Assessment Task: Plan and present workplace communication and consultation systems
Outcomes -
Submit a communications planning portfolio that included:
- a communications and consultation strategy?
- a grievance procedure?
Deliver a 10-15 minute presentation on proposed communications and consultation strategy?
Complete assessment task and submit deliverables by agreed date and time?
Part A - Communications planning portfolio
Develop a draft communications strategy for meeting organisational needs that included the following:
- 2-3 communications objectives
- at least two audiences, for example, senior management, work teams, or individual employees
- at least two methods of communication or media?
Include in their communication strategy at least two provisions in the communication strategy to facilitate bottom-up communication or consultation, for example, strategies or tactics to promote or facilitate consultation on:
- employee health and safety
- continuous improvement of work processes,
- employee conditions and pay
- job roles and performance expectations?
Include in their communications strategy explanation of processes for management to provide feedback on consultation?
Ensure their communications strategy uses appropriate writing conventions?
For example:
- business formality, tone
- appropriate vocabulary
- correct grammar
- appropriate structure.
Develop a grievance procedure that is:
- consistent with organisational grievance policy
- consistent with relevant legislation, for example anti-discrimination legislation, WHS legislation
- uses appropriate structure
- uses an appropriate level of formality for written procedures?
Part B - Presentation to senior management team
In their presentation, address audience needs and use interpersonal skills to win trust, build confidence and support for their proposed strategy?
In their presentation, address organisational needs for communication, as per scenario?
For example, they addressed:
- lack of an overarching approach to information management that helps to promote common understanding of team goals and organisational values and to build strategic relationships
- slow responses to internal and external customer needs
- slow and ineffective communication of and implementation of ideas for improved processes
- ineffective or no use of modern communication technologies and social platforms
- inadequate consultation, resulting in risks to compliance (particularly WHS consultation requirements) and too little bottom-up information flow from employees to management -this results in poor organisational take-up of improvement ideas identified by teams and individuals at lower levels of the organisation and by customer-facing managers and employees
- inconsistent application by managers of grievance procedures posing a risk to employee relations
- poor sense of employee engagement, empowerment and accountability for work performance
- poor general awareness of (and therefore poor support of) organisational goals, ethics, values.
In their presentation, address external regulatory or legal requirements, such as for WHS consultation, anti-discrimination or industrial relations?
- Candidate should briefly discuss relevant legislation.
In their presentation, discuss business ethics requirements?
For example:
- tolerance of diversity
- equity
- transparency.
Outcomes -
Submit written answer to the scenario-based question?
Complete assessment task and submit deliverables by agreed date and time?
Question 1 - Describe at least two pieces of JKL Industries policy or processes that are inconsistent with the team's behaviour towards the employee?
For example:
- code of ethics
- anti-discrimination policy.
Identify the relevance of one piece of relevant legislation?
For example:
- anti-discrimination legislation.
Question 2 - Describe how networking with internal and external people could help build positive relationships (through use of interpersonal styles, cultural and social sensitivity) and to achieve organisational and professional goals?
For example:
- getting the work done, through addressing gaps in knowledge or authority
- networking with suppliers to lay groundwork for negotiating more favourable terms of trade, for instance, and build confidence through interpersonal skills
- networking with customers or consumer groups to identify customer needs, develop sensitivity, and build trust
- networking with industry groups to help identify trends gain insights, benchmark organisational and team performance
- networking with other professionals to benchmark personal performance and learn more effective practices, identify mentors and to feel a part of a professional community with shared vision, values and high standards
- integrating networking with professional development and performance management (these being linked to individual, team and organisation-level goals).
Suggest networking or networks?
For example:
- Brisbane chamber of commerce
- Linkedln groups
- internal communities of practice
- managerial- or HR-focused online communities.
Describe a situation in which they joined a network to achieve an organisational or professional development goal?
Including description of:
- the network
- how they built stronger relationships within the network
- the result of the networking for them and their organisation.
Question 3 - Prepare a plan to develop and maintain internal and external relationships, including a schedule for members of their team?
Candidate included:
at least two tailored activities for each salesperson, such as meeting with suppliers, meeting with clients, or forming or joining a sales team community of practice
a rationale for each activity, such as a clear, business-related goal or objective, for example (from strategic plan):
- increasing revenue by providing increased customer value
- providing quality customer service
- managing performance and adherence to organisational values
- building organisational workforce skills and capability through addressing knowledge, authority gaps.
Outcomes -
- Participate in a guidance session role-play?
- Submit as action plan?
- Complete assessment task and submit deliverables by agreed date and time?
Provide leadership through own behaviour?
For example:
- demonstrating professional conduct that promotes trust with the manager, such as taking a consultative, non-judgemental approach, regulating emotions and using open body-language
- adjusting own interpersonal communication style to meet the organisation's cultural diversity and ethical environment, such as using a high-responsive communication style to diffuse strong feeling on the part of the rentals manager.
Implement processes and systems to manage difficulties?
Including:
- idetifying and resolving conflicts and other difficulties according to organisational policies and procedures, namely grievance procedures or codes of ethics
- discussing how to address difficulties in discussion with manager
- providing guidance, counselling and support to assist the manager in resolving their work difficulties, for example, by:
- suggesting personal or conflict resolution coaching
- mediation
- meeting with the employee
- trying a more sympathetic approach.
Explain and discuss procedures for conflict resolution?
For example:
- JKL Industries' grievance policy
- JKL Industries' grievance procedure
- JKL Industries' code of ethics and anti-discrimination policy.
Discuss relevant legislation?
For example:
- Fair Work Act
- anti-discrimination legislation.
Get the work clot le (Le, implement the first part of the action plan) through taking responsibility for work by meeting with the manager to discuss how to resolve a conflict while building a positive work relationship?
For example, candidate demonstrated that they:
- understand the culture and dynamics of conflict
- listened empathetically and responsively
- searched beneath the surface for hidden meanings
- acknowledged and reframed emotions
- separated what matters from what gets in the way
- solved problems paradoxically and creatively - using a variety of tools and approaches to generate options for solving problems
- explored resistance and negotiate collaboratively
- learned from difficult behaviours - looked at disputes and conflicts as welcome information about problems and as opportunities to improve systemic processes and personal management skills
- mediated and designed systems for prevention - worked to design processes to address root issues and address conflict before it happens; mediated problems to build strong team relationships and highlight shared interests
- led and coached for transformation of team and individual attitudes.
Action plan
Get the work done through developing action plans with at least three ties for the manager to take?
For example:
- taking up personal coaching options
- using mediation
- meeting with the employee and using interpersonal techniques for conflict resolution: e.g. listening, win-win negotiation, collaborative decision-making
- using more effective communication strategies or tactics, particularly those that are responsive to the emotional context and company history and that facilitate feedback to better gauge effectiveness
- regularly following up with the employee or employees to ensure the conflict has been truly resolved.