Participant Learning Guide

Participant Learning Guide

BSBMGT401

Show leadership in the

workplace

BSBMGT401

Show leadership in the

workplace

©IPS Institute 2018 Page 2 of 73 BSBMGT401 - PLG.docx Version 1.0 21/06/18

Contents

Introduction .............................................................................................. 4

1. Model high standards of management performance and behaviour ........... 5

1.1 Ensure management performance and behaviour meets the

organisation's requirements ...................................................................... 5

1.1.1 Leader vs. Manager ................................................................... 6

1.1.2 Organisational requirements ....................................................... 8

1.1.3 Measuring success in business .................................................... 9

1.2 Ensure management performance and behaviour serves as a positive

role model for others ............................................................................. 15

1.2.1 Modelling behaviours ............................................................... 15

1.3 Develop and implement performance plans in accordance with

organisation's goals and objectives .......................................................... 20

1.3.1 Setting goals and developing plans ............................................ 20

1.4 Establish and use key performance indicators to meet organisation's

goals and objectives .............................................................................. 24

2. Enhance organisation’s image ........................................................... 26

2.1 Use organisation's standards and values in conducting business ......... 26

2.2 Question, through established communication channels, standards and

values considered to be damaging to the organisation ............................... 29

2.3 Ensure personal performance contributes to developing an organisation

which has integrity and credibility ........................................................... 33

3. Make informed decisions ................................................................... 37

3.1 Gather and organise information relevant to the issue ....................... 37

3.1.1 Gathering information .............................................................. 37

3.1.2 Information organisation .......................................................... 38

3.1.3 Decision making process .......................................................... 38

3.2 Facilitate individuals and teams active participation in decision making

processes ............................................................................................. 40

3.2.1 Use group behaviour theory ...................................................... 41

3.3 Examine options and assess associated risks to determine preferred

course/s of action .................................................................................. 43

3.3.1 Risk management.................................................................... 44


3.4 Ensure decisions are timely and communicate them clearly to individuals

and teams ............................................................................................ 52

3.4.1 Communication plan ................................................................ 52

3.5 Prepare plans to implement decisions and ensure they are agreed by

relevant individuals and teams ................................................................ 55

3.5.1 Implementation plans .............................................................. 56

3.5.2 Implementation process ........................................................... 57

3.6 Use feedback processes effectively to monitor the implementation and

impact of decisions ................................................................................ 58

Conclusion .............................................................................................. 61

References .............................................................................................. 62

Appendix: Leadership styles and concepts ................................................... 64

Appendix: Legislation in Australian Business ................................................ 66

Appendix: Interpersonal skills .................................................................... 70


Introduction

Why is leadership crucial to the success of an organisation and in, fact the

country? What are the challenges Australia faces beyond 2015?

Intergenerational reports that are compiled every five years detail demographic

and economic changes in Australia. The 2015 Intergeneration report highlights

some of the challenges Australia will face in the next 40 years, these include:

ageing population- the number of Australians aged 65 and over is

projected to more than double by 2055

workforce participation- the ageing population means the workforce

participation rate will fall, Australia needs to ensure it has sufficient

workforce to fill the jobs of the future

productivity- our productivity growth has slowed with an average of 1.5

percent growth observed through the 2000s

economic projections- growth projections over the next 40 years will see

the annual income of the average Australian rise, to achieve this growth

Australia needs to build jobs and opportunities

living within our means- currently the Australian government is spending

over $100 million per day more than it collects and is borrowing to meet

the shortfall.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required for a leader to work with

teams and individuals; their standard of conduct and the initiative they must

take to influence others.


1. Model high standards of management

performance and behaviour

How can you ensure performance and behaviour meets organisational

requirements? This is a two-step process.

1.1 Ensure management performance and

behaviour meets the organisation's

requirements

Successful leaders and managers behave in a certain way to be sure of success.

Being able to demonstrate these standards creates a culture in the organisation

of success, commitment and satisfaction for staff of all levels.

Skills Description

Provide direction

and guidance to the

organisation on the

basis of clear vision

Communicate vision clearly.

Implement change effectively.

Take responsibility.

Shows integrity, honesty and fairness in the workplace.

Provide facilitation

for meetings and

group discussions

Provide coaching and motivation to people.

Encourage and develop co-workers.

Encourage creatively thinking in the team.

Use effective methods of communication to obtain result.

Effective

networking

Know ways to find resources.

Work with other organisations – confidentially and excellence in

communication.

Use good negotiation skills on behalf of clients.

Lead through commitment and relationship.

Risk management/

conflict resolution

Resolves conflict.

Manage risk by assessing the situation.

Managing and

improving individual

Facilitate team building and manage work processes.

Supervise work to address areas for improvements.

What does your organisation require of you?

•What are the expected standards and values in the organisaiton?

•How do individual or team members know this?

How can you, as a leader, ensure your behaviour and performance meets expected standards?

•Positive role model behaviours.

•Clear communication.

•Managing performance.

•Providing and receiving feedback.


and team

performance

Support and manage innovation and other projects.

Focus on new ideas and continuous improvement.

Influence others to be proactive rather than reactive.

Consult staff and identify training to develop potential.

Maintain face to face contact with staff and respond to feedback

Understanding and

articulation with

service context

Understand how to operate within dynamic micro and macro-

environment e.g. political, legal, processes, procedures.

Provide support and promote organisation.

Establish trust and

respect for all

groups

Inspire others and earn respect for loyalty.

Accessible and visible.

Set high moral standards to build trust.

Effectively communicate with others in management

Develop leadership

qualities in others

Know when to and who to delegate work and decisions.

Know how to make appropriate use of skills and resources.

Adapted from (Freelance-market, n.d.), (Capolino, n.d.).

1.1.1 Leader vs. Manager

‘Management is the process of coordinating work activities so that they are

completed efficiently and effectively with and through other people’

(Robbins and Coulter, 2002).

Difference between a leader and a manager

There is often much debate around this topic, is there a difference between a

manager and a leader? Objectively these two concepts go hand in hand, though

a leader may not be a manager and a manager may not be a leader.

What is a leader? This has been described in many different ways, see this

article for example for the many ways business owners have explained their

concept of leadership. Leadership-definition

In essence a leader knows how to motivate, inspire and encourage their teams.

They understand what each individual needs and genuinely wants to see the

best outcomes for each and for the whole team. Leaders are able to influence

their teams but do not abuse this privilege. They know that all members of staff

have skills and unique abilities to perform and prepare them to do their best.

The definition of a manager is

A manager is responsible for planning and directing the work of a group of

individuals, monitoring their work, and taking corrective action when necessary.

Given these two definitions let’s look at the difference between a leader and a

manager by looking at personality traits and qualities of a leader versus a

manager and possible differences between leaders and managers.

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/3647-leadership-definition.html


Personality traits and qualities

Leadership personality traits Management personality traits

Big picture – broad outlook and vision,

strategy, execution.

Focussed on the details - goals, projects,

tasks. Practical outlook.

Strategic. Tactical.

Someone who asks questions to find

the right answers.

More motivated by getting the job done.

Effectiveness. Efficiency.

Lateral thinking – wider. Linear thinking – straight line.

Progress. Process and results.

People are the reason we succeed. People are way we succeed.

People more important than task. Task more important than people.

Intuitive able to rely on self. Sensing may look for external help.

Production capability – how much can

we make?

Productivity and production levels as linked to

goals, projects and tasks.

There are often core differences between leaders and managers in terms of the

way they operate.

Leaders Managers

Has followers in their staff. Has employees.

Creates change. Reacts to change.

Implement ideas. Has good ideas.

Persuade people by the way they

communicate.

Communicate to people.

Create teams. Directs teams.

Makes everyone a hero. May act as the hero.

Takes responsibility. May take credit.

Creates a shared focus. Has the focus on them.

Develops power with people. Exercises power over people.

Leaders and managers need to be able to look at their behaviour in line with the

expectations of the organisation. They need to be able to do the following:

Give and receive feedback and act on any need for improvement.

Conduct self-evaluation and make changes as required.

Respond positively to performance assessment by managers.

Plan for your own personal development, analyse your weaknesses and

create opportunities for advancement.


1.1.2 Organisational requirements

As a leader in your workplace you are responsible for ensuring your own level of

management performance and behaviour meets the organisation’s requirements.

You must ensure your skills and knowledge are current and sufficient to meet

the organisation’s goals and objectives. Identify areas for development, and

undertake professional development for continuous improvement. There is

always room to learn more and improve your skills.

To fully understand your performance standards you should ensure you have a

strong understanding of your role and the overall organisational plans and

standards and values.

Consider the following information when ensuring the performance and

behaviour of you and your team are consistent with the standards and values of

the organisation.

Strategic and operational plans, including business plans and strategies.

Vision/mission.

Policy and procedures including existing practices, procedures, systems

(e.g. Employee handbook).

Code of Conduct.

Employment contract (sets out the expectations of you and your role).

Corporate/organisational cultures (Local ‘knowledge’ and behaviour these

could be implied or stated).

Industrial policies and practices. Compliance matters that must be clearly

defined, each person is obliged to understand their responsibilities should

be stated but may be implied,

Business image and reputation. How do your customers and suppliers see

you and your staff? This could be implied.

Confidentiality, privacy, secrecy - basic courtesy and legislative

requirements to protect customers and staff from breaches of privacy and

information collection. Important to avoid misunderstanding and maintain

consistency and professional conduct.

Often the standards and values are stated, either in a policy or your employment

contract terms, violation of these can have serious consequences.

Other times these values are implied. For example it is expected that you will be

punctual, respectful of the organisation and honest. It is the responsibility of the

organisation and you as an employee to understand and demonstrate the

standards and values of the organisation. This is what is required of you. If you

don’t know then you must ask.

Usually staff are given this information at the time of induction. This is an

important part of building a team and showing leadership in the workplace. As a

manager and leader you must make sure you demonstrate the appropriate


behaviour and performance and allow your team to do the same by providing

them with the right information and support.

Example Strategic and operational plans, including business plans. This will

inform your team and keep them focussed on the most important

desired outcomes for the organisation. Should be stated to provide

overarching information and direction.

Policy and procedures inform your team by clearly spelling out how

the organisation works. Stated policies and procedures are essential

for adequate training and information sharing.

Corporate/organisational cultures are important for your team to be

aware of so they can understand what the organisation values. This

is important for morale and belonging to an organisation. Can be

implied. ‘This is how we do things here’

Code of conducts set out the rules for the organisation. They

include ethical positions, values

1.1.3 Measuring success in business

There are several terms that refer to desired outcomes and measuring

performance and success. Some of these include strategic plans, operational

plans, business objectives, goals, tasks, actions, activities, key result areas, key

performance indicators (KPIs) and several others. Understanding how these

terms differ and relate to each other can be confusing.

The reality is, many of the above terms can be used interchangeably (they refer

to the same thing!) Depending on where you work or what you read, these

terms can be used in a variety of different ways. This section aims to clarify

what these terms mean and how they are used and interrelate.

Goal, Objective, Aim, Target (GOAT)

These terms are interchangeable and generally refer to a desired outcome for

a business/organisation or individual. A GOAT can be set at a strategic level or

for individual, personal or work desired outcomes.

GOATs can be broken down into smaller steps (see TAA) to make them more

manageable.


Strategic plan is considered more long term and typically refers to the

strategies and measurable objectives.

Strategic plans outline the organisations purpose, goals and the methods that

will be employed to accomplish the goals.

The organisation will have a vision for what it hopes to accomplish.

Example ‘To be the market leader in training and education solutions.’

The organisation’s vision is supported by a mission statement that summarises

the organisation’s purpose and vision.

Example ‘We will consult with our customers and understand their training

and development requirements. Using this information we will

design and deliver a customised solution that addresses the client’s

specific needs.’

Now we have our mission, we need to strategically plan how we will accomplish

this mission.

Strategic plans consider:

the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation

opportunities for growth

threats, including competition and economic changes

critical factors for success

strategic goals (these may be a combination of financial, customer

relations, human relations, operational outcomes, and safety).


Operational plans are more short term. These plans holds the tasks, actions

and activities to implement and execute strategy. At this level we are interested

in evaluating performance and taking corrective action.

The operational plan is a detailed plan that outlines key operational tasks and

activities that link with the strategic plan. These operational tasks and activities

need to be completed in order for the organisation’s goals to be achieved.

Operational plans answer questions like these:

Where the business is at present?

Where we need the business to go?

How will we achieve our desired outcomes?

How to measure our progress?

Operational plans include:

Policies and procedures exist for a number of reasons:

They support and deliver the requirements of legislation, codes of

practice, and standards.

They enforce the organisations values.

Enable uniformity and consistency across the organisation.

Provide control over finances and protection from fraudulent activities.

Provide direction to employee and management.

Demonstrates organisational professionalism and efficiency.

Provide guidance in a time of emergency; or when experiencing problems.

Foster stability and continuity.

Assist in assessing performance and establishing accountability.

Clarify functions and responsibilities.

What is the difference between a policy and procedure?

Clear objectives Tasks and

activities to be completed

Quality standards to be

achieved

Measurements of success

Staffing and resource

requirements

Implementation plans


A policy:

states an organisation’s official view on a particular matter

is written at a high level (in the most general terms)

usually approved by boards or senior managers to give direction to the

organisation’s activities.

A procedure:

states the steps taken to implement the policy

details how a policy is implemented

it can evolve over time as new tools emerge or operating risks change.

Both policies and procedures must:

comply with Commonwealth, State and Territory legislation, codes of

practice and applicable standards

provide practical rules to guide day-to-day operations

be easily understood by all staff.

What is a workplace policy?

Workplace policies are statements of the organisations principles and practices,

they govern the ongoing management and administration of an organisation.

They provide direction and a framework for employees. Policies can cover day to

day operations and legal/ethical obligations.

It is important that policies are established to support the organisations vision,

mission and culture.

Why are policies necessary?

Without policies the same issues and decisions will be discussed repeatedly. It is

more efficient for an organisation to establish an agreed, approved policy. This

removes any ambiguity and indecision. Effective policies will reduce

organisational risks, such as incompliance and litigation. Policies will also provide

guidance for delegation authorities and authorisation procedures.

Benefits of designing and implementing workplace policies

If you prepare your policies well the following benefits can be achieved:

Policy

Sets the direction

'Who, when, where and why'

Procedure

The steps we take.

'How'


Support organisational values and objectives.

Ensure compliance with employment legislations and encourage fairness in

decision making.

Provide a professional organisational image.

Provides uniformity and consistency in decision making.

Support more efficient work practises.

Provide a framework for stability and continuity.

Crisis and emergency situations handled more efficiently.

Governs effective performance management and encourages

accountability.

Clear roles and responsibilities.

Reduces operational risk by mandating compliance.

For a small business, policies provide guidance to the employees when the

owner is busy or absent from the workplace.

Businesses with good structure, policies and procedures hold greater

resale value.

Codes of conduct

‘Organisational codes of conduct sets rules about acceptable standards of behaviour

for all employees. Some departments also have their own codes of conduct specific

to their area of work. A code of conduct serves as internal communication tool as

well as give protection to a company when company has to terminate its employee

for a reasonable cause, as breach of code of conduct is not tolerable.

Some examples of areas covered in a workplace code of conduct include

employee dress codes, attendance policies, health and safety standards, use of

company property and appropriate workplace behaviours.

The code starts with an introduction and statement of purpose, outlines each

category and conveys consequences of poor conduct. The code of conduct is a

formal document given to new hires along with the company policy manual. New

employees normally sign a document indicating they have received and read the

code of conduct.’

(Kokemuller, 2015).

For more information use this website Code of conduct

Your role

As a leader you need to understand the organisational strategic vision and mission,

policies and procedures, and codes of conduct. You also need to understand the

strategic direction for your organisation. How this will be achieved by following the

operational plan and your role and responsibilities in this process.

You will lead your staff as they complete tasks and activities needed to achieve

the operational plan.

https://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/employing/taking-on-staff/staff-code-conduct/writing-code-conduct


Your staff will look to you for guidance and support, this is why your own level of

performance, skills and knowledge is critical.

Leadership for growing a business- McDonalds

Two brothers in the 1930s, named Maurice and Dick McDonald, after completing high

school relocated to Hollywood California in search of the American dream. Both

brothers had entrepreneurial aspirations and opened a theatre outside Hollywood. The

business was not successful and the brothers had to look for better opportunities.

They opened a drive through restaurant where customers would enjoy eating hot

dogs, fries and milk shakes in motor vehicles with carhops using china plates and

metal utensils. The drive in restaurant was such a success they built a larger facility in

a working class boom town, and expanded the menu to include barbecued beef and

pork sandwiches.

The business grew very quickly and, in 1940 annual sales reached $200,000. The

brothers were advised times were changing, in 1948 they made adjustments to the

restaurant format.

The carhops were eliminated, customers now had to walk up to the restaurant and the

menu concentrated on selling hamburgers. The brothers also looked at reducing costs

through eliminating plates, metal utensils and glassware to paper products.

A speedy service was introduced where the kitchen became similar to an assembly line

with the goal to have the customer’s order completed in thirty seconds. The plan

succeeded and by the mid-1950s the revenue was over $350,000 and both brothers

had hit the jackpot financially.

The McDonald brothers were receiving over 300 phone calls and letters every month

from people all over America wanting to learn more about their business methods.

They had created a genius plan in regards to kitchen organisation and customer

success. Franchising was the next step for the McDonald brothers, so they opened up

another restaurant themselves. It was a failure.

They understood how to run a business in regard to cutting costs, increasing profits

and efficient systems but they were not leaders. The brothers met up with Ray Kroc

who was a leader, he had been running a small company which sold machines

for making milk shakes. The McDonald brothers were one of his best customers and so

went into business with Maurice and Dick to become McDonald’s System, Inc.

Ray Kroc sacrificed a lot in the early years of the business and worked many long

hours. In eight years with the McDonald’s System Inc. he took no salary and even

borrowed money from his banks life insurance. He did employ a few leaders on his

team, and in 1961 bought the exclusive rights to McDonalds from the brothers for the

sum of $2.7 million.

The McDonald brothers did sell fifteen franchises but only ten restaurants opened.

Through the leadership of Ray Kroc 100 restaurants were opened between 1955 and

1959, four years later there were 500 McDonald’s restaurants. Today there are over

21,000 restaurants in 100 countries around the world.

For further information on leadership styles refer to the Appendix in this eBook.


1.2 Ensure management performance and

behaviour serves as a positive role model

for others

An effective leader will be a positive role model and actively display the qualities,

values and behaviours that others should adapt to improve their performance.

You must be seen as a person with a sound ethical and trustworthy principles,

but fair and firm with decisions for the benefit of the organisation.

Cole (2010) says that your workplace image is how you choose to show up and

present yourself. It’s built on the way you walk, talk, dress and act and on the

results you consistently achieve. It’s built on how you write, present ideas and

behave in meetings, and on the character and leadership you demonstrate.

1.2.1 Modelling behaviours

‘Back in the 1970’s, Robert Greenleaf, director of management research at AT&T

and founder of servant leadership decided to read what the youth movement

was reading at the time. The novel was ‘Journey to the East ‘by Hermann Hesse.

‘Journey to the East’ is about a group of people who are traveling to a new land.

Accompanying the group is their servant, Leo, who sings songs and takes care of

their needs. During the journey, Leo disappears from the group. The group

struggles to stay together and eventually disbands. Several years later, it is

discovered that Leo (the group’s servant) was really their leader. Inspired by

Leo’s character, Greenleaf realises that the key to leadership is to serve first’

(Lauby, 2013).

Greenleaf mentioned several qualities with servant leadership. According to

Lauby (2013) following qualities are consistently mentioned about leadership

and role models.

Awareness: Leaders must aware of the different organisational and

business perspectives.

Commitment: Leaders shows commitment to develop others as leaders.

Empathy: Leaders not only identify with others, but accept what others

contribute. It requires a tolerance of imperfection.

Foresight: Leader must demonstrate decision making skills and be able to

foresee the future on the basis of her/his intuitive skills.

Listening: Possess strong listening skills to respond to problems and build

strength in others.

Persuasion: ‘Whether it happens one person at a time or one action at a

time, leaders are willing to use their talents and demand little from others.

Even if it means standing aside and serving when asked’.

Leadership fundamentals – here is a useful link to reinforce this concept.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1907523200?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1907523200&linkCode=xm2&tag=hrbar-20


Lynda.com Leadership-Fundamentals

Ro le model t ips

Bite your

tongue

Managers must remain cool and patient, no matter what comes along.

Managers who are short-tempered and stern are unlikely to be approachable.

Employees must be able to rely on their manager to help them in times of

difficulty, if not, help may not be sought. If you as a manager cannot manage

your own emotions, how can you manage others?

Having said this it is important to admit your mistakes. When you are wrong

say you are, this will create an atmosphere of trust and respect. Your team

will believe in you.

Words

matter

As a people manager you must understand the importance of your words.

Words can boost morale or demoralise. You remain effective as long as anger

and smiles are well-managed. Be careful with passing comments, especially

ones which highlight areas of improvement – such comments can be taken as

negative feedback. This must be managed constructively.

Demonstrate Respect to others, value diversity and the contribution made by

individuals and teams.

Positive behaviours.

Present yourself to others in a positive, confident manner.

Trust - keep your word.

Do not judge

– evaluate

Most of us judge people. Even a first impression is enough to make us think

we can comment on someone. This may work in day-to-day life but is not

advisable for a manager. People managers must manage each individual

separately: keep background, behaviour, attitude and aptitude in mind.

Keep track Don’t wait until the last minute to highlight a subordinate’s shortcomings.

Good people managers keep a log of events designed to improve employee’s

performance, not to punish or ridicule. Encouragement is usually more

effective than punishment or humiliation.

Give

constructive

feedback

Feedback must be constructive – not just good or bad. Constructive feedback

coupled with documentary proof clearly lets your team know what is expected,

what errors have been made and tips for improvement in a given time frame. It

should be structured and provide opportunities for improvement.

Poor feedback is emotional and unstructured and doesn’t contain

opportunities for improvement; the how-to-improve part is always missing.

Neutralise

illusions

Successful managers keep people ‘on board’ with organisations visions and

goals and how they match the needs of the individual. Individuals need to

understand the direction the organisation is moving in so both sets of needs

are being met.

Win hearts Understand that people are loyal to people (managers) not necessarily

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Leadership-Fundamentals/122471-2.html


and minds organisations. If your subordinates respect you they will work for you and this

benefits the whole organisation. Good managers have emotional intelligence.

Understand your people and develop relationships with them so they look to you

when they are in need.

Train a

replacement

If you cannot be replaced, you cannot be promoted, always pass on your

skills.

Instil

confidence!

Make miracles happen. Satisfied employees accomplish miracles. The failure

of employees in performing their jobs well is in fact the failure of a manager.

As a manager you need to manage potential in your staff in order to get the

best from them.

Proactivity - Circle of concern and influence/locus of control

Leaders and role models are proactive rather than reactive as we mentioned

earlier they can foresee future.

Figure 1: Circle of concern and influence (Improvementnetwork, n.d.)

Circle of concern and influence helps out in setting our priorities and gaining

ownership of action (Improvementnetwork, n.d.).

Inside the circle of influence we mentioned those concerns which are under our

control or we have at least some control over them. Whereas, circle of concern

covers wide range of concern ranging from personal to domestic to workplace to

national to international issues.

Proactive people are defined as those who focuses on issues inside their circle of

influence and they consider themselves being in charge of their lives. Their

behaviour is not the function of their conditions but it is the function of their

decisions. They eventually increase their circle of influence with the help of their

positive energy.


Unlike proactive people, reactive people neglect their circle of influence and

focus on somewhere else. Their circle of influence shrinks eventually.

Determining concerns

A useful way of determining which circle people’s concerns are in is by listening

to the language used. You can distinguish between the use of the words ‘have’

and ‘be’. Circles of concern are full of ‘have’s’ while circles of influence are full of

‘be’s’. The table below provides some examples.

Have’s (Reactive) Be’s (Proactive)

I’ll be happy when I have a full

establishment…

If only I had a boss who wasn’t...

If I had respect from…

If I could just have management days…

If the environment was more conducive…

I can be a better role model…

I can be more organised / resourceful…

I can be more loving / understanding…

I will be more diligent…

I can seek out personnel and be able to

understand…

Attribution theory

Attribution refers to ‘the process of explaining one's own behaviour and the

behaviour of others’. Attribution theory was introduced by Fritz Heider in 1958.

It discusses ‘how people describe events and experiences in their lives and how

they adapt to the results of those actions’

(Hawkins, 2013).

The rationale: to recognise why a situation happened so future events can be

anticipated and controlled. The theory proposes that people’s actions are

attributable to internal and external factors. Most people state they are able to

explain or ‘attribute’ the causes of someone’s or their own behaviour or actions.

(Hawkins, 2013).

Attribution theory can be used to explain the difference in motivation

between high and low doers.

High achievers will attempt, rather than evade, responsibilities related to

prospering. High achievers believe that failure is considered to be caused by bad

luck and is not their fault.

Low achievers avoid activities that lean towards success because they tend to

doubt their abilities or skills. They presume accomplishments are related to luck

or other factors beyond their control, not themselves.

(Hawkins, 2013).

This theory is also useful in management practice as:

leaders should be aware of how their staff will react to certain situation


leader should know which characteristics provide guidance for attributions

for achievement

this theory gives feeling of self-efficacy to staff

identify cause and effect of specific situation.

(Hawkins, 2013).

Is leadership only the responsibility of managers? Or could everyone play a part

in providing leadership?

Research the AFL club Sydney Swans, the club introduced an alternative

leadership structure in 2005, when they named six co-captains. The club

employs a ‘shared leadership’ model. Unlike other teams, there is no single team

captain. The model has been successful for the club and this year, 2015, the

club has a nine-strong leadership group.

This leadership model may have application in organisations, many leadership

theorists support the notation that everyone in an organisation can exercise

leadership, and the responsibility should not just rest with top management.

Consider the qualities of these two world famous leaders.

Bill Gates, Entrepreneur, Manager, and Leader

Founder of Microsoft, an entrepreneur in computers. A visionary leader and

strategic thinker. His leadership is renowned for four key principles:

Thinking big.

Passion.

Learning as a life-long process.

Giving back to society.

Sir Richard Branson, English businessman and investor. Founder of

the Virgin Group, which comprises of more than 400 companies.

A flamboyant leader, known for being a risk taker. Follow the link above to listen

to some of Sir Branson’s leadership advice. Sir Branson was knighted in 1999 for

‘services to entrepreneurship’. Branson-up close

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Bill_Gates_World_Economic_Forum_2007.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Bill_Gates_World_Economic_Forum_2007.jpg

http://www.inc.com/branson-upclose/on-leadership.html


1.3 Develop and implement performance plans

in accordance with organisation's goals and

objectives

1.3.1 Setting goals and developing plans

As we discussed in a previous section goal setting is equivalent to determining

the best possible desired outcome for the organisation. There are several ideals

when establishing performance and the goals and objectives (GOATS!).

Consider the difference between traditional goal setting models and more liberal

ideals that involve whole organisations and teams in the planning and

establishment of goal setting.

Traditional goal setting

Goal setting takes place at the top level of the organisation assuming that

the top management knows the best.

Goals are then broken down according to sub levels of organisation.

Goals are there to provide guidance, direction, and exert control.

Goals lose clarity as they move down the hierarchy and interpreted by

first line managers for their areas of responsibility.

Management by Objectives (MBO)

Performance goals decided jointly by employees and managers.

Periodic review of achievement of goals.

Rewards are allocated on the basis of progress towards the goals.

Steps in MBO Program

Formulate overall organisational objectives and strategies.

Allocate of major objectives at divisional and departmental level.

Unit managers set specific objectives collaborating with managers.

Managers set specific objectives with all department members.

Action plans to achieve objectives developed by managers and employees.

Implement action plans.

Progress reviews of objectives and feedback is provided.

Successful achievement of objectives is reinforced.


PPO Theory – Peak Performance Organisation

An ideal status, a modern theory developed by Gilson, Pratt, Roberts and

Weymes who suggested common features of successful organisation can

be categorised into four principles and with inspirational players and the


correct implementation of these principles any organisation can become

‘Peak Performing Organisation’.

(Ensor, 2002)

The four PPO principles can be explained as:

Purpose – the greatest challenge possible. The focus for the organisation.

Practice – Sharing the dream, creating the future.

Potency – Harmony and passion.

Performance – Details, innovation and excellence by the organisation.

Adapted from (Ensor, 2002)

Performance plans

These are detailed plans of the actions an individual or group needs to complete

in order to accomplish tasks and activities. Performance plans are developed

when performance cycle begins or when new role commenced. These plans are

highly effective as long as your information is valid, relevant and appropriate to

the individual. Make sure the following are considered in the development of the

plans for your team. They should consist of:

What will you do – outputs, projects and deliverables?

How do you determine the goals and objectives of the organisation? Use

all available information e.g. strategic and operational plans, budgets,

forecasts.

How will you achieve the outcomes – conduct and behaviour?

What you need to perform your job – knowledge and skills.

What performance and behaviour standards are expected? Are there any

professional development expectations?

How will your team or individual staff member know if their performance

is up to standard?

Performance plans provide information for all parties concerned. There needs to

be an opportunity to:

agree on the process and tasks to be achieved including times for review

discuss expectations and set the goals together as a team or gain

agreement for the goals

discuss progress and any issues (this information needs to flow both

directions)

support may be needed, explain how this will be provided

review progress and make changes as required.

Development of performance plan

Lead your team with planning tasks and activities to be completed in order to

reach operational objectives. Performance plans can be in various formats,

consider this example:


Case Study

Performance Plan for the OK Computer Group

Strategic Goal: Increase revenue by providing expert customer service.

Operational Objective: To provide the best technical support in the industry.

Task/Activity Date Responsible Resources Risks Key

performance

indicator

(evaluation

method)

Conduct

Training

Needs

Analysis

June

20XX

Muriel

Glass

Access to

existing

training

records,

admin staff

member.

Budget

$20,000

Not conducting

this leaves the

OK CG exposed

to weak skills.

Each staff in

department

A,B and C

interviewed

and plans

completed

for stage one

by Feb 20XX

Conduct

required

training

March

20XX

James

Teacher

Class room

and staff

hours

budget

$5000

Follow through

for continuous

improvement and

advancement of

the team,

protects the team

from weakened

skills.

85% of the

group

competent by

end March

20XX.

Once performance plans are developed they need to be clearly communicated to

staff, and agreement reached on when they will be next reviewed. Frequently

reviewing actual progress against the work plan will ensure the appropriate

remedial action can be taken if there is deviation from the plan.

Planning skills are essential for the successful implementation of any strategy.

You will need to be able to:

accurately estimate time and effort required to complete a task

identify and organise systems and resources

organise your own time schedule to carry out your responsibilities

ensure you have adequate preparation time for meetings/deadlines

develop schedules and timelines

establish a measurement method to monitor your milestones

prioritise tasks and responsibilities.


Do you have these skills?

Complete the following self-evaluation:

Scale:

1= I do this very well. I am consistent and successful in it.

2= I am good at this. With some practice I can make it perfect!

3= I am getting better, but still need to work on this a bit more.

4= I am not particularly good at this yet.

Planning 1 2 3 4

Accurately estimate time and effort required to complete a task.

Identify and organise systems and required resources.

Organise personal time to carry out responsibilities.

Maintain adequate preparation time for scheduled meetings/deadlines.

Develop schedules/timetables with clear, specific milestones/deadlines.

Establish how to measure results and milestones for self.

Prioritising 1 2 3 4

Identify critical tasks.

Arrange tasks in a logical order.

Establish priorities systematically, differentiating between urgent,

important, and unimportant tasks.

Use ‘to do’ list, task plan, or similar planning devices to note action

plans, deadlines, etc.

Monitor and adjust priorities/eliminate tasks on an on-going basis.

Work plan example:

Key action steps Person/Area

responsible

Time frame Comments

Complete TNA

assessment

Muriel Glass End of February

20XX

20th January 20XX

Approximately 50 % of

the teams assessed.

Develop a simple to do list. It is astonishing how much more work you can get

through when you have one.

To do list example

Answer all high priority emails.

Interview team A this week.

Interview team B in week 2.


1.4 Establish and use key performance

indicators to meet organisation's goals and

objectives

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

For performance evaluations and productivity improvement KPIs (sales, new

customers, product quality, etc.) are required to be set.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are used to measure an organisations

progress and performance towards achievement of goals and business

objectives. KPIs can, and should be, established to measure all aspects of the

organisation. They should be set and reviewed at regular intervals.

Example Financial, service, employee behavioural and performance

management, product development, productivity. Specifically

numbers of new customers, debtor reduction, return on investment

(ROI). A financial indicator can be sales figures; non-financial

indicators could be the benefits created by hiring new executives.

KPIs are best written using the SMART method.

When the SMART method is used an action plan is created to identify what will

happen, how it will happen, when it will happen, who has responsibility and how

the outcome will be measured.

Basic steps when determining KPIs for your team.

What needs to be achieved? Place actual values on what your desired

outcome is. If you decide you need to train all 90 of your staff by the end

of three months you may decide to train 30 personnel a month for the

three months. A specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely KPI.

Consult with your teams when developing key performance indicators and

work standards. Employees will appreciate being able to contribute to the

process; and are more likely to be willing to take accountability for their

work performance.

How will you measure the results? Consider the frequency and how this

will happen? Who needs to be involved in the process?

These measures should be monitored to ensure individuals and teams are

meeting required performance standards. If not, corrective action should

be taken. Change then needs to be managed, reviewed and evaluated.

Effective leaders are organised and have strong time management skills. They

ensure appropriate work instructions, policies and procedures are provided to

employees with appropriate, fair performance indicators of success.

Specific Measureable Achievable Relevant Time bound


Example

You are running a restaurant in a busy part of town with many competitors. Your main

clientele come to you for short breakfast and lunch meetings and after work drinks.

You decide to offer extra seating sessions as a way to differentiate your business from

your competitors.

Your business objective might be to: increase sales during the early breakfast period

through a targeted marketing campaign.

A relevant goal could be to: Give out 10 vouchers a day over the next month for

early bird discounts. The vouchers must be redeemed the day after issue.

Tasks, actions, activities could be to create an advertisement for your promotion,

decide who your target is, create a social media campaign and hand out vouchers. Key

personnel to complete these tasks within timeframes can be outlined at this stage.

KPIs to measure the success of the promotion:

150 people will redeem early bird discount voucher within the first two weeks.

By the end of the month you will be able to measure the number of vouchers

used and calculate the cost of the promotion against the increase in sales.

After the first two weeks, work with your team to review the results to make sure the

KPI has been met, if not why not?

Examples of retail KPI and metrics - Customer retention and satisfaction,

point of purchase, cost of goods sold, incremental sales, average purchase

value, sales per square foot.

(Klipfolio.com, 2015) For further details visit Klipfolio.com

http://www.klipfolio.com/resources/kpi-examples/retail


2. Enhance organisation’s image

Organisation image or corporate image or public image can be defined as:

image of a company acquired with the public

the sum total of its reputation, the way it organises and operates its

activities and how it conducts its business and the attitudes of its

employees and how they respond to customers and associates

a composite of the perceptions and attitudes of the internal and external

public of a corporation. Internal publics include managers, employee and

investors. External publics include the community, consumers,

government and the media.

(Poon Teng Fatt et al., 2000).

2.1 Use organisation's standards and values in

conducting business

As discussed in section one of this eBook the organisational standard and values

can include:

organisation policies - strategies

vision/mission

existing practices, procedures, systems

corporate/organisational cultures

industrial policies and practices

business image and reputation

confidentiality, privacy, secrecy.

Organisational standards and values reflects the organisational requirements.

Duty of care.

Legal responsibilities.

Organisational goals.

Organisational standards and values should be consistent with your contract of

employment.

Duties, payments, time.

Assert your rights when necessary.

Quality leaders will use the organisational standards and values; they represent

what your business stands for and provide direction for management and

employees to follow. Successful businesses have strong standards and values

which they clearly communicate and demonstrate. Ensuring all employees

understand and endorse the organisational standards and values can be

empowering and build a collaborative workforce.


An organisation that champions particular values will ensure these values

underpin their organisational vision.

Values in the workplace assist us by:

giving us a framework for how we will treat each other and our clients

helping us to understand what behaviours are expected

allowing us to ensure we align our own values to that of the organisation

giving us an understanding of what is important to our organisation.

Values are the essence of corporate culture, they drive the way things are done.

They should not be made and placed on the wall to be forgotten. Rather they

should be embedded in everything that we do in the workplace.

Values will vary from one organisation to another, but may include:

teamwork

honesty

excellence

commitment

ownership

recognition

customer service

professionalism

accountability

personal development.

Globalisation and advancing technology have changed traditional business

models and practices. To remain viable organisations have to ensure they are

efficient in their operations; be innovative and creative with their products and

services; and increase their employee knowledge and skills. In some instances,

existing traditional standards and values, may hold back this progression. For

example values such as:

tradition

stability

loyalty

consolidation

control

consistency

heritage.

Example: How organisational values can impact on the workplace

Woolworths are an Australian company founded in 1924 in Sydney and their values

include being open, honest, fair and transparent in everything they do. They put the


Example: How organisational values can impact on the workplace

customers first and at the heart of their business. Taking care of employees, valuing

suppliers and having respect for the communities they serve.

An example of Woolworths putting their value of ‘valuing suppliers’ into action: The

organisation introduced a policy in 2012 where a supplier who wished to raise a

concern could access a third party managed complaints line. The third party is

engaged to specifically address the issues raised by supplier. This initiative ensures

that all suppliers feel comfortable to raise concerns, without fear of repercussion.

The organisation’s standards and values can be embedded into daily operations:

Recruitment and selection policies and processes.

Employee Codes of Conduct.

Operational policies and procedures.

Performance management plans.

Product and service policies and procedures.

Customer charters.

Marketing and promotional strategies.

A standard is a level of quality or attainment. It is something that is used to

measure the acceptable norm or average.

Example: How organisational standards can impact on the workplace

The local coffee shop’s manager, Ness Kaffay, has been working hard to explain and

demonstrate to his staff the standards required for making coffee. The standards are:

Coffee prepared within 5 minutes

Coffee served at correct temperature

Customers order accurately noted and delivered

Greet every customer by name (if you don’t know it, ask)

Some of the staff thought the standards were unnecessary, Ness heard them referring

to the standards being ‘over the top’. So Ness decided to survey his customers so the

staff could really appreciate why the standards exist.

Ness: ‘Good Morning Sam (customer)’

Sam: ‘Good Morning Ness’

Ness: ‘Sam, would you mind if I ask you a few questions whilst we are busy making

your coffee this morning?’

Sam: ‘No worries’

Ness: ‘You have been coming here to pick up your morning coffee for quite a long time

now, right?’

Sam: ‘Yes, that’s right, probably close to 18 months now.’

Ness: ‘What makes you come back to us, I mean, we like you coming back, but there


Example: How organisational standards can impact on the workplace

are other coffee shops around, so I would like my staff to hear why you choose to

come back here?’

Sam: ‘Well, that’s easy, I have never had to wait for very long, you always seem to

have it ready within the same time. I know that because I usually get through the first

4 pages of the newspaper, when you call my name for pick up. Some other coffee

places I have tried, in the past, have got my order wrong and, worse still, the coffee

has been served cold. That has never happen to me here. I guess, the thing is there

are no surprises, I always walk away happy. But, what I really enjoy is the fact that

Ness remembers who I am and takes the time to talk to me every day. That’s why I

come back.’

The staff were surprised to hear that Sam really did enjoy the predictable service and

quality product. Ness explained, if we don’t set our standard and agree we will always

deliver on this standard, our customers will notice. If their expectations are not meet,

they will choose to go elsewhere. The staff could now understand why the standards

are necessary.

Organisations also set standards for productivity, risk management and safety

reasons. Standards will be in place to support Workplace Health and Safety

obligations. Leaders need to ensure that all staff are aware of the standards that

are required to be adhered and every worker’s responsibility of duty of care

within the workplace.

2.2 Question, through established

communication channels, standards and

values considered to be damaging to the

organisation

Examples of behaviour and performance that cause damage to an

organisation – workplace deviation

Damaging employee behaviours are known as counterproductive work behaviour

(CWB). These behaviours violate the values and standards held by the

organisation.

Common examples include:

production: leave early, take longer breaks, or work slowly intentionally

stealing, accepting kickbacks, sabotaging equipment

disrespect, show favouritism, involves in gossip, or blame others

personal aggression including all forms of harassment, intimidation and

verbal abuse.

Adapted from Work.chron.com

Examples of expected behaviours according to organisational values

http://work.chron.com/deviation-workplace-behavior-14537.html


Let’s take an example of organisational value ‘integrity’ which means being

honest, being open and fair. Expected behaviour for this value could be to:

take responsibility for own actions

do what you say

communicate openly and in genuine manner.

(Bennett, 2013).

You may come across situations where standards and values for the organisation

appear to be damaging. In this instance, as a leader, you need to understand

the correct way to question these standards and values.

As a leader of your organisation you need to question the impact of your

organisational standards and values. However, this process should be done using

existing and authorised communication channels.

It is a constructive process to evaluate and question organisational standards

and values using the appropriate communication channels. It is not constructive

to gossip, complain and spread contempt through the organisation because you

don’t support a standard or value. As a leader you need to withhold your own

personal feelings or beliefs and fully understand the organisation’s reason for the

standards and values.

Productive behaviour positively contributes to the goals and objectives of the

organisation. If you identify a behaviour, standard or value held or demonstrated

by your organisation that you believe is damaging you must, as an effective

leader, question the appropriateness of this. Using your organisations structure

and your initiative you should challenge this behaviour to help manage and

provide alternatives. It is important to deal with these situations diplomatically

and within established policies and procedures.

Example

Grievance policy

CA City Retail Group supports the right of every employee to lodge a grievance with

their manager if they believe a decision, behaviour or action affecting their

employment is unfair.

An employee may raise a grievance about any performance improvement action taken

against them. Where a grievance may contravene CA City Retail Group’s equal

employment and opportunity (EEO) policy or where the grievance constitutes bullying,

discrimination or harassment, the grievance should be resolved in line with the

procedures outlined in the EEO policy and procedures document. We aim to resolve

problems and grievances promptly and as close to the source as possible. When

necessary, CA City Retail Group will escalate a grievance to the next higher level of

authority for more discussion and resolution, and continue escalating it to the level

above until it is resolved. Managers will do their utmost to action grievances

objectively, discreetly and promptly. Be aware that grievances that are misconceived,

vexatious, and lacking substance may result in disciplinary action being taken against


the employee lodging the grievance.

Procedure

1. The employee should try to resolve the grievance as close to the source as possible.

This can be informal and verbal. At this stage, every possible effort should be made to

settle a grievance before the formal grievance process starts. If the matter still can’t

be resolved, the process continues and becomes formal.

2. To start formal grievance procedures the complainant must fully describe their

grievance in writing, with dates and locations wherever possible and how they have

already tried to settle the grievance.

3. The person(s) against whom the grievance/complaint is made should be given the

full details of the allegation(s) against them. They should have the opportunity and a

reasonable time to respond in writing before the process continues.

4. A manager should have a discussion with both parties in an effort to resolve the

grievance at the workplace level.

5. If the grievance still can’t be resolved, refer the matter to the most senior manager

for consideration and a final decision. A grievance taken to this level must be in writing

from the employee.

6. Should the issue recur, a review may be undertaken at any stage thereafter by the

most senior manager or owner. Further reviews may be held if required.

Different organisations have different processes in place. The following process is

an example of seven steps you could take as a leader to understand the

behaviour and why is it occurring.


You may not always be able to resolve an issue satisfactorily. If this occurs you

could work with a more senior member of staff within the organisation or enlist

external help (e.g. government agencies, legislative alternatives). Leaders need

to gather information, be fair and informed to maximise chances of resolution.

It is important to remain within the established lines or channels of

communication.

Example You would be wrong to go immediately to a senior manager with an

issue when you have not taken the issue to your immediate

manager. Communicating inappropriately is in itself a damaging

behaviour.

Channels of communication exist within the organisation, they will vary from

organisation to organisation. This is where the organisational chart becomes

important, each staff member will have manager or supervisor to report to.

Understanding who to report to and why is important to maintain appropriate

communication. How you communicate is the next important aspect of this

process. Communication methods can include:

Communication

methods

Appropriate use

Meetings Prepare an agenda clearly indicating the standard or value you wish

to discuss. Invite relevant parties to the meeting, including those


Communication

methods

Appropriate use

who hold the authority to change standards or values.

Reports Clearly researched and prepared reports provide evidence and

evaluation of existing standards and values, and is an effective

communication method. The report should contain recommendations

for improvement.

Email Email can be a quick method of communication, include all

information in the correspondence to make effective decisions

possible.

Communication tips: here is a useful link to reinforce this concept.

Lynda.com Communication Tips

Consider the six C’s of communication to help you prepare and communicate

your messages successfully:

(Cole, Kris. 2010, Management – theory and practice, 4th ed, Pearson Education

Australia p.133)

2.3 Ensure personal performance contributes to

developing an organisation which has

integrity and credibility

Clear

•Ensure the communication is easy to understand, avoid jargon unless you are certain your reader has the knowledge and experience to understand this language.

Complete •Providing half the picture, will not have the desired result. Ensure all information is provided to facilitate an effective decision making process.

Concise •Only use the words you need to communicate the message. Adding irrelevant or additional information may dilute your communication.

Concrete •Make your message solid and be firm about the intention of your communication. Provide all necessary details.

Correct •Ensure your message is free from spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.

Courteous •Be respectful and polite in your communications.

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Communication-Tips/170778-2.html


Proactive leaders serve as positive role models in the workplace through showing

personal integrity and credibility.

People will begin to understand you are trust worthy; and that you will follow

through and deliver on your promises or commitments. Just like ‘respect’, these

qualities have to be ‘earned’, they don’t just come automatically because you

have the word ‘leader’ or ‘manager’ in your job title.

‘Organisational integrity is more than just preventing corruption or having a

written code of conduct. It is when an organisation’s operational systems,

corruption prevention strategies and ethical standards are fully integrated to

achieve the organisation’s purpose’.

Four steps to achieve organisational integrity are:

establish set of values for your organisation

implement and follow yourself these values

promote these values

build these values in every aspect of organisation to achieve integrity

(Icac.nsw.gov.au, 2001).

Ways to build integrity and credibility in the workplace include:

Mastering your emotions: learn how to control your instinctive reactions.

There will be occasions where someone does or says something that causes you

to have an immediate emotional reaction. That reaction may be anger,

frustration, disbelief, or betrayal. Immediately put the emotion in check,

demonstrate control and ensure that you do not make any decisions, until you

have had the chance to deal with your emotion. Sometimes you may need to

remove yourself from the situation, so you can think clearly. A logical,

unemotional, discussion based on facts; will encourage a positive outcome and

will not damage your credibility.

Shutting down the grapevine: every workplace has a grapevine. The

grapevine is an incredibly fast method of informal communication. Unfortunately,

the grapevine often carries a lot of ‘untruths’ as it rarely involves contribution

from the actual owner of the information. As a leader you need to learn how to

Integrity means to hold truth in all that you do. Keep your

promises. Say what you mean and mean

what you say.

As you demonstrate your integrity you build credibility.

Credibility is the act of being trustworthy, believable and able to be relied upon.

mastering your

emotions

shutting down the grapevine

giving credit where it is

due

speaking truth

taking accountability.


shut down any grapevine discussion with the potential to be damaging to the

organisation, or any of its members. It’s really easy to do, try saying ‘That’s

interesting, I will speak directly with _____ about that matter’.

Giving credit where it is due: always acknowledge the person who generated

an idea; or completed the work. You may have lead the project; you may have

managed and controlled the project; but, at the end of the day, could you have

achieved the outcome alone? Remember to thank and acknowledge other parties

whether they are internal or external to the organisation. This demonstrates

your integrity and credibility.

Speaking the truth: always represent what is true and correct. If you cannot

respond with the truth, due to confidentiality constraints, then share that

information. For example, ‘I am sorry, I can see how you need that information

to progress, but at this stage, I am not authorised to discuss the matter further’.

You will build a reputation of ‘truthfulness’ through consistent demonstration.

Taking accountability: never place the blame on someone else. A leader

needs to be strong in taking accountability. Whilst others may have impacted on

the situation, you are the lead, and therefore you take the ultimate

accountability. If you practice this behaviour you will find that those who work

with you become very loyal to your leadership; and will make extra effort to

perform their duties well.

Organisations are made up of ‘people’, only through personal performance can

the organisation build its reputation for integrity and credibility. Lead the way for

others by being a role model.

Example – How to embed the principles of integrity into your organisation

The principle and value of integrity can be introduced through the use of

organisational codes of conduct and ethics.

‘Money.com’ is a small investment broker business that provides advice on buying and

selling securities. The business researches share investments and makes

recommendations to their clients, in return for a brokerage fee. The staff are

accredited advisors and can provide assistance with options, warrants and futures

(which are all share investment strategies).

The business owner wants to ensure his business upholds the highest standards of

professional and ethical conduct from its employees, officers and directors. The

business promotes its reputation of honesty and integrity to its clients and this is the

key to its success.

The business ensures every employee is given a copy of their ‘Code of Business

Conduct and Ethics’. They are given time to read the code, ask questions and then

signs an acknowledgement to confirm they understand the code and will abide by its

contents. The code includes:

declarations of integrity, for example ‘no employee, officer or director will be

permitted to achieve results through violations of laws or regulation or through


Example – How to embed the principles of integrity into your organisation

unscrupulous dealings’

declarations of commitment to honesty, integrity and accountability

actions to be taken if you are presented with a situation that contradicts the

letter and spirit of the code

rules regarding conflict of interests

rules regarding the public reporting of full, fair, accurate and timely disclosure

of information that is critical for investment decisions.

There is no question about how important these values are to the business and every

employee is expected to comply with the code, regardless of their employment status.


3. Make informed decisions

An informed decision is made after learning relevant facts (informing yourself)

about the basis of the decision. Well informed decisions can be said to have been

made based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts,

implications, and future consequences of an action.

3.1 Gather and organise information relevant

to the issue

Your ability to make informed decisions rests on the information you have

gathered and analysed. Ensure you have a clear understanding of the issue/s

under consideration. You may be the leader and decision maker, but this does

not mean you need to complete this process alone. Speak to your team, ask for

input. Often others can give you information that help to clarify the situation.

Relevant information

Relevant information means information that can be useful for the issue at hand.

There must be a level of consistency between the data content and the area of

interest of the user. Information should also be specific, current,

understandable, comprehensive, unbiased, comparable, and accurate.

3.1.1 Gathering information

Gathering information is the stage when you begin to decide how and from

where you will get the required information, you must ensure that your research

does not get side-tracked. You will be exposed to a variety of topics that will be

of interest but not relevant to your issue.

‘Defining the problems/issues and objectives’ is the first step of this process. As

a manager it is your task to identify problem areas and develop objective to

begin information gathering process. If it is already defined by the management

your task is to clarify any ambiguity that exists to get the clear picture and to

design the information gathering process according to the organisational

requirements.

Some information gathering methods:

Formal staff interviews.

Performance report records.

Employee records (timesheets, work logs).

Operational reports.

Sales and purchasing records.

Financial reports.

Management reports.

Staff meetings.


Surveys and feedback forms.

3.1.2 Information organisation

Once you have gathered all relevant information, put this into order, so you can

effectively evaluate the issue. The information needs to be sorted and arranged,

in terms of importance and relevance to your project. You may find that making

a list of pros and cons is a helpful exercise to evaluate the issue.

Methods of organisation

Chronological order: Putting data into order on the basis of date or

timeframe. This is useful when doing trend analysis or analysing any

historical data to know why or how a particular phenomenon occurred

over time.

Order of importance: Presenting the most important piece of information

first to attract the attention of audience.

Comparison and contrast: This method use visual tools like graph, charts,

diagrams, list to identify similarities and differences among the group of

products or techniques or job candidates etc.

Geographical organisation: Geographical organisation can be used to

organise sales data on the basis of territory. It can also be used to

arrange travel plans, meeting, placement of different department with in a

building to increase work efficiency.

Inductive: Facts relevant to the problem are placed before the conclusion

and recommendation. This method is useful when previous conclusion

have created confusion in the mind of your target audience.

Deductive: This method starts with the recommendation and follows

through the supportive information. This method is useful when the target

audience is knowledgeable about the topic or some selection process (e.g.

choosing among job candidates) is undertaken. (Burke, 2015)

When organising, validation of the information is also important. Is the source

reliable? Can you reference a number of sources and reach the same outcome?

If any information is unable to be validated, you may need to investigate further.

In some instances you may need to utilise a specialist or expert to gain professional

advice. The best decisions are supported by reliable and valid evidence.

3.1.3 Decision making process

Steps in decision making

Identify the problem.

Identify important decision criteria to solve the problem.

Allocate weight to each criteria on the basis of importance.

Develop a list of alternatives that could solve the problem.

Analyse alternatives on the basis of strengths and weaknesses.


Choose the best alternative according to your organisational goals,

objectives, and requirements.

Implement the chosen course of action (alternative).


Lynda.com/Business Decision-Making-Fundamentals

Case study – Anne’s department store staff confusion

Anne has just received a promotion in a large national department store and is finding

her staff of four employees constantly ask her for company procedures. They know

she will have all the answers as she has worked for the company for over seven years

in the same department.

Anne is struggling to complete her own work and is starting to feel the pressure from

her line manager. She has not submitted the monthly order for stock due to staff

asking her too many questions. What should Anne do to allow more time for her to

order the monthly stock order?

Solution

Anne should gather information from her staff about what training they need in

company policies and procedures.

Anne should research other support systems that are available for the team, for

example intranet access to policies and procedures, work instructions or fact

sheets.

By planning and delivering training, Anne will develop her employees’

knowledge and relieve the pressure she is experiencing.

Staff may also add suggestions to improve departmental efficiency.

Anne will now have extra time for monthly stocktake and staff will respect her

for providing support and training.

Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats SWOT analysis

SWOT is a method for considering the pros and cons of a situation divided into

internal strengths and weaknesses (factors that belong to the organisation) and

external opportunities and threats (factors belonging to the situation and

environment).

SWOT analysis is used as a first step to developing a strategy for achieving a

specific objective. It can also generate new ideas and opportunities. SWOT

analysis empowers mangers to decide strengths and weaknesses and assess the

impact and probability of opportunities and threats.

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Corporate governance.

Experience and knowledge.

Capabilities and innovation.

Competitive advantages.

Total dependence on one supplier or source.

Gaps in supply chain management.

Limited finances and cash flow.

Operational limits and inefficiencies.

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Business-Skills-tutorials/Decision-Making-Fundamentals/186697-2.html


Operational capacity and efficiency.

Experienced sales force.

Advertising networks.

Existing quality management systems.

Financial reserves and capabilities.

Accreditations.

Reputation and branding.

Cost advantages.

Lack of competitive positioning.

Unsustainable deadlines.

No accreditation or certification.

Under developed processes and systems.

Lack of experience and knowledge.

High turnover of staff.

Inadequate marketing.

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

New partnerships and distribution

channels.

Improvements to business technology.

Implementation of social media

networking strategies.

New product research and development.

Improved sustainability and

environmental impact.

Global market reach.

Changes to demographics and target

market needs.

Loss of financial backing.

Loss of staff.

Competitor impact.

Decrease in market share.

Changes to legislation or regulations

Restricted supply.

Cancelled contracts or partnerships.

Global financial impacts.

New technologies or advances.

You can audit your strengths and weaknesses against quality, time, cost,

competitor or industry benchmarks or performance indicators.

SWOT analysis can be used in many situations such as:

commercial viability

product positioning

branding

sales forecasting

acquisition strategies

human resource development

risk management

organisational design.

This analysis can be used for a product, place, person or industry. It can be a

useful tool to gather and organise information to assist in making informed

business decisions.

3.2 Facilitate individuals and teams active

participation in decision making processes

Leaders who understand fully the benefits of engaging their teams will invariably

be more successful than those who do not. There are several reasons for this:


Your teams and staff members know their job. They have a wealth of

knowledge of how to improve, providing your people with an opportunity

to contribute to decisions will have great benefits for the team and the

organisation.

Engaging your team will result in greater commitment from the team.

Teams who are involved and encouraged to improve are strong teams

who work well together. This increases productivity and outcomes.

Improved morale and sense of belonging will have benefits for all

concerned.

Advantages-employee-involvement-decision-making adapted from (small

business.chron.com)

As a leader you need to establish and facilitate a climate where team members

feel empowered and free to offer their ideas, opinions and assistance to others.

Team members should feel comfortable to question your decisions. This

demonstrates their desire to understand the leadership objectives.

Ideas to facilitate team contribution:

Regular team meetings – be sure to allow staff opportunity to raise issues

and provide ideas for solutions.

Department operational planning – allow staff to contribute suggestions

for planning and continuous improvement.

Team performance meetings – encourage open discussions about effective

team practices and areas for improvement.

Respect team members input into the decision making process; give ideas due

consideration and investigation. If you do not choose to take the idea on board,

provide feedback to the team, on the reason for your decision. Always remember

to thank the team for their active contributions.

3.2.1 Use group behaviour theory

There are many theories regarding behaviour of groups. One of the most popular

is the Forming - Storming - Norming - Performing Model of group development

first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965. He added the final stage, Adjourning

in the 1970s. This theory of team development and behaviour helps us to

understand the various stages and behaviours involved in group behaviour. The

characteristics of this model entail:

Forming

Transition from individual to member - strangers to group. Create a common

understanding among team members on team purpose. Formalities broken down to:

build strong relationships based on trust and mutual risk taking

support not inhibit the team

develop the role that the team play in the process.

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-employee-involvement-decision-making-18264.html


Identify common goals. Set boundaries and acceptable standards of behaviour.

Feelings: Excitement, anticipation, tentative, anxiousness, pride.

Behaviours Tries to find group norms, may complain about the company, and may be

difficult to define problems, impatience with discussion. Questioning,

socialising and displaying eagerness, Sticking to safe topics.

Raising the

questions?

What are we supposed to do? Where are the goals?

Where do I fit in?

Where do I go for the answers/help? What information do we need?

Storming

Possibly the most difficult stage. Group structure and patterns of interaction developed.

Lack of participation. Conflict and competition. Continue investment in the team as it

grows. Strive for cooperation on mission, goals and strategies, processes, structure,

membership and leadership. Performance determined and agreed on, may be conflict

and disruption as members accept team structure but resist perceived constraints on

individuality.

Feelings Resistance to tasks, preferring to do tasks as before. Changes and

fluctuations in attitude. High emotions.

Behaviours Arguing, defensive, establishing of unrealistic goals, a tendency to things

the way they have always been done.

Raising the

questions?

What were they thinking appointing him/her to the team?

How can I establish myself as a ‘power’ in the team?

How do they think we will ever achieve this task?

Don't they know how much work is involved here?

There's no way that we are going to get this stuff done

Norming

Teams opportunity to make up. Members enact roles, direct efforts towards goal

attainment and performance, are engaged and supportive. A return on the investment

(ROI) is seen through improvements in openness among team. Enhances outcomes and

learning. Successful organisations reduce tendency of teams to work on the wrong issues

and creates a better data flow. Strengths and weaknesses can be appraised,

opportunities exploited and threats overcome. Knowledge, understanding and cohesion

empowers the team.

Feelings Ability to express feelings, openly criticise, acceptance as team member, a

sense of relief that things will work out. Reconciliation and lowered anxiety.

Behaviours Friendliness, cohesion, establishing the ground rules and ‘norms’.

Raising the

questions?

How can we achieve harmony within the team?

How can I help other team mates and how can they help me?

Performing


Teams function well and produce measurable outcomes. High performance teams are

confident and able to resolve issues. ROI maximised due to knowledge and

understanding contributing to creative solutions, decisions, and opportunities.

Performance, role mix, structure, efficiency and cohesiveness examined in relation to

plans. Mature teams only need clear KPIs and motivation. Tasks completed, problems

solved. Results oriented. Cooperative.

Feelings Better understanding of each other, satisfaction with team progress, pride

with team progress. Celebrate, provide opportunities to share across

teams.

Behaviours Modelling of team behaviours, work through problems, close attachment to

the team. Teams work in an open and trusting flexible environment,

making and ownership of decisions.

Raising the

questions?

What improvements can be made?

How can we go about making these changes?

Adjourning

Completion - the break-up of the group, usually when the task is completed, its purpose

fulfilled. Individuals will be proud of having achieved much and glad to have been part of

such an enjoyable group.

Disbanding a team can create apprehension not all team members handle this well. This

last stage focuses on wrapping up activities rather than on task performance.

Feelings Sadness. Acknowledge change. Apprehension.

Behaviours Shift from task to process.

Provide opportunity for acknowledgements.

Provide opportunity for summative team evaluations.

Recognition of team and individual efforts.

3.3 Examine options and assess associated

risks to determine preferred course/s of

action

All managers need to be aware of potential risks and hazards in the

organisation. Consider the impact of decisions on organisational goals and

objectives and of course ensure the safety of all team members.

There are inherent risks with decision making. Thorough evaluation of the risks

and properly prepared contingency plans will prepare business should risk events

occur.

A risk is something that exposes the business, or its employees, to

danger, harm or loss.

Facilitating and encouraging team contribution of ideas means the business will

have new innovative concepts to consider. Risks are inherent with change.

Implementing a risk identification and management process will be necessary.


Example – New supplier for goods and services

Your organisation has been approached by a new supplier offering major discounts on our

core goods and services. The supplier we currently use has always delivered product on

time and has good warranty. What are the risks to move to the new supplier?

Some possible risks to the business with the new supplier

Unknown goods and services quality.

Unknown warranty provision and service reliability.

Financial impact of change.

Damaged relationship with existing supplier.

Effective management means evaluating these risks in terms of likelihood and

consequence. What will happen if we take this course of action? As a leader the above

risks need to be carefully assessed in terms of what could happen and what this would

mean for the organisation.

Consider the following. You decide to take the offer of discounted product and your

existing supplier decides to no longer support you. After three months the new supplier

can no longer supply you, he is no longer able to sustain these prices. Your older supplier

is also no longer prepared to supply you at the same price but will at an increase of 15%.

The result is major for the organisation. Not only have they jeopardised the relationship

with their suppliers but they now have to pay higher prices to provide the product.

Of course the new supplier may be entirely suitable. This is the purpose of risk

management. Making a decision based on firm, reliable information.

A risk management process will ensure that risks are identified and assessed at

regular intervals. Risk management plans should be reviewed when any change

occurs to policy, procedure, legislation, standards, equipment and operational

procedures.

Risk management – here is a useful link to reinforce this concept.

Lynda.com/Risk-management

Organisations need to manage and treat risk to safe guard the organisation.

3.3.1 Risk management

Risk categories

There are many areas where risks may be identified in an organisation, these

can be sorted into common risk categories:

Communications.

Compliance.

Consultative.

Environmental.

Finance.

Health and safety.

Human resources.

Legal.

Organisational brand.

Physical.

Political.

Quality.

Social.

Technology.

http://www.lynda.com/Network-Administration-tutorials/Risk-management/184459/188288-4.html


Risk classification

There are some variations of risk classification terminology across different

industries, for example:

Catastrophic, major, moderate, minor and insignificant

In comparison to:

Extreme, high, moderate and low

Essentially so long as there is a legend guiding the use of the classification

terminology, the application within the risk management process is the same.

Risk classification example: These classifications are used in determining the risk

tolerance level.

Risk examples:

The table below shows examples of risk for different areas of an organisation:

Score

Rating

Explanation

4

Extr

em

e

Managing people: Significant restrictions on resourcing key services or programs

nation-wide; serious breaches with employment arrangements; serious Financial

Management System FMS/Crime and Misconduct Commission CMC breach; multiple

deaths.

Product and service delivery: Nation-wide cessation of multiple services or

programs; greater than one month operational delay.

Information management/administrative systems: Nation-wide loss of

services, programs or data.

Infrastructure/asset management: Long-term and possible permanent loss of

property or assets.

Managing the environment (internal/external): Sustained adverse publicity;

extreme /public outrage nation-wide, permanent community/environmental impact.

3

Hig

h Managing people: Noticeable restrictions on resourcing some services or

programs; loss of life or permanent injury: Crime and misconduct investigation.

Product and service delivery: Cessation of some services or programs; up to

•Terminate activity EXTREME

•Transfer risk

•Treat risk (likelihood and /or consequence) HIGH

•Treat risk (by reducing likelihood and/or consequence)

MODERATE

•Tolerate risk LOW


Score

Rating

Explanation

one month operational delay.

Information management/administrative systems: Loss of or restrictions to

key services, programs; large loss or theft of data.

Infrastructure/asset management: Sustained damage to property or assets

lasting many months.

Managing the environment (internal/external): Significant political

sensitivity; long term detrimental impact on community or the environment or

stakeholder relationships.

2

Mo

derate

Managing people: Localised restrictions on resourcing services or programs;

serious injury requiring hospitalisation or medical treatment; minor code of

conduct breach.

Product and service delivery: Disruption to a number of services or programs;

up to one week operational delay.

Information management/administrative systems: Restrictions to services,

programs and loss or theft of some data.

Infrastructure/asset management: Significant but temporary damage to

property or assets.

Managing the environment (internal/external): Significant adverse publicity

nation-wide; adverse community or environmental impact in some locations.

1

Lo

w

Managing people: Minimal effect on resourcing services/programs; First-aid

injury (no lost time); local workforce management issue.

Product and service delivery: Minimal disruption to some services or

programs; up to one day operational delay.

Information management/administrative systems: Minor effect on services

or programs.

Infrastructure/asset management: Slight/temporary damage to property or

assets.

Managing the environment (internal/external): Short-term adverse

community impact in particular locations; short-term local environmental issue.

Organisations should take items below into account when determining the risk

level. Information can usually be gained from both internal and external sources.

Internal External

Accident and incident reports. Industry body newsletters.

Risk assessments conducted by internal staff. Risk assessments conducted by external staff.

Staff meetings and consultations. Internet.

WHS committee meetings and findings. Media.

Surveys. Workshops.

Ad hoc conversations and observations. Seminars.

General business documentation such as annual

reports and other policies and procedures.

Advice from and consultations with industry

experts.


Analyse risks

Determine the risk-analysis classification criteria and apply them to an agreed

risk-ranking system. Risk-ranking systems may include:

classification rankings (as discussed earlier: extreme to low)

consequence of risk scale

impact of risk scale

manual or software-based systems

organisational risk policies and methods

predetermined ranking criteria

target and trigger settings.

Risk Rating Matrix

Risk Rating

E: Extreme

M: Medium

H: High

L: Low

Likelihood

Rare Unlikely Possible Likely Almost

Certain

Consequence (

Impact)

Severe Medium High High Extreme Extreme

Major Medium Medium High High Extreme

Moderate Low Medium Medium High High

Minor Low Low Medium Medium High

Insignificant Low Low Low Medium Medium

The risk rating matrix shown above is used to combine the effects of the

consequences and likelihood ratings into an overall assessment of risk priority.

Example If I assess the likelihood of my risk as Possible; and the

consequence of my risk as Severe; then the overall assessment of

risk priority is High.

Defining risk levels

It is important to clarify what each level in the matrix represents to ensure it is

used correctly and consistently by those who use it. For example, how will a user

know the difference between a possible and a likely risk? What about the

difference between a major and critical risk? What actions should we take for

medium risks, as opposed to a high risk?

Standard risk likelihood scale


RATING DEFINITION SCALE

Almost certain Will definitely occur or will occur on an annual cycle 5

Likely Similar events have been experienced several times 4

Possible May occur once 3

Unlikely Occurs from time to time 2

Rare Occurrence is possible but highly unlikely 1

Standard risk consequences scale

Consequences represent the possible impact of the risk on project outcomes, if

it does occur.

RATING DEFINITION SCALE

Severe Most objectives cannot be met 5

Major Some important objectives cannot be met 4

Moderate Some objectives impacted but may still be met 3

Minor Minor effects that can be remedied 2

Insignificant Almost no impact on objectives 1

Definitions will differ from business to business as processes and risk aversion

strategies vary with organisational objectives.

Planning responses to specific risks

After all risks have been identified and analysed, managers need to determine

how each risk will be managed. You will also need to determine which risks will

undergo specific risk response or action, and which will not.

It is typical to focus risk-response planning on risks that fall into the high and

upper end of the medium priority on the selected risk-rating matrix. This rule of

thumb can be flexible depending on specific organisational risk guidelines. There

are four standard approaches to risk-response planning:


Negative risks or threats Positive risks or opportunities

Avoid Transfer Exploit Enhance

Mitigate Accept Share Accept

Risk avoidance

Removing a specific threat by eliminating the cause of the risk is effective risk

avoidance. This often involves a change to eliminate or bypass the risk entirely.

This may require extreme replanning or the inclusion of significant activities and

deliverables. This approach, therefore, is usually reserved for the highest-priority

risks that are likely to have the largest detrimental impacts on objectives.

Risk transference

Shifting some or all of the ownership of a risk to a third party and therefore

transferring negative impact is called risk transference. It does not meant the risk

has been eliminated; it simply means that someone else is responsible for

managing the consequences and likelihood. Transferring a risk often involves some

form of contractual arrangement between the organisation and the party taking on

the risk management responsibility (e.g. could be to seek insurance for the risk).

Risk mitigation

Actions taken to reduce the impacts of any risk are classed as risk mitigation.

Mitigation activities can reduce the likelihood of a risk, the consequences of a

risk, or both. Taking action early to reduce a risk is recommended, rather than

trying to rectify the situation after the risk has occurred. This is especially

relevant for risks with medium to high-risk priority ratings.

Risk acceptance

•Removing a specific threat by eliminating the cause of the risk

AVOID

•Involves shifting some or all of the ownership of a risk to a third party

TRANSFER

•Actions taken in order to reduce the impacts of any risk

MITIGATE

•Passively accepting that the risk may occur

ACCEPT

•Terminate activity Extreme

•Transfer risk

•Treat risk (likelihood +/or consequence)

High

•Treat risk (by reducing likelihood +/or consequence)

Moderate

•Tolerate risk Low


Involves passively accepting the risk may occur and choosing not to mitigate or

respond to it in any way. Risk acceptance is recommended when the risks have

a low risk priority rating; so therefore they are extremely unlikely to occur and

the impact would be insignificant.

Risk assessment and control

The risk assessor needs to define appropriate risk control measures that are

achievable. When documenting controls the following should be included:

risk ID (relating to the actual risk being addressed)

description of the control strategy (terminate/transfer/treat/tolerate)

description of the control

resources required

timeframe

person responsible

status of completion.


This Risk Assessment Matrix is a spreadsheet used for risk assessment and control:

Risk Assessment Matrix

Risk Definition Risk Analysis Risk Control

Risk

#Priority

Risk Description Causes Consequences Likelihood Impact Risk

Rating

Risk Control

Strategy

Owner Expected

occurrence

Date / Phase

Expected

Retirement

Date / Phase

Status

The following content has been added to demonstrate how the spreadsheet can be utilised.

Risk Assessment Matrix

Risk Definition Risk Analysis Risk Control

Risk

#Priority

Risk

Description

Causes Consequences Likelihood Impact Risk

Rating

Risk Control Strategy Owner Expected

occurrence

Date / Phase

Expected

Retirement

Date /

Phase

Status

E.g.

Fence will not

be straight

Insufficient care

taken during

alignment. Fence

foundations sink

after installation

Fence will look

bad. Damage to

company

reputation.

Customer

refuses to pay

for fence

Possible Major Extreme

Include hold points in

project inspection and

test plan that requires

review and sign off by

the project Client,

Foreman and Project

Manager;

a - at completion of

mark-out

b - prior to pouring

foundation

Quality

Manager

Foundation

digging and

pouring from

15th Jan 20xx

30th Jan 20xx

Open


3.4 Ensure decisions are timely and

communicate them clearly to individuals and

teams

Once all information is to hand and you have sorted your employees’ opinions and

ideas, you should make a decision. It can be demotivating as a team member to

have made an effort to contribute ideas and never hear the outcome or decision

that resulted. Decision should be made in a timely manner, so delays do not

impact on the currency of information collected and evaluated.

You need to set benchmarks for implementation of your decisions and assess your

actual performance against those benchmarks. For example are the minutes of

staff meetings made available to all staff within 12 hours? Within one week? On

the company intranet or emailed to each staff member involved? Setting these

guidelines will ensure the decisions are communicated in time and make sense to

those involved.

Important considerations should include but are not limited to:

communicate clearly

set out what your team can expect from your communication

ask your team how they want to be communicated with (if appropriate)

communicate decisions quickly as possible to indicate appreciation for the

input and to motivate your team to continue to be involved

acknowledge contribution of team members and provide feedback

provide progress reports on initiatives, this will keep the commitment levels

of your team high, this includes wins and successes as well as delays and

issues.

You may choose to communicate the decision by:

calling a staff meeting

sending an email communication

placing a notice with, or on, weekly payslips

on company intranet.

3.4.1 Communication plan

Established communications procedures and protocols through any organisation

need to work well. Effective communication needs to be an immediate and

ongoing priority for everyone. A procedure for communicating across all levels

requires an understanding of the following:


Open communication means any and every member of your team feels free to

communicate with you as their manager and with other management at any time for

any reason.

How a team communicates with a manager depends on the information to be

communicated, reason for the communication and the needs and working

arrangements of all stakeholders.

Communicating with relevant stakeholders

Stakeholders refer to anyone who may be impacted by or interested in the

information. They can be a tremendous source of ideas and support, but if

uninformed can cause problems for your team or project. They may include:

Why communicate

•Communication is necessary to monitor progress of the individual, team or project and any issues, concerns or problems can be known before they escalate.

How to communicate

•Use a variety of methods including the following:

•Face to face.

•Formal/informal interaction.

•Verbal.

•Written.

•Electronic communication - e.g.email, skype.

•How an individual or team communicates with managers depends on the information to be communicated and the reasons for communicating.

When to communicate

•This depends on the needs of the stakeholders.

•Open communication must be maintained.

•Communicate more often than not enough.

•Management needs to be aware of the team’s progress at all times

•This may be by means of daily or weekly reports

•Issues that arise needing urgent attention must be immediately communicated to the appropriate manager

What to communicate

•Depends on parameters set out.

•Usually an organisation will set out progress reports needed for stakeholders.

•Meeting and time schedules may need to be maintained.

•Managers like to be kept in the loop, progress reports may be required.

•It may be suitable to communicate certain information via informal discussions.

Employees directly affected by changes

to the workforce

Line managers and supervisors directly affected by changes

to the workforce

Employee representative bodies (e.G.

Unions)

External parties (i.E. Clients)

Contractors and suppliers affected

by changes to the workforce

Education and training

organisations involved in

workforce planning

Shareholders


Obviously the information that needs to be communicated will depend on your

organisation and each situation will differ depending on the needs of the

stakeholder.

A communication plan will generally inform stakeholders of:

aim and objectives of initiatives, plans or changes

how initiatives are linked to organisational goals and objectives

reasons for change and implications of the changes

the benefits (if any)

what is required of employees/ stakeholders

expected results

where to get further information and who to contact

legal rights and obligations if applicable

timelines for implementation

how feedback can be provided.

Communication is essential in the effective management of any change. While

face to face communications are important these may need to be balanced with

effective written communications for people to take away and digest in their own

time. This may include fact sheets, memos, noticeboards, newsletters, intranet

notices and so on.

Steps in creating an effective written communication tool

Communication needs to be a two-way process. This means that employees and

other stakeholders need to feel that they can ask questions and participate

proactively in the process of communication. In addition, wherever possible, open

consultation with employees and other stakeholders will go a long way to breaking

down barriers. Consultation can be formal or informal, however it is essential that

the process is open (although confidentiality should be maintained), accessible

and honest.

When conducting your stakeholder analysis and developing your communications

plan, it is important to consider how your stakeholders prefer to be communicated

with. Whilst some stakeholders will want face-to-face meetings, many prefer to

use other methods.

When preparing a plan for your organisation remember to keep the process clear,

easy to understand and appropriate to the needs of those involved.

Collecting and

organising all relevant

information

Planning the

document

Drafting the

document

Editing the document

Drawing up and

proofreading the final copy


Communication plan Manager

ID

Communication Description Frequency Format Owner Recipient/ Attendees

1 What type of

communication

is this?

Describe the

contents/

purpose of

communication.

How

often?

E.g. email,

meeting.

Who

sends?

Who receives?

2

3

4

5

Effective communication skills assists in disseminating decisions to all employees.

See the appendix on interpersonal skills for more information.

3.5 Prepare plans to implement decisions and

ensure they are agreed by relevant

individuals and teams

When implementing decisions, an action plan is helpful to record individual

responsibilities so all employees are aware of their job roles and functions. The

action plan may also provide guidance on task completion dates.

Staff that are responsible for the implementation of actions relating to the

decision could be asked to contribute to putting together an action plan for best

results. When allocating tasks consider individual strengths, weaknesses, and

interests of team members.

When agreeing implementation plans with relevant parties ensure the following

points are discussed:

resources required

specific client and stakeholder requirements

how the change will support operational plans

contingency plans.

Putting plans into writing and ensuring they are approved, enables leaders to spot

flaws and make changes if necessary. Having plans approved ensures all key

decision makers are in support of the changes.


3.5.1 Implementation plans

Implementation planning should consider several important aspects.

The scope of our legitimate authority in view of relevant laws, agreements,

understandings, and stakeholder expectations.

Are we within our rights to pursue the proposed course of action?

If not, have we secured the necessary approvals?

Do we have the resources, including the knowledge and skills as well as

tangible resources, required to carry out the proposed action?

If not, do we have the ability to organise the needed resources?

(Freelance-market, n.d.)

Implementation plan template

Plan type (Insert the purpose of your plan)

Time frame (insert month and year)

Issues Comments

1 Insert into this section the current situation and issues which you would like to

resolve

(Eg. The business has relocated, is well resourced but at an awkward phase in

its development – risks need to be taken for growth to be achieved – need

additional staff to grow the business further)

2

3

Future

No. Objectives Measures of performance

1 Insert the objectives you aim to

achieve based on issues listed above.

Insert measurements used to assess

whether the objectives have been

successfully achieved.

2 (E.g. Need another admin support

person and a full time sales resource)

(E.g. Ratios of labour costs to sales

around 22%)

Depending on the structure you will need to gain the agreement and acceptance

of these plans. Remember effective leaders include their teams. Lack of

involvement can lead to low levels of commitment and low motivation.


3.5.2 Implementation process

Figure 2: Implementation process (adapted from Sisep.fpg.unc.edu, 2015)

Exploration stage

The goal of this stage is to allow time to assess the needs, new change or

requirements, and resources. Then to make a decision to proceed (or not).

Potential barriers to implementation are assessed at this stage (e.g. relating to

funding, staffing, referrals, and system changes). During this stage, champions

are identified and engaging stakeholders for feedback occurs. The result of the

Exploration Stage is a clear implementation plan with tasks and time lines to

facilitate initial implementation of the program.

Installation stage

What needs to be accomplished before the change in practice begins? These

activities define this stage. Resources are consumed in preparation for actually

doing things differently in line with stakeholders needs. These include ensuring

the availability of funding streams and human resource strategies, policy and

procedure development and creating reporting frameworks for expected

outcomes. These activities and their associated ‘start-up costs’ are necessary first

steps to begin any implementation of a new practice or innovation.

Initial implementation stage

This stage is known as the ‘awkward stage’. Even the best laid out plans offer

opportunities for learning and improvement. The motto is to ‘get started and then

get better’. Effective leadership is critical during this stage since new challenges

emerge from staff due to fear of change, inertia, and investment in the status

quo. Hand-in-hand with success is the willingness to learn from mistakes and

Exploration

•Assess your needs, the needs of your team and organisation.

•How will you implement your plans?

Installation

•Get ready.

•Prepare and manage the resources required including physical, financial and human.

•Gain full agreement from teams and managers.

Initial implementation

•Manage the implementation

•What needs to change?

•Manage that change.

•Create and manage improvment plans.

•Gain agreement for any changes ot the inital plan.

Full implementation

•Review and evaluate

•Assess the understanding of your team to the changes.

•Monitor success and outcomes.


develop system solutions when appropriate, rather than allowing problems to re-

emerge and re-occur.

Full implementation stage

Full implementation can occur once new learning becomes integrated into all

practices, policies, and procedures. Over time, the innovation becomes ‘accepted

practice’ and a new level of ‘business as usual’ takes its place.

To reach Full Implementation typically takes two to four years, depending on the

complexity of the practice and the size of the organisation. Regular assessment of

overall implementation is important to avoid conflict, poor outcomes and issues

arising from lack of appropriate and meaningful feedback.

(Adapted from Sisep.fpg.unc.edu, 2015).

3.6 Use feedback processes effectively to

monitor the implementation and impact of

decisions

Feedback is vital information to evaluate the implementation and impact of

decisions in the workplace. Feedback can be sought from employees and

customers alike.

Actively seek feedback on implementation and impact of decisions by asking key

questions:

What has worked well?

What improvements have been achieved?

What is not working?

What should be done differently?

Be open to feedback and take on the information provided.

Organisations should have systems in place to encourage and capture both

internal and external feedback. These processes or systems form part of the

continuous improvement processes allowing the collection of information to allow

for planning and improvement both immediately and in the future. Some

processes include:

surveys

suggestion boxes

complaints and compliment procedures

tool box meetings

focus groups.


A good feedback process is an effective means for obtaining valuable customer

insights and then taking action. This on-going feedback process increases client

confidence and trust.

Benefits of a well-designed feedback process:

Customer engagement.

Client satisfaction and retention levels.

Future opportunities for business growth are identified.

Customer needs and expectations can then be aligned with company goals

and objectives.

Once you receive the feedback it is important to monitor the results. Why?

To be able to demonstrate improvement.

To understand the progress of improvement or lack of improvement.

To provide relevant information to stakeholders as required.

To communicate the improvements over time.

To build a business case for more staff or different roles as required in

response to feedback and results, or to apply for budget consideration for a

particular project.

Monitoring results can include establishing an electronic system of recording

comments, results of surveys, minutes of meetings and other important

information which helps inform your decision making. It also allows you to

accurately provide this information to those who need it.

Recording and monitoring the feedback provided and given is an important step in

assessing the outcomes of your operations.

Surveys – results can form a record of improvement or a plan to make

changes to improve performance.

Suggestion boxes are an informal and anonymous way of asking and

receiving feedback, it may not be useful but does need to be recorded and

monitored for effective suggestions and solutions.

Complaint and compliment processes are important sources of information,

this needs to be recorded as it can form part of the continuous

improvement and performance review process for teams and individuals.

Tool box meetings or regular team meetings provide a more informal

meeting environment which needs to maintain minutes to keep track of

ideas for implementation. Previous meeting minutes can provide items for

action and progress updates for managers.

Focus groups are semi-formal interviews in a group setting. They have the

potential to gather a wide range of people to provide ideas about a specific

issue. A facilitator leads the discussion encouraging members to take part

openly with the purpose of gaining insight from a target group. The interaction


of the group can often present information that may not have presented itself

individually. It is essential to record the results and use these results to

improve the area which forms the subject of the focus group.

Remember commitment comes from understanding and including your team in

the planning and decision making processes. They need to know and deserve to

be involved, the benefits are obvious.

Often we can get caught up with expensive feedback systems, when in reality,

feedback gathered through informal process can be very effective. Social media

applications offer a low cost application that can facilitate receipt of feedback.

Remember that any feedback, negative and positive, is information you can use to

improve your workplace. Good leaders will always be open to hearing honest

feedback from employees and staff alike.


Conclusion

Now you have completed the unit of show leadership in the workplace, you will

have an improved understanding of the skills, knowledge and behaviours you will

need to demonstrate as an effective leader.

Leadership involves having a vison of what the organisation can become, creating a different future, and having the strategy to get there.

Leadership is about creating organisational cuture, renewing values and helping others to grow.

(Kotter1990; Gardner and Schein 1985)


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http://work.chron.com/code-conduct-workplace-6237.html


Appendix: Leadership styles and concepts

Leadership style Definition

Autocratic

Also known as authoritarian leadership, is a leadership style

identified by individual control over all choices and minimal input

from staff. These leaders naturally make choices based on their

own ideas and decisions and infrequently accept guidance from

staff. The leadership style involves absolute control over everything

by the leader.

Bureaucratic

Bureaucratic leaders work by the book and follow rules rigorously,

and ensure that their people follow procedures precisely. They lead

by example and compliance to organisational requirements.

Democratic

Also known as participative leadership, is a type of leadership style

in which management give a voice to their staff. Employees are

given a more participative role in the decision-making process.

Researchers have established that this style is usually one of the

most effective and can result in higher productivity, superior

contributions from employees, and increases in confidence.

Laissez-faire

Also known as delegation leadership. A leadership style with

leaders who are laidback and delegate responsibility, they allow

group members to make the decisions. Researchers have found

that this is the leadership style that has the tendency to create the

least efficiency among employees.

Paternalistic

Paternalistic leadership is a methodology that is based,

intentionally or unintentionally, on the idea that the leader is in a

superior position than the employees to know what is best for the

organisation, or the employees. In a nutshell it's the ‘leader as

expert father figure’.

Comparison of leadership styles

Area of concern

Auto

cra

tic

Bure

aucra

tic

Dem

ocra

tic

Lais

sez F

air

e

Pate

rnalistic

Who does the

planning? Leader Leader

Leader plus

group

Individuals or

groups Leader

Who does the

problem solving? Leader

Leader plus

group

Leader plus

group

Individuals or

groups Leader

Who makes Leader Leader Leader plus Individuals or Leader


Area of concern

Auto

cra

tic

Bure

aucra

tic

Dem

ocra

tic

Lais

sez F

air

e

Pate

rnalistic

decisions? group groups

What is the

direction of

communication?

Down Up and down Down, up

and across Across Down

Where is the

responsibility for

achievement felt?

Leader Leader plus

group

Leader plus

group Not felt Leader

Where does the

responsibility

actually lie?

Leader Leader Leader Leader Leader

Leader’s

confidence level in

subordinates

Little to

none Moderate High High Low

Leader’s rapport

with subordinates Low Moderate High Questionable Low

Amount of

delegation of

authority by leader

None Limited High High None

Crisis management Good Good Poor Chaotic Moderate

Change

management Poor Moderate Good Ineffective Moderate


Appendix: Legislation in Australian Business

This section is intended to provide an introduction to commonly used legislative and

regulatory instruments that impact on businesses in Australia. The legislation referred to

below is by no means exhaustive, but its relevance to compliance requirements is imperative.

The information provided here is not to be used as a means of providing legal advice to

others. The document is intended to provide general legislative and regulatory compliance

guidelines relating to business activities. The document is to be used as a starting point for

your own research into a particular issue. In today’s business environment private

organisations, irrespective of their business structure, as well as public sector agencies are

bound by the compliance requirements impacting on their operations. You must remember

Australian businesses are obligated to comply with a range of laws.

Legal compliance is mandatory in all business organisations. Non-

compliance is not tolerated. Ignorance of the law is no excuse!

Legislation is a set of rules, regulations or guidelines passed by an Act of parliament

(state, or Commonwealth).

Regulations support legislation and set out standards, procedures and guidelines in the

compliance of the legislation. These rules and guidelines assist organisations in properly

carrying out compliance requirements as per the relevant legislation.

Standards are usually in the form of codes of practice and relevant industry standards.

Standards apply to both private organisations and public sector agencies and

departments. It must be noted - standards are not law as such but non-compliance of the

prescribed standards and codes of practice will be evidence in itself of a breach of the

legislation and regulations and expose the person or organisation to potential liability.

General Consumer Protection Laws

The Australian Consumer Law gives effect to the most significant and extensive consumer

law reforms in Australia since 1974. It commenced on 1 January 2011 and provides a

single, national consumer law implemented through the laws of the Commonwealth

(including the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth), to be renamed the Competition and

Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)) and of each state and territory. Federal Consumer laws govern

how businesses interact with their suppliers, customers and other businesses. They also

outline the legal rights of businesses and business owners when potential legal issues arise.

Legislation that impacts on business operations.

Managers need to be aware of legislation relevant to their particular managerial functions

and industry. Employers and managers are required to understand legal compliance issues

within their respective organisations and be able to carry out compliance at all times as

part of the management process.

Managers are both professionally and legally accountable for their conduct and work

practices within their areas of responsibility. Both the common law and statutory

provisions are legally binding on managers when conducting business operations.

Managers are therefore required to comply with the legislative and regulatory provisions

that impinge on their particular business operation(s). A failure on the part of the manager

or business owner to comply with legislative requirements will subject him or her to

potential liability. This liability will also extend to the organisation itself. Depending on the


nature of the liability, the manager or business owner may well be liable to civil action and

or criminal prosecution. An example of this would be were the manager or business owner

is found to have been negligent in the workplace under the respective workplace

legislation. The business owner may well face a negligence claim as well as a potential

criminal prosecution. Liability would also extend to the organisation, if the organisation is

a corporation registered under the Corporation Act (Cth). In the case of a partnership

structure, each of the partners would be liable.

Remember government regulations and legislation are dynamic and change

often. It is your responsibility to remain up to date.

Access to state and Commonwealth Acts and Regulations can be found online at a number

of sources. Some useful internet sites are:

Business.gov.au , ComLaw, Freedom-of-information, Fair work , Comcare

Often federal legislation is different to that of each state, make sure you are compliant

with the correct legislation. If you are not sure, check!

Issue Legislation Details

Affirmative

action

Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth

Authorities) Act 1987

Anti-bullying Fair Work Act 2009

Work Health and Safety Act 2011

People who believe they're being bullied in the workplace can apply to the

Fair Work Commission for help in resolving the issue. Bullying occurs when a

person or group of people, repeatedly behave unreasonably towards a

worker. The behaviour also has to be deemed a risk to the worker's health or

safety.

Anti-

discrimination

Anti-discrimination is covered under the

following federal legislation:

Age Discrimination Act 2004 (Cth)

Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth)

Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth)

Sex Discrimination Act 19Fair Work Act

2009 (Cth)

Disability Discrimination and Other

Human Rights Legislation Amendment

Act 2009 (Cth)

Australian Human Rights Commission Act

1986 (Cth)

Racial Discrimination Amendment Act

1980 (Cth)

Equal Employment Opportunity

(Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987

State and territory legislation follows

federal Acts. For example:

Anti-Discrimination Act 1990 (QLD)

Together, they prohibit discrimination on the basis of: gender, sexual

preference, political opinion, trade union activities, colour, race and

ethnicity, social origin, religion, nationality, family responsibility,

irrelevant medical record, irrelevant criminal history, age, marital status,

carer status, parental status, breastfeeding, disability or pregnancy.

Managers need to ensure that performance-management processes do

not contravene anti-discrimination legislation. A manager can be seen to

discriminate against employees when they treat those with a particular

attribute (i.e. age, gender, parental status, disability) less favourably than

employees without that attribute or with a different attribute. Employers

and managers are also considered to be acting in a discriminatory manner

if they impose an employment condition that:

an employee with a particular attribute cannot comply with

a higher percentage of people without an attribute can comply with

a higher percentage of people with a different attribute can comply with

is universally applied and that people with an impairment or a disability cannot meet

is unreasonable.

http://www.business.gov.au/

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/

http://www.oaic.gov.au/freedom-of-information

http://www.fairwork.gov.au/about-us

chttp://www.comcare.gov.au/the_scheme/the_src_act



Competition

laws/

Consumer laws

Product liability

regulation

Australian Consumer Law (ACL). The

standards are enforced by the ACCC

Australian Competition and Consumer

Commission. The regulator for Australian

consumer protection legislation in

Australia - Competition and Consumer Act

2010 (Cth)

Provides regulations on unfair contract terms, consumer rights

guarantees, product safety laws, unsolicited consumer agreements, lay-

by agreements and penalties, and other areas. Further information see

Australian Consumer Law: Legislative and Governance Forum on

Consumer Affairs.

Copyright Copyright Act 1968

Federal legislation applicable throughout

Australia.

The copyright law of Australia defines legally enforceable rights of

intellectual property which includes creators of creative and artistic

works.

Employee

rehabilitation

and

compensation

Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation

Act 1988 (SRC Act) (Cth).

Workers Compensation and

Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld) Worker

Compensation Act 1987 (NSW)

Workplace Injury, Rehabilitation and

Compensation Act 2013(VIC)

The SRC Act 1988 covers:

Commonwealth and ACT public servants

employees of Commonwealth and ACT statutory authorities and corporations

Australian Defence Force members for injuries before 1 July 2004

employees of corporations with a licence to self-insure under the SRC Act.

The SRC Act provides rehabilitation and workers’ compensation to

employees covered by the scheme for a work related injury.

QLD legislation established a workers compensation scheme for

Queensland which provides benefits for workers who sustain injury in

their employment, and also for dependants if an injury results in the

workers death.

Employment

contracts

See also

independent

contractors

This comes under the general law of

contract and determines the legal

relationship between employers and

employees, and sets out the terms and

conditions of employment. Employment

law is also governed by the Fair Work Act

(Cth).

Note: many of the legal requirements

mentioned here also refer to

employment relations under the Fair

Work Act 2009

Particular issues covered include:

codes of conduct that employees are required to comply with

contractual requirements for both employers and employees under a contract of employment

organisational policies that employees need to observe, these requirements are generally set out by Human Resource Management Department

the grounds upon which an employer can terminate without notice

period of notice an employee needs to be given when employment is terminated with notice

how and when an employee’s performance will be appraised or reviewed

how the employee will be remunerated for their work.

The Act set out the rights and obligations of employers and employees, and

the legal nature of the contract, i.e. is it based around an award or industrial

agreement? Or a separate individual contract governed by common law. The

Act imposes duties on employees and employers. These duties are analogous

to the conditions stipulated in a common law contract of employment. A

contract of employment is to be distinguished from a contract for

employment (Independent contractor).

Environmental

Australian, state and territory governments, and local

governments jointly administer environmental protection.

There are many pieces of legislation which apply, check

which one applies in your situation. The following are some

examples:

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth)

Federal legislation governs the process of assessment and approval of

national environmental and cultural concerns.

State and territory environmental protection legislation applies to specific

business activities.

For further information, see business.gov.au: Environmental legislation.



Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 (Qld)

Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld)

Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Qld)

Queensland Heritage Act 1992

Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (Qld)

Ethical

principles

There is no specific legislation that deals

with ethical standards and conduct.

However in terms of legislation governing

the public service sector there are laws

that apply. Eg: the Public Sector Ethics

Act 1994 applies to Queensland Public

Service.

No specific legislation exist that applies

to relevant industry delete this. The

following legislation impacts on ethical

behaviour and conduct in general.

Crime and Corruption Act 2001 (Qld)

Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010 (Qld)

Standards detail the kind of behaviour a company or person with sound ethics

should and should not engage in. These standards are normally contained in

the Human Resource manual of each organisation. (Look at the HR manual at

your workplace).

Unethical actions will destroy trust and credibility.

Ethical principles include: honesty, integrity, promise keeping, loyalty,

fairness, caring, respect for others, legality, commitment to excellence,

leadership, reputation, accountability and avoiding conflicts of interest.

Ethical principles and considerations are generally dealt with by separate

pieces of legislation depending on the legal matter involved.

Common Law has implications as well with regard to Ethical

considerations. As always seek legal advice for your specific issue.

Each business should have relevant HR policy and procedures covering

this for their practices.

Freedom of

information

Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) The FOI Act provides a legally enforceable right of access to government

documents. It applies to Australian Government ministers and most

agencies, although the obligations of agencies and ministers are different.

FOI allows individuals to see what information government holds about

them, and to seek correction of that information if they consider it wrong

or misleading.

Human rights The Australian Human Rights Commission

Act 1986 (Cth)

Australia is a signatory to Treaties and Conventions dealing with Human rights

which legally binds Australia to Human Rights Laws.

Independent

contractors

See also

employment

contracts

Before entering into a contract,

determine whether someone is classified

as an independent contractor or an

employee. This will determine the rights

and responsibilities of each party.

Independent contractors are self-employed and provide a service to a

business.

They negotiate their own payments and work arrangements, and can

work for a range of clients at any given time. Indpendant contractors are

required to take out their own private superannaution, workers

compensation, and in many cases professional indemnity insurance.

Industrial

relations

legislation

Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) The current Commonwealth legislation is a principal Law that governs

Industrial relations in Australia.

The Act deals with workplace disputes, unfair dismissal, and anti-

discrimination. Allows workplace disputes to be settled by enterprise

bargaining between employers and unions in the workplace. If the

dispute is not able to be settled, it then goes to Fair Work Ombudsman

and Fair Work Commission. The QLD legislation -Industrial Relations Act

1999 (QLD) governs public service employees as well statutory authorities

such as City Council employees. This group of employees do not fall

within the ambit of the Commonwealth legislation.

Privacy Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)

You must be aware of your obligations

under the Australian Privacy Principles

(APPs).

Australia has national privacy legislation,

There are specific requirements for the management of sensitive

information e.g. medical records.

Legislation applies to a number of different activities and sectors.

Australian states and territories also have individual privacy laws that may

apply in the workplace and affect business in each jurisdiction. A new set



overseen by the Office of the Australian

Information Commissioner (OAIC). This

regulates how businesses collect, access,

and store personal information and

communication.

of privacy principles was introduced in March 2014. The principles cover

how a business handles personal information, including the:

handling and processing of personal information

use of personal information for direct marketing

disclosure of personal information to people overseas.

Racial

discrimination

Racial Discrimination Act 1975

Sex

discrimination

Sex Discrimination Act 1984

Trade practices Australian Consumer Law (Trade

Practices Amendment (Australian

Consumer Law) Act (No. 1) 2010; Trade

Practices Amendment (Australian

Consumer Law) Act (No. 2) 2010)

From 1 January 2011, Australian Consumer Law reforms introduced a new

regulatory environment for competition and consumer protection laws in

Australia. The Competition and Consumer Act 2010 replaces the Trade

Practices Act 1974 (Cth) (TPA). All references to ’TPA‘ refer to provisions

of the Competition and Consumer Act (from 1 January 2011) and the

former Trade Practices Act (up to 31 December 2010). See Competition

laws and Competition Laws in this table for more information.

Competition and Consumer Act 2010

Unfair dismissal

Or unlawful

dismissal

The primary piece of legislation relating

to unfair and unlawful dismissal is Fair

Work Act 2009 (Cwlth).

Under this legislation, employees can claim their dismissal was harsh,

unjust or unreasonable, not a case of genuine redundancy or the

dismissal was not consistent with the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code.

Work health

and safety

Work Health and Safety Act 2011(QLD)

Some states still use their own

occupational health and safety (OH&S)

laws, so be sure to check with your state

as to the particular areas you need to

comply with.

Under health and safety legislation,

employers have a duty to ensure that

employees' working environments are

safe and pose no threats to their health

and wellbeing.

Under this legislation, risks to health and safety also includes bullying and

violence in the workplace. Bullying can be defined as repeated,

unreasonable behaviour directed at employees that poses risk to health

and safety. Management needs to ensure that in carrying out their duties,

their behaviour cannot be construed as bullying. Particularly relevant

when addressing poor employee performance. They should be careful not

to:

verbally abuse employees, exclude or isolate employees

set employees impossible tasks or assignments

harass employees, psychologically or otherwise, or intimidate employees

intentionally withhold information vital for effective work performance

assign meaningless tasks to employees are not job related.

Workplace

diversity

This federal and state legislation covers workplace diversity and equal opportunity in Australia:

Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth)

Age Discrimination Act 2004(Cth)

Sex Discrimination Act 1984(Cth)

Racial Discrimination Act 1975(Cth)

Racial Hatred Act 1995(Cth)

Disability Discrimination Act 1992(Cth)

Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (Act)

Fair Work Act 2009(Cth)

Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987

State-based anti-discrimination and WHS laws

Remember: You need to be aware of your own responsibilities. Legislation changes, keep up to date.

Non-compliance is not tolerated and ignorance of the law is no excuse!

Appendix: Interpersonal skills

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/ActCompilation1.nsf/current/bytitle/83C2B3F207F6B920CA25780D007BE2A8?OpenDocument&mostrecent=1


Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day to communicate and

interact with other people, individually and in groups. People who have worked on

developing strong interpersonal skills are usually more successful in both their

professional and personal lives.

Employers often seek to hire staff with ‘strong interpersonal skills’ - they want

people who will work well in a team and be able to communicate effectively with

colleagues, customers and clients. Examples of good interpersonal skills:

Questioning to clarify and confirm customer needs.

Listening to their answers and clarifying their needs.

Summarising and repeating their request to be sure you have heard them!

Using appropriate body language - the conscious and unconscious

movements and postures by which attitudes and feelings are

communicated. Jack’s arms were crossed and he was frowning! It seems

pretty obvious that things were not going well. Or is it? Perhaps he is

unhappy or unwell? The 5 Cs of body language at Changing Minds

(Techniques/body language ) is a great place to start research into body

language and the nonverbal ways we all communicate.

Set a positive tone.

Give people lots of opportunities to ask questions and voice their concerns

about the process and use of the information.

Probe for the information you need with confidence but not arrogance.

Ask questions that encourage people to describe applicable occurrences and

situations.

General notes on communication

Verbal communication: Clarity of speech, remaining calm and focused, being

polite and following basic rules of etiquette will aid effective verbal

communication. The words we use are as important as the tone of voice.

Nonverbal communication: When we communicate, non-verbal cues can be as

important, or in some cases even more important, than what we say. This refers

to body language and body movements, posture, eye contact and proxemics

(closeness and personal space).

Listening skills: Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret

messages in the communication process. Listening is not the same as hearing.

Hearing refers to the sounds you hear, listening requires more than that: it

requires focus. Pay attention to the story and how it is told. If you are talking you

cannot be listening!

Reflecting skills: Even if you have excellent listening skills the only person who

can tell you if you have understood correctly or not is the speaker. Reflect on

what you have heard and what this means to you and others concerned with the




message. If you are not sure you have understood or need to be sure, move onto

the clarifying stage.

Clarifying skills: This involves offering back to the speaker the essential

meaning, as understood by the listener, of what they have just said. Checking for

understanding will avoid areas of confusion and misunderstanding. Think of the

number of times you have misunderstood, not asked for clarification and gone off

on a tangent.

Building interpersonal relationships

Some people build interpersonal relationships easily and naturally, while others gain

this ability with experience and practice. Either way, improving and understanding

these skills can help you with your relationships in life as well as at work.

Good interpersonal skills are not necessarily a natural function of age and

experience. You may find you have to work at particular skills you lack, such as

listening well, being assertive, tact and confidence.

Poor interpersonal skills Excellent interpersonal skills

Communication skills may be basic. May

be reasonably good at listening.

Communication skills are well developed.

Practiced and skilled listeners.

Assertive behaviour may need developing. Assertive (not aggressive).

Not persuasive, may not clarify or reflect. Highly persuasive, tactful and diplomatic.

Lacking confidence to approach a variety

of people.

Confident approaching a range of people.

Assertiveness: This is often wrongly confused with aggression. To be assertive

you are neither passive nor aggressive in your interactions with others.

Assertiveness means standing up for your personal rights and expressing your

thoughts, feelings and beliefs in a direct, honest and appropriate way.

Building rapport: Rapport is a state of harmonious understanding with another

individual or group that enables greater and easier communication. In other

words, rapport is getting on well with another person or group of people. Rapport

can be built and developed by finding common ground, developing a bond and

being empathic.

Charisma: Ultimately, charisma is the result of excellent communication and

interpersonal skills. These skills can be learnt and developed, so developing

charisma is also possible!

The art of tact and diplomacy: These are methods used to aid effective

communication, especially during negotiation and when attempting to be

persuasive or assertive. Using tact and diplomacy appropriately can lead to

improved relationships with other people and are a way to build and develop

mutual respect. Tact and diplomacy are skills centred on an understanding of

other people and being sensitive to their opinions, beliefs, ideas and feelings.


Sometimes the most appropriate action may be to withhold your opinion, or it

may be possible to introduce an idea, or favoured outcome, in such a way that the

other person can take ownership of it.

‘Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.’ – Isaac Newton.

How to be polite: Courtesy means being aware of and respecting the feelings of

other people. We may not always notice politeness but we usually notice rudeness

or inconsiderate behaviour. Exercising good manners includes using appropriate

language and being respectful of gender, race, religion, political viewpoints and

other potentially controversial or difficult subjects.

Persuasion and influencing skills: The art of persuasion is to convince others

to support the idea and want to do it your way. The best way to do this is in a way

that others will not notice.

Consider the following fable:

The wind and the sun decided to have a competition to decide once and for all who

was stronger. They agreed that the winner would be the one who could persuade a

man to take off his coat. The wind blew and blew, but the man only held on more

tightly to his coat. Then the sun shone gently down, and within minutes, the man

took off his coat.

The lesson in the story is that bluster and aggression is far less effective than

gently persuading someone to want what you want.

Facilitation skills: The facilitator’s role is to support the process. It is not

necessary to be a subject expert to be a good facilitator. Facilitate during

communication so everyone is given a chance to air their views. Support the

building of effective relationships, including mediation, if necessary.

Documents

Participant Learning Guide