict

9. What is meant by vertical and horizontal conflicts?

10. What is meant by constructive and destructive conflicts?

11. Describe the characteristics of the following stages of group development

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

Adjourning

Attachment:- Assignment File.rar