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Important notes
Teams
A team is a group of people who are working together for a specific purpose. Often each person has a different skill that they bring to the group so that they complement each other and are able to complete a wide range of tasks. The team may consist of the entire business organisation; a department or section; a group formed for a specific purpose which then disbands when the task is complete; or even a committee that meets every now and again. People are often members of a number of different teams at the same time.
Features and characteristics of successful teamwork
- All members are committed to the goals of the team
- communication between team members is effective so that each person understands what is expected of them
- Each member co-operates with everyone and assists others when they need help
- Everyone is flexible with respect to the tasks they complete – the more multiskilled a team, the more work will be completed within the designated time frames
- Everyone shares ideas and contributes to brainstorming activities, especially to solve a problem
- Everyone adopts a positive attitude
A team is most successful when everyone plans their work activities in order to meet the deadlines. In order for this to happen, each team member must
- identify the tasks they are responsible for
- identify how these tasks fit into the team’s goals
- prioritise the tasks
- complete tasks within the stated timeframes
Planning and organising work
Planning and organising a work schedule, involves classifying tasks on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. In order to do this, an employee needs to
- compile a list of all tasks to be completed
- indicate the deadline or time by which they must be completed
- calculate the length of time needed to complete each task
- list how often each task has to be completed (ie. The frequency)
- work out the priority of each task
- list all resources needed to complete the task
- list the goals to be achieved and how these fit in with the team’s goals
Features of time management
1. Prioritising
This is the process of organising work tasks into an order of priority, generally from most important (or most urgent) to least important (or least urgent). Organising a daily work schedule will assist an employee to work efficiently. It is good practice to write a list at either the beginning of the workday or at the end of the day for the following day. By doing this, tasks can be completed in a systematic way and important tasks will not be forgotten.
2. Delegation
Once goals and tasks are identified, it is important to delegate jobs or allocate responsibility according to the skills each member of the team possesses. By doing this, jobs will be completed within designated time frames.
3. Problem-solving
Brainstorming is a common process used to solve problems. By discussing issues in a group situation, more ideas can be considered and therefore the best solution adopted by the group. If the majority of people agree on this decision, then there is little conflict and time wastage will be minimised. This is a good time management strategy as time costs money.
4. Decision-making
Everyone in a team needs to be involved in making decisions as this helps them to understand the goals of the group and to plan new directions.
Factors affecting work requirements
There are many routine problems that can affect or impact on the completion of work tasks, including
- equipment failure and faults: these must be planned for and a back-up plan put into place.
- other work demands: sometimes two tasks have the same priority. Divide the tasks between the different members of the team, depending on who has the best skills to complete each task most efficiently, to enable both tasks to be completed as quickly as possible.
- physical environment: problems like power failure or breakdown of the air conditioning may affect the completion of work. Have a contingency plan in place so that work can be completed as quickly as possible or reprioritise work schedules.
- lack of resources: make one person responsible for stock control. When supplies get to a certain level, that person can place an order for more stock before it runs out.
- changes to organizational procedures: make sure the procedures manual is updated and distributed to all members of staff as quickly as possible. Staff should be retrained to raise awareness of the changes.
Reviewing work performance
It is important that work performance is monitored and adjusted according to feedback obtained through supervision and comparison with established team and organisational standards.
Feedback on performance may include the following.
- Formal or informal performance appraisals – these generally occur on a regular basis. The first appraisal usually takes place three months after an employee starts a job then every six or twelve months thereafter. These appraisals allow for a formal method of feedback which can lead to modification of work performance, further training and re-evaluation of performance.
- Obtaining feedback from supervisors and colleagues – mainly in the form of informal comments on a job well done or suggestions of how to complete a task.
- Obtaining feedback from clients – hopefully positive praise rather than negative points.
- Personal, reflective behaviour strategies – thinking about what has been done and how it can be improved next time.
- Routine organisational methods for monitoring service – these include customer complaint or satisfaction forms, and surveys that are completed at the end of a task.
The organisational standards may include
- those set by a work group
- those outlined in the organisation’s policy and procedures manual
- specified work standards, set by the industry
- those set by legislation
- legal requirements
- Australian Standards
A review of work performance can identify an opportunity for improvement, which could include
- coaching, mentoring or supervision to enable completion of tasks the employee is not yet proficient at
- a provision for internal or external training
- a program of personal study for self-improvement
- workplace skills assessment
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