Marking Guide

BSBLDR403 Lead team effectiveness

Assessment Task 1 Instructions as provided to students

Provide answers to all of the questions below:

1. Explain three key principles that need to be considered by supervisors when allocating tasks to
their team.
Response may include any three of the following:
 Tasks should be allocated according to the skills of each team member. If the tasks are not
allocated according to this principle, then the work received may not be of high quality.
 Where there is a high priority for the work, tasks ideally should be allocated without needing to
provide training or a lot of explanation.
 Allocating fairly across team members, not overloading some team members and not others.
 Tasks must be allocated to the interests of team members so that the work is done quicker and
more easily.

2. Explain the SMARTER technique of delegation.

Response should broadly cover the following:
The SMARTER technique maintains that delegated tasks must be:
Specific: Be specific about task, job or role you delegate.
Measurable: How do you know if it is done? And if done, done well, fair or poor? These need to be
clearly communicated.
Agreed: You need to obtain agreement from the group or party you are delegating to. This usually
involves asking them to confirm ‘their understanding’ of what is being delegated and the
measurement. Be prepared to listen to them, to clarify and negotiate, if necessary.
Realistic: Is this something that can be done with the available resources, within the expected time
frame and with the skills and experience of those you are entrusting with the task? Be honest with
yourself and them about these issues.
Time bound: Provide a specific time period in which to accomplish the task. You may want to
include interim milestones as well. Ask them to develop these. This will allow them to own the
process and let them share their thoughts with you.
Ethical: Are you asking them to do something that is unethical? Wow, this is a non-starter. Don’t
ever put someone in this position.
Recorded: Write down the task, time period, any interim milestones and what constitutes
completion and success.
 3. List and explain two goal setting techniques
Response may include any two of the following:
 Setting SMART goals, these are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and
Time Bound.
 Setting goals in writing – writing down goals make them real and tangible. Ideally these goals
should also be posted in visible places.
 An action plan is useful for goal setting because the goals can be included in the action plan
with clear actions that need to be taken to achieve the goal.

4. Explain the key principle of each of the following types of leadership styles
a. Autocratic
b. Democratic
c. Laissez-faire
Response should broadly cover the following:
a. Autocratic: the principle of this type of leadership style is that decisions are made without
consultation often by one person.
b. Democratic: the principle behind this type of leadership style is that team members are
included in the decision-making process.
c. Laissez-faire: the principle of this type of leadership style is all freedom for team members
to do their work and set their own deadlines without direction. In this case the manager
may provide resources and advice, but decisions are left to individual team members

5. Explain the STAR model for giving feedback and why a manager may find this model useful for
motivating staff.
Response should broadly cover the following:
The STAR model of feedback involves providing format in a specific format as outlined below.
 Situation: describe the situation, the facts of what, who, when, etc.
 Task: describe what is expected in relation to workplace behaviour, skills or tasks
 Action: describe how what happened met or fell short of expectations as described above.
 Result: describe the outcome of impact of the action.
The benefits of the STAR model are that it is a way of providing positive feedback while
encouraging staff to take initiative and complete tasks efficiently, thereby motivating them.
 6. Explain the key principles of negotiation that should be used in the workplace to ensure that
agreements are reached.
Response should broadly cover the following:
 Defining the goals: it is important that the goals of the negotiation are clear.
 Separating people from the problem: it’s important to focus on the issue rather than the person.
 Mutual understanding: It is important that both parties in the dispute understand the other
person’s perspective and can empathize with each other’s position.
 Solutions: It is important to identify more than one solution to the issues being negotiated and
prioritising the most important issues to resolve.
 Objective criteria: all negotiations should be made on objective criteria, for example, when
negotiating wages, the industry standard should be taken into account.
 Win-win agreement: finding a solution that is acceptable to both parties is the best outcome.

7. Explain three team-building techniques, using examples to illustrate your answer.

Response should cover any three of the following:
 Open communication - Regularly share as much of the information you receive from higher
up as possible. Consider a weekly newsletter, in print or electronic form, in which all major
upcoming events are listed. Use monthly or bi-monthly staff meetings to announce
upcoming changes and share bad news when necessary.
 Acknowledge and reward initiative. Select an "employee of the month" at staff meetings and
publicize the honour in your newsletter. Although a tangible reward is not necessary, a
token of appreciation, such as a coffee mug, is usually appreciated.
 Initiate a suggestion box. Place it in a public area such as the coffee room. Put a large sign
above it and invite staff to anonymously express any concerns they might have. Address
these concerns at staff meetings or in your written communication to demonstrate your
willingness to answer questions and deal with difficult topics.
 Allow your staff to share the decision-making in your organization. Begin by giving them
several viable options and have them select the one they like best. Demonstrate your
confidence by gradually increasing opportunities for them to make the decisions.
 Demonstrate honesty, trust and integrity with all staff members at all times. Never share
personal information that was given to you confidentially.
 Don't make promises you can't keep. If changing circumstances make it impossible to
follow through, immediately share the reasons for your lack of action. Apologise when you
have made a mistake. Never attempt a cover-up.
 Create a mentoring program for new staff. Select senior staff as mentors to clarify their
roles and responsibilities in order to integrate the newbies into your collaborative
environment. Foster leadership among your staff. Consider having employees chair staff
meetings on a rotating basis. Invite staff to set staff meeting agendas together with
administrators.
 8. Explain why it is important for a manager to take into account individual differences and
behaviour at work.
Response should broadly cover the following:
Gaining multiple perspectives on plans, strategies, and issues
Each workforce contains multiple ways of looking at things, and those perspectives come largely
from the personalities of the individuals. Understanding these personalities gives managers the
option of seeking those with particular skills in specific areas and eliciting input that can be used as
data for making management decisions.

Maximization of employee creativity

When staff members know that they are understood by their supervisors a feedback loop is formed
in which both sides develop innate abilities to anticipate needs and problem solve. Such an
atmosphere fosters creativity.

Recognition and inclusion of all staff

 Each person feels like an important member of the work team
 Each member needs to feel empowered
 Members perform better when they realize they are integral to the whole of the organization

Fostering appropriate management - employee relationships

When managers are familiar with employee personalities, they acquire an understanding of the
best approaches to use for each staff member when problems arise. Some are best approached
directly and concisely, while others may respond better to a more tactful style.
Knowing how to engage members can facilitate healthy exchanges that centre around resolution of
the job performance issue(s), as opposed to (the perception of) management’s approach. This
knowledge can keep employee relations professional, rather than contentious

9. Explain key steps that should be followed to identify and resolve workplace problems.
Response should broadly cover the following:
 Identify the issues. Be clear about what the problem is and remember that remember that
different people might have different views of what the issues are.
 Understand everyone's interests. The best solution is the one that satisfies everyone's
interests.
 List the possible solutions (options)
 Evaluate the options
 Select an option or options.
 Document the agreement(s).
 Agree on contingencies, monitoring, and evaluation.
 10. Explain two characteristics of a work team that may contribute to the team becoming
innovative.
Response should cover at least two of the following:
 The team may have clear objectives that are easily understood
 Clear and open communications that are easily understood
 Supportive team leader who encourages input and respects team member’s contributions
 A diversity of team members so that each person may have different perspectives on how to
address innovation

11. Explain two techniques that can be used to plan work

Response should broadly cover the following:
 Keep a ‘to do’ list of everything that needs to be done.
 Set priorities: ranking tasks in terms of how urgent and/or important they are.
 Use a project planner, such as a Gantt chart.
 Minimise distractions.

12. Explain four techniques that manager can use to assist in promoting workplace productivity
Response should include at least two of the following:
 Open communication - Regularly share as much of the information you receive from higher up
as possible. Consider a weekly newsletter, in print or electronic form, in which all major
upcoming events are listed. Use monthly or bi-monthly staff meetings to announce upcoming
changes and share bad news when necessary.
 Acknowledge and reward initiative. Select an "employee of the month" at staff meetings and
publicize the honour in your newsletter. Although a tangible reward is not necessary, a token of
appreciation, such as a coffee mug, is usually appreciated.
 Initiate a suggestion box. Place it in a public area such as the coffee room. Put a large sign
above it and invite staff to anonymously express any concerns they might have. Address these
concerns at staff meetings or in your written communication to demonstrate your willingness to
answer questions and deal with difficult topics.
 Allow your staff to share the decision-making in your organization. Begin by giving them
several viable options and have them select the one they like best. Demonstrate your
confidence by gradually increasing opportunities for them to make the decisions.
 Demonstrate honesty, trust and integrity with all staff members at all times. Never share
personal information that was given to you confidentially. Don't make promises you can't keep.
If changing circumstances make it impossible to follow through, immediately share the reasons
for your lack of action. Apologise when you have made a mistake. Never attempt a cover-up.
 Create a mentoring program for new staff. Select senior staff as mentors to clarify their roles
and responsibilities in order to integrate the newbies into your collaborative environment.
Foster leadership among your staff. Consider having employees chair staff meetings on a
rotating basis. Invite staff to set staff meeting agendas together with administrators.
Assessment Task 2: Team planning meeting

Task summary
As the Operations Team Leader for Football South Coast (FSC), the student is required to conduct a team
meeting. At the meeting, the team will brainstorm and develop ideas designed encourage greater public
participation in the association.

This assessment is to be completed in the simulated work environment in the RTO.

Required
Access to textbooks/other learning materials
Computer with Microsoft Office and internet access
 Team Work Plan Template
 Space for a meeting
 Roleplay participants

Timing
Advise the student of the due date of these submissions.

Submit
 Email asking for details of the meeting.
 Email with details of the meeting.

Assessment criteria
Students must complete all of the activities listed and will be assessed against the assessment criteria
included in the checklist included with this task.

Re-submission opportunities
If a student submits work that is not satisfactory, the assessor will provide written feedback explaining why,
as well as timelines for resubmission.
Assessment Task 2 Instructions as provided to students

Carefully read the following:

Football South Coast (FSC) is a sporting association based in a small town on the NSW South Coast. It is
responsible for the administration and development of soccer for the NSW South Coast region, co-
ordinating the 12 local men’s soccer clubs and 16 children’s soccer clubs. The association employs a
General Manager, Operations Team Leader, Marketing and Communications Officer, Physical
Performance Coordinator, Administration Manager, Grounds Person, and a Receptionist.

FSC’s Vision is for soccer to be the number one sport played throughout South East NSW.

FSEC’s Mission is to grow football by supporting members and the football community through, strong
leadership, sound communication and the provision of a clear strategic direction that secures the sport’s
long-term prosperity.

Values listed in its Strategic Plan include:

 Operating with trust and Integrity with each other, as well as with members and the community.
 Customer focus through appreciation of interests and passion of our members and the broader
football community.
 Camaraderie through recognising the superior strength and efficiencies of good team work
 Innovation through best practice and change
 Openness and transparency in communicating with our members, customers and the broader
community.

The organisation has adopted three key strategic goals is to improve participation in community football,
specifically to:
 increase the total number of players by 4% in 2019.
 increase the participation of girls aged between 5 and 18 by 2% in 2019.
 Establish at least two women’s teams in the region

FSC’s General Manager has asked you, as Operations Team Leader, to develop a team work plan that will
include a range of tasks and activities that the association’s staff can carry out over the next twelve months
to achieve the key strategic goals.

In order to develop a plan that will be enthusiastically adopted by the team, you are to conduct a meeting
with the FSC’s staff to inform them of the association’s new key gaols, and to workshop innovative ideas
they may have that could help the association achieve them. With the participation of the staff, you are to
translate their ideas into actions that they will then carry out.

Complete the following activities:

 1. Prepare for a meeting with the team
The meeting will provide an opportunity for all the association’s employees to contribute to the
next stage of the association’s development. You will be collecting ideas about how the team
can fulfil the association’s objectives.

You are expected to encourage all team members to be innovative and constructive in their
participation. Keep in mind that this unit’s focus is on teams working in an effective way, and
you are being assessed on your ability to encourage and support your colleagues to do this.

Review the case study information and write some notes on your plans for the meeting.

You will know the other meeting participants, so structure the meeting in a way that is
appropriate for these people. Use appropriate language and social references, too.

Write a statement of what the team’s purpose and long-term objectives are, to take to the
meeting with you. This will be just your starting point, though, as these will have to be
discussed and accepted by all the meeting’s participants.

As well as leading the meeting, you will be taking notes, and writing up a report afterwards.
Review the Team Work Plan Template to order the information you receive at the meeting.
How do you want to document the meeting’s proceedings? With a white board, computer and
projector, or butcher’s paper?

2. Write an email to your General Manager (your assessor).

The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate
(polite, business-like) style.
It should summarise the preparations you have made in activity 1 and set out what you hope to
achieve at the meeting.

The text of the email should ask for the date, time, and place of the meeting.
Assessor: if the content of the email shows that the student has understood the aims of the meeting,
respond with an email that gives them the date, time, and place of the meeting.
If the email does not satisfy the above requirements, return it to the student with comments and
request that it be resubmitted. Proceed with the meeting only when the student is clearly prepared
for it.

3. Write an email to your team members (your assessor).

The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate
(polite, collegial) style.
The email’s text should list the FSC’s three key strategic goals and invite the recipient to a
meeting to discuss how the team can achieve these.

It should summarise the goals of the meeting and its importance and encourage the team
members to start thinking of activities appropriate for meeting the team’s goals, and to bring
these to the meeting.
The email should include the relevant information from the case study, and the appeal that they start
thinking of ideas to bring to the meeting.
Include the date, time, and place of the meeting in the email.
Version 1.0
 4. Prepare the room for the meeting.
Check that there is enough seating for all meeting participants. Every participant should be able
to see the whiteboard, and the seating should be arranged to encourage a group discussion.
Ensure that all of the physical elements are functioning correctly before the meeting begins.
Assessor: ensure that the necessary elements are available for the student to carry out the meeting. The
student should organise these to their satisfaction before the meeting begins.
Besides yourself roleplaying the association’s General Manager, at least two other students should
attend, roleplaying other managers. These students should conduct their own meetings shortly
afterwards to minimise any advantage a student may have by not presenting first.
Each of the students in attendance should be prepared to take on a specific role, chosen from the
staff members named in the case study.

5. Conduct the meeting.

Begin the meeting by welcoming the participants and giving an introduction that frames the
context in which the meeting is being held. Be sure to acknowledge that the inspiration for the
meeting came from the association’s general manager.

Your next step is to establish, and document, the team’s purpose and long-term objectives.
This should be done in full consultation with the team members. All team members should
know why they are participating in the meeting, and the process of getting all participants to
agree to the wording of the team’s purpose, and long-term objectives will encourage team
cohesion and establish team goals.

You are being asked here to roleplay a Team Leader, leading colleagues in thinking up new
ways of doing things, but you are also a student, asking your student colleagues for new ideas
and how they can be translated into actions. Your team members will have played and loved
sport as a child and might continue to do so now. Bring this out at the meeting, getting them to
look at their own motivations as a child, and their current social and physical motivation, and
look at how these could be used to motivate others.

Also, be aware that the other students at the meeting will be conducting a meeting on the same
topic within a short time of you conducting yours. So, try to establish your own meeting
leadership style. It should be uniquely yours, and effective. Be conscious that you will be
modelling effective meeting leadership throughout the meeting. You should consciously behave
as a role model for your colleagues, behaving in a way that encourages team excellence.

Even though you may think that you know what FSC should do, being a leader in this meeting
means that you are responsible for to engaging and motivating the other meeting participants,
leading them in collaboration. Not leading them by telling them what to do.

When you have conducted the preliminaries, open the meeting up to ideas that the participants
have brought with them.

Discuss (and record) the ideas the participants give, asking the others for input, looking at it
practically, working out what preparation would be necessary, material, personnel, whatever is
relevant to carrying the idea to realisation. Try to find productivity measures for each task that
can be used to check whether it has been performed.
Assessor: the student is responsible for conducting this meeting and ensuring that the participants get
involved. If no ideas are brought to the meeting, or the meeting attendees’ ideas dry up, you may contribute
some of the ideas that you will find in Team Work Plan Assessor.
While encouraging the team members to find and develop ideas, you are expected to display
the following leadership skills:
 Lead and support the team members not just to discuss their ideas, but establish the
planning, decision making and operational aspects of the activities that are selected.
 Encourage team members to own their innovative ideas and incorporate them into specific
activities that will achieve the association’s goals.
 Establish who will be responsible for carrying out the planning, decision making and
operational aspects of the activities that are the meeting’s outcomes.
 Encourage and support team members to take responsibility for their own work and to
assist each other carry out their established roles and responsibilities
 Use formal analytical thinking techniques to identify issues and generate possible
solutions, using input from the meeting’s participants as required
 Ask questions and listening to responses to clarify understanding
 Active listening skills
 Use non-verbal communication skills that encourage discussion and feedback, for
example, nodding, smiling, eye contact.

If issues, concerns or problems arise during the meeting, it is important that you:
 Identify the issues and generate possible solutions
 Recognise and address these, referring them to the general manager, or whoever is
responsible for the issue, and ensure that follow-up action is taken
 Give the team support to identify and resolve problems which may impede its performance
 Provide feedback to team members that encourages and rewards individual and team
efforts and contributions.
 Remember that your assessor is attending the meeting as the FSC General Manager, so
turn to them as your direct line manager if any issues, or questions that you can’t answer,
arise.

As you come to the meeting’s conclusion:

 Summarise the ideas and activities to have come out of the meeting.
 The summary should verify the team’s, and each team member’s, specific goals and
anticipated outcomes.
 Tell the participants that you will lead and support them in meeting the outcomes.

Finish the meeting by thanking the participants and telling them that you will collate the ideas
that they have shared and the activities that they have selected to undertake into a team work
plan. with each person’s roles and responsibilities clearly set out. Tell the participants when
they can expect to have the plan. Give yourself a realistic but challenging time frame for this.
Assessor: you may give each student a timeframe for completion of the team work plan or let each choose
their own.
Assessment Task 3: Team work plan project

Task summary
In this assessment task the student will develop a team work plan from the notes they took in the previous
activity.

This assessment is to be completed in the simulated work environment in the RTO.

Required
 Access to textbooks/other learning materials
 Computer with Microsoft Office and internet access
 Team Work Plan Template

Timing
Advise the student of the due date of these submissions.

Submit
 Email to General Manager with draft team work plan attached
 Email to a team member with final team work plan attached
 Email to General Manager with final team work plan attached

Assessment criteria
Students must complete all of the activities listed and will be assessed against the assessment criteria
included in the checklist included with this task.

Re-submission opportunities
If a student submits work that is not satisfactory, the assessor will provide written feedback explaining why,
as well as timelines for resubmission.
Assessment Task 3 Instructions as provided to students

Complete the following activities:

1. Develop a team work plan

Collate the notes that you took during the meeting, adding any points that you may have
missed during the meeting. Where you find that some information is missing, use analytical
thinking techniques to generate possible solutions, not forgetting that you can seek input from
others as required

Use the Team Work Plan Template to list and describe activities that were brought up during
the meeting, following each idea through its goals, timeframe, and who is responsible for
individual tasks.

Ensure that a team member is clearly responsible for each task, and that specific productivity
measures are allocated as outcomes for each idea. Each team member’s responsibilities
should be collated so each has a clear understanding of what is expected of them and when.

Save this document as Draft Team Work Plan.

Assessor: see Work Plan Assessor for guidance with marking.
The contents of each student’s Team Work Plan should reflect what was discussed at the meeting
that they led.

2. Send an email to the General Manager (your assessor).

The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate
(polite, business-like) style.
It should summarise the project from the outset, including what was discussed at the meeting,
until the present time.
Describe the attached team work plan, including how it was generated and how it will be
monitored.

The email text should also ask if the General Manager wants any changes made to it before it
is sent out to the team members.

Make it clear that you can communicate any unresolved issues, concerns or problems related
to the team or team members in the email that you will send to them.

The email’s text should also ask for the General Manager’s authorisation to send the work plan
to the rest of the team.

Attach your draft team work plan to the email.

Assessor: carefully read the text of the student’s email and their team work plan.
Give any feedback that is relevant to the meeting that they led, or any issues that you may have
experienced with the team members at the meeting.
Suggest at least two changes that should be made to their work plan.
 3. Revise your team work plan.
Update your work plan to reflect the feedback given to you by the General Manager.

Save this document as Final Team Work Plan.

Assessor: the student’s final version of the work plan should include the changes that you requested of
them in your last email.

4. Send an email to your team members (your assessor).

Choose one of the team members present at the meeting and send an email to them.

The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate
(polite, collegial) style.
It should summarise the project from the outset, including what was discussed at the meeting,
until the present time.

Describe the attached team work plan in the text of the email, describing how it was generated
and how it will be monitored.

Ask the team members to contact you if they have any feedback for you on their roles and
responsibilities.
Reconfirm that you are committed to leading and supporting the team member in achieving the
goals associated with the activities that they are responsible for.
This will include following up on whether they have fulfilled the productivity measures
associated with each task within the agreed timeframe.

Attach your final team work plan to the email.

5. Send an email to the General Manager (your assessor).

The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate
(business-like) style.
It should give a short summary of the project up until the present time.

Include a timeline of the follow up contact you will make with the team members, and when you
will be reporting these back to the General Manager.

Discuss how you will lead and support your fellow team members in meeting expected
outcomes.

Attach your final team work plan to the email.