Team Supervisor

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TEAM SUPERVISOR

READ THIS BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!

1. TUTORIAL INTRODUCTION

2. HOW DOES THIS MODULE WORK? This module is grouped into different chapters. In Chapter 1 we will start with a foundational understanding of supervision that will prepare you for the rest of the programme. Chapters start with a title followed by the lessons for that chapter, or what you will learn in that chapter. This is usually followed by the Assessment Criteria. This is a statement of what will be assessed on in order to declare you competent against the Unit Standard. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO ANSWER THESE STATEMENTS. We are only informing you on WHAT you will be assessed on in that specific chapter.

In this Module you will learn to: •Plan, Organise and Allocate Work •Manage interpersonal team processes to achieve required outputs. •Evaluate Achievement of Work Unit Objectives.

STUDY INSTRUCTIONS

3. ICONS USED IN THIS MANUAL

LESSON 1 Indicates the start of a new lesson

Indicates the start of a Chapter (also top left of STUDY chapters)

Questions that need to be completed as part of the Assignment

Usually an explanation or definition of a specific word or concept

Examples of a specific topic or concept

Important information.

Take a break from your studies!

Making notes while you study is very important. Spaces have been allocated throughout this manual for this purpose

Indicates the beginning of an assignment (also top left of ASSIGNMENT sections)

Bibliography for this Module

Assessment Criteria (YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO ANSWER THESE STATEMENTS)

Steps to be followed in order to complete/execute/do a specific action or task.

STUDY PLANNER

Type

Lesson Description or Question number

Expected time Suggested of completion Duration (in minutes) (to be completed

by the learner)

Chapter 1 - Plan, Organise and Allocate Work

Lesson

Formative Q

Lesson

Formative Q

Lesson

Formative Q

Lesson

Formative Q

Lesson

1.1

1.1.1

1.1.2

1.2

1.2.1

1.3

1.3.1

1.3.2

1.3.3

1.4

1.4.1

1.5

Importantance of the work plan to be aligned with the business plan

Page 9 in this guide

Page 10 in this guide

Communication methods

Page 11 in this guide

The planning process

Page 16 in the guide

Page 17 in the guide

Facilitating the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of the team effectively

Page 27 in the guide

Aligning work in progress with allocated costs

Leading

Page 31 Page 34 Track progress against the plan

Page 41

Gathering information and reporting it to management

Analysing progress reports and taking corrective action.

Page 49

consolidating financial and work outcomes for the teams and identify standard results.

communicating results in order to set benchmarks and to improve productivity.

Page 53

Pages 54 - 61

Chapter 2 - Manage interpersonal team processes to achieve required outputs. Lesson

Formative Q Formative Q Lesson

Formative Q

Lesson

Formative Q

2.1

2.1.1 2.1.2 2.2

2.2.1

2.3

2.4

2.4.1

Chapter 3 - Evaluate Achievement of Work Unit Objectives.

Lesson 3.1

Lesson

Formative Q

Summative

3.2

3.2.1

CHAPTER 1

PLAN, ORGANISE AND

ALLOCATE WORK

IN THIS CHAPTER:

•

INTRODUCTION

LESSON 1.1: IMPORTANTANCE OF THE WORK PLAN

TO BE ALIGNED WITH THE BUSINESS PLAN

•

LESSON 1.2: COMMUNICATION METHODS

LESSON 1.3: THE PLANNING PROCESS

LESSON 1.4: FACILITATING THE ROLES,

RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES OF THE

TEAM EFFECTIVELY

• LESSON 1.5: ALIGNING WORK IN PROGRESS WITH

ALLOCATED COSTS

TEAM SUPERVISOR

INTRODUCTION

This unit standard is intended for people who are heading up a work unit or supervising a department or division. Persons credited with this unit standard are able to plan, organise and allocate work to an individual or members of a team according to the defined business plan for a work unit within an organisation; and to monitor and evaluate achievement of the defined objectives for the work unit.

In this unit standard, we are going to cover essential aspects with regards to planning, organising and allocating work to subordinates, how to manage interpersonal team processes to achieve desired results and how to evaluate if you have achieved the desired results.

There are four main functions that a supervisor has to perform that cover all of the detailed jobs above in order to achieve results. The following is a synopsis of these functions.

To establish a course of action. A Supervisor must always be planning and looking ahead. Organising: To arrange and delegate work to be done in order to make sure the objectives and goals are accomplished. Leading:To guide or direct subordinates to take the correct action to make sure the objectives are met. Controlling: To measure and regulate work to ensure that progress towards objectives is according to plan.

Planning:

LESSON 1.1

LESSON 1.1 In this lesson we are going to take a closer look at why it is important for the work plan to be aligned with the business plan of the organisation.

1.1.1 Why do you believe it is important to plan?

Planning is that aspect of management in which you determine in advance what you want to achieve with your business and how you want to achieve it. When you plan, you draw up objectives for your business, and work out a systematic plan for achieving these objectives.

1. PLANNING Profit seeking organisations have a primary goal of attaining an above average return for investors and their stakeholders. Stakeholders of an organisation include the employees, the customers, the suppliers, the community and the government. In order for this to be achieved, the company needs to do planning that will facilitate this goal. Planning is an essential part of any organisation and it happens at all levels of management. However planning done by supervisors cannot be compared to planning done by top level managers since their responsibility levels differ. Planning can be very expensive and although it is an important aspect of an organisation, it should not be done at an excessive high cost. Planning should be effective. Effective planning does not only include input (resources) in terms of output, but should also include ethical values and the satisfaction of employees.

2. TYPES OF PLANNING • Strategic Planning: This type of planning is mainly done by top management. It

includes planning on how the organisation will align itself with changes in the external environment. Planning at this level is about creating a vision and mission statement for the organisation, to transform this mission into measurable long term goals and choosing tactics on how these long term goals are going to be realised.

Tactical Planning: This planning deals with action plans that will accomplish the long term planning of top management. It focuses on the internal environment of

•

TEAM SUPERVISOR

the organisation such as marketing, finance, administration, human resources, purchasing, etc. Middle management will deal with this kind of planning and will focus on the section of the organisation which they are responsible for. It is important for department managers to remember that even though they make plans for their department, the organisation needs to run in synergy. Their department goals need to be aligned with other departments and should aim towards accomplishing the organisation’s main goals.

• Operational Planning: This is done by lower management and or supervisors. This planning includes activities that will facilitate the achieving of the day to day operational goals. Operational goals are relatively short term goals.

It is clear from the above the that ALL goals should be aligned (support) to the organisation’s overall business plan.

1.1.2 Write down in your own words your understanding of strategic, tactical and operational planning.

LESSON 1.2

LESSON 1.2 In this lesson you will learn about communication methods and how to use them to communicate the action plans given to the team.

1.2.1 Write down all the communication methods you can think of.

1. COMMUNICATION

Communication is a process where a message or information is transferred from one person to another via a certain medium.

How do we communicate?

Verbally:talking and listening. Writing:letters, memos and reports Gestures:pointing a finger. Facial expressions: frowning. Posture:sitting, lying down. Locomotion:moving about.

Content of communication:

Body language Tone of voice Words TOTAL

= 55%. = 38%. = 7%. = 100%

If you are not aware of what your voice sounds like or what your body is doing, you cannot communicate effectively!

Communicating a message:

• •

Prepare the message: what is it you want to say? Prepare yourself: make sure you know what you want to say.

TEAM SUPERVISOR

• • • • • •

Get attention: call group together. Prepare the receiver: tell them what you are going to tell them. Send the message: tell them. Receive feedback: listen to what is said in response. Close the message: tell them what you told them. Check understanding and follow-up: ask them what you told them and you may later need to check if they still understand.

2. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION Non-verbal communication is also referred to as body language. Being aware of your body language can help you be more effective in meetings and communication in general. To effectively utilise body language you have to: • Learn to observe other people’s body language.

•

Learn to be aware of your own body language.

Learn to read the effect you have on others by reading their body language they give you in response.

Learn to send the messages you intend.

Learn what to do with body language information.

•

There are three types of body language:

1. 2. 3.

Open and approachable. Aggressive or defensive. Passive or protective.

3. LISTENING SKILLS

You spend about 70% of your time communicating in some form or another. This communicating time is made up as follows: 45% listening 30% speaking 15% reading 10% writing How much is listened to? Only about 25% of what you say is listened to! And of that 25% only a very small part is actually understood. In order to be an effective listener you need the following skills:

LESSON

ATTENDING: increasing your span of attention: Incline your body towards the speaker; Sit forward in your chair; Face the speaker; Sit with arms and legs open; Keep eye contact.

FOLLOWING: the following can help to follow the person speaking: Encourage the speaker to carry on speaking. Brief responses such as: “oh”, “I see”, and “right”, “yes”, and “go on” Ask open-ended questions.

REFLECTING: you now show the speaker that you are reflecting upon his/her ideas and words: Tell the speaker what he/she said in your own words. Show that you understand what he/she said.

1.2

4. HOW TO GIVE INSTRUCTIONS.

Instructions should be direct and clear so that the receiver knows the “who, what, when, where and how” a job should be done. People will not be able to do their work well and to the required standard if instructions are unclear. Here are guidelines to follow when giving instructions: • Decide what needs to be done; the outcome of the task.

•

Supply reasons why the job needs to be done.

Follow the steps of the jobs in the correct order.

Use action words or verbs.

Ask the other person to rephrase the instructions given to them.

Make sure you use words that are understandable to the other person.

Use simple and familiar words. Do not use a set of abbreviations that may not be familiar with the other person.

If there are any equipment involved in completing this task, make sure the other person knows how to use the equipment.

Make sure that your timing in giving the instructions is effective. instructions 5 minutes before the person is supposed to go home.

Follow up on progress of how the person is doing with the task.

Insist on receiving feedback.

Do not give

•

TEAM SUPERVISOR

NOTES:

LESSON 1.3

LESSON 1.3 In this lesson we are going to focus on the planning process.

1. THE PLANNING PROCESS

It was discussed in the introduction of this unit standard that in order for supervisors to accomplish the goals and objectives of the organisation, they first need to plan how they are going to coordinate the team or individual they are heading up.

The planning process is a process that can be used by the supervisor of how they are going to accomplish the goals and objectives set out for their particular department or team.

The process of planning:

1. Forecasting

2. Setting Objectives

3. Programming

4. Scheduling

5. Budgeting

6. Select the final

Now lets look at each of these steps in detail.

TEAM SUPERVISOR

2. FORECASTING

Forecasting is the process whereby you determine what will happen in the future. By doing so you will be able to visualise conditions under which you will be operating. It is, understandably, not easy to predict the future. You can never be 100% sure what will actually happen in the future. Assumptions concerning the future are based on what happened in the past and new information/facts you currently have available.

There are three methods of forecasting: 1.Mechanical projection: You presume that what has happened in the past will recur without any changes, and you project it just as it is. It is obvious that this method of planning is not adequate. Example: the price of petrol has escalated by 10% over the last year; therefore it will escalate at the same rate next year. 2.Analytical projection: Here we study events of the past as well as their consequences for the future. You then analyse the effect of the changing circumstances on future events and take them into account. 3.Prediction of Human Behaviour: This is the most unpredictable aspect of any projection. You have to determine why people act the way they do. You therefore have to know your people, and the people you deal with regularly, very well. You must understand why they behave the way they do and what the consequences of their behaviour will be.

FORECASTING WILL NEVER BE TOTALLY CORRECT! Remember this and be prepared to adjust your planning whenever necessary. Be flexible and consult with other people.

Do the following forecasting exercise. The price of the BMT HRM Certificate was R5500.00 last year. This years price is R6600.00. The escalation in price was 20%. This is calculated as follows: R6600-R5500=R1100. R1100/R5500 x 100 = 20% 1.3.1 If you use the method of Mechanical projection, what will the price be in the following year? 1.3.2 If you heard on the news that the government is going to regulate educational prices and that the HRM Certificate’s price cannot exceed R7500. What do you think the price of the HRM Certificate will be the following year? Motivate your answer.

LESSON

3. SETTING OBJECTIVES Now that you have completed your forecast of the future, you need to decide what the desired final result or objective should be, that which you hope to achieve.

1.3

Objectives are statements of measurable improvement , in results, that must be accomplished within a specific time period.

Objectives are normally relatively short term , one year or less and can change from year to year. Objectives are made up of two components/elements: •a statement of intention (what it is that you want to achieve). •measurement criteria (how you will know that you were successful, i.e. quantity, quality, time and cost).

INTENTION

Draft a new overtime roster.

MEASUREMENT CRITERIA

Must include all employees per shift and completed and approved by Friday, 2 May 20..

The measurement criteria must only define an •end result, •an output, (and only one objective per output.)

“To design invitations for a luncheon.”

The above example is not a well stated objective. It is not specific in terms of who, what, where, etc. It does not state a set date of completion.

On the other hand, “The advertising department needs to design invitations before the 16th of February 2009 for a clients lunch.” is a well stated and meaningful objective.

1.3.3 Rewrite the following objective and make sure you include what needs to be done, by whom it needs to be done, by when it needs to be done, etc. The department needs to increase it’s sales by 10%

TEAM SUPERVISOR

4. PROGRAMMING:

Now that you have done your forecasting and you have set your objectives, you need to do your programming.

Programming means establishing the sequence and priority of the action steps, to be followed, in achieving objectives.

There are three steps that you have to follow:

1. Determine the main steps or actions: Do a brain-storming session, get all the people involved in the process. Allow them to contribute from their own experience, what they believe the main steps or actions should be. Write every contribution down. When all have had their say, only then do you discuss each contribution and determine the priorities of the actions. Prioritise: Take each of the action steps you have written down in step 1 and decide which of the steps are the most important in order to accomplish the goal. Allocate responsibilities: You now determine who will be responsible for performing the above tasks.

Example: The advertising department needs to design invitations before the 16th of February 2009 for a clients lunch.”

Action Steps

1. Call meeting

2. Assign design team

3. Draft ready

4. Sign draft off

5. Print Invitations

6. Check invitations

7. Distribute invitations

Person Responsible

John Davis

Sandra Finn

Design Team

John Davis

Jacques Meyer

Design Team

John Davis

LESSON

5. BUDGETING

A budget is a document whereby resources necessary to achieve objectives, are allocated.

The necessary costs are therefore also determined. A budget is also a yardstick for measuring results.

Determine beforehand all the resources at your disposal. The main resources include money, time, personnel and equipment. Put together an action plan of how to use these resources in the best possible way.

1.3

6. SCHEDULING

You have now determined the steps/tasks that need to be performed in order of priority and responsibilities are allocated. You now need to establish the time duration for each step/task. Scheduling allows you to accurately forecast when the task will be completed, what resources you will need and when you will need it. It helps you co-ordinate the employees that are responsible for these tasks.

Refer to the example of the invitations.

Programming

Action Steps

Responsible Person

John Davis

Sandra Finn

Design Team

John Davis

Jacques Meyer

Design Team

John Davis

Scheduling

Deadline Date

30/01/2009

02/02/2009

08/02/2009

09/02/2009

13/02/2009

14/02/2009

15/02/2009

Material

Paper

Envelopes

Budget

Labour

Team

Design Team

John Davis

Jacques Meyer

Design Team

John Davis

Equipment

Room

Printer

Room

Costs

R500

R200

R4000

R200

R3000

R500

TEAM SUPERVISOR

7. SELECT THE FINAL

Go through your entire plan and make sure that you have included everything in you planning session.

At this stage, it is also important to look at the policies and procedures of the organisation. Policies and procedures are written instructions from management as to what actions need to be taken when handling specific problems. This will help you in your planning as certain issues have already been addressed by management and the best solution has already been selected for you. Policies and procedures will pre-determine certain solutions for you.

Like rules procedures are already established and available to you in your planning process. Procedures will help you achieve your objectives through applying standardised methods.

8. HOW TO OVERCOME PLANNING PROBLEMS. • • • • • • •

Allow for subordinates to participate in the planning process. Communicate clearly all the advantages and keep subordinates informed. Ensure that they know what is expected of them. Lead them from their comfort zones into the challenges of the unknown. Show them that the unknown promises new and exciting challenges. Let them experience the planned change through the benefits that it holds. Use the energy, generated to resist change, in the process of getting people involved in changing their environment for the better.

MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS OF PLANNING.

TAKE A BREAK!

LESSON 1.4

LESSON 1.4 In this lesson you are going to learn how to facilitate the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of the team effectively, in other words, organising.

Duties: The work assigned to a specific position.

Authority: The rights and powers a worker has to perform his/her duties.

Responsibility: Your duty to carry out your tasks and to achieve your objectives.

Accountability: The obligation to perform duties, to exercise authority, and to ensure that objectives are achieved, in terms of established performance standards. You may delegate duties together with the necessary authority but you can never delegate accountability.

1. ORGANISATIONAL CONCEPTS. Difference between Responsibility and Accountability: Your manager delegates a task to you. You are now responsible for carrying out the task. Your manager, however, remains accountable for the task. If that task is not performed to standard, you are responsible, but your manager is accountable.

Organising takes place when two or more people work together to achieve common purpose. This means that one must determine in advance how, where, by whom, when and with what resources the jobs must be carried out to achieve the objectives of the business.

2. DEVELOPING AN ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE IN YOUR TEAM. As a supervisor or team leader, your part in developing organisational structure within your team will be limited to identify and group the work that must be done in your department, section or area. Developing Organisation Structures is the work of Senior Management. We will, however briefly look at two types of organisation structures:

(i) Formal Organisation Structure:

This structure shows : job titles; : levels of authority; : communication lines; : task responsibilities.

TEAM SUPERVISOR

The formal organisation structure holds the company together; it ensures that the different departments and sections work together as a unit and in harmony. It ensures that all employees achieve the same objectives.

(ii) Informal Organisation Structure:

This is normally the structure that accommodates the social contact between workers. It is done informally and develops spontaneously in groups of people with the same interests. Notwithstanding the fact that these structures are informal, they fulfil a very important function in the organisation as they cater for the social needs of employees. Examples are: Tea groups; Dart or table tennis groups; Lift clubs; Prayer groups; Hiking clubs.

3. DELEGATING Delegating is a crucial part of a supervisor’s work. It is also the area of your responsibility where you need the greatest amount of discretion to decide what and what not to delegate.

Delegation is when you decide to turn over to a subordinate the freedom to carry out the responsibilities associated with key performance areas of his/her job, always with the necessary follow-up and control.

One of the best ways to motivate subordinates is to give them the freedom to decide how the job must be done. The decisions which employees are most committed to, are those which they have made themselves.

Advantages of delegation are: •Gives you additional time and allows you to control your time. •You can now focus on those aspects of your job that only you are qualified to do. •You can now also properly plan and anticipate problems. •It motivates employees. •It increases their self-worth. •It increases their skills and knowledge.

Before an employee can assume the responsibility of delegation he/she must obviously possess the necessary knowledge and skill to effectively carry out that responsibility. When an employee takes on delegated responsibility, he/she must know that there are three constraints upon him:

LESSON

1. Objectives and standards. 2. Policies. 3. Degree of Freedom (Authority).

Action steps for Delegating Responsibility:

If you want to assist your employees to deal effectively with the abovementioned three constraints, apply the following action steps:

• •

• • •

1.4

State the responsibility that you would like the employee to handle and why. Describe the new responsibility, giving specific tasks, performance standards, and degrees of freedom (authority). Ask for the employee’s reaction. Listen to the employee’s comments and respond openly, acknowledging concerns. Ask for the employee’s agreement and offer your assistance.

4. MANAGING DIVERSITY

In South Africa, we have many different cultures that are represented in our workforce. In order for teams in the organisation to work efficiently and effectively, the cultural differences of people need to be understood and properly managed. The challenge is to make sure that all employees with their different languages, backgrounds, lifestyles, etc. are all accommodated. It is important not to overlook these differences but to recognise these differences and celebrate them. Cultures can learn from each other.

Culture refers to the way we do things, what we like and dislike, what we eat and how we eat, what we wear, what songs we sing and how we dance. What we believe in and what we fear.

• •

•

Culture shows itself by the way people speak and behave. It can also be seen in the way that people act and interact every day. What and how do they use tools, toys, what they eat and how they travel. Culture can also be seen in people’s art, their songs, and their poetry. Organisational culture can also be seen in the uniforms and overalls people wear, how their offices are furnished and their logos. Culture is recognised by its symbols: # Hell’s Angels wear leather jackets and ride on motor cycles.

TEAM SUPERVISOR

Culture in an Organisation: •Organisations have their own cultures. •Ideas, habits, the way of doing things, rules, procedures that apply and are shared by all groups in the organisation, are the culture of that organisation. •Organisational culture stays the same for a long period of time. •When a group of people work together for a long time, they discover ways to do things. •They discover the best, the easiest, the shortest or the most comfortable way of doing their jobs or to solve problems. •These convenient ways to do things become the organisation’s culture.

Types of Cultures:

• • • • • • •

Religious cultures: Hindu, Islam, Zion Christian Church, Dutch Reformed Church. Ethnic Cultures: Chinese, Shona, Zulu, Pedi, Xhosa, German, Afrikaner. Political cultures: ANC, Inkhata, NNP, DP, UDM. Art cultures: Reggae, Blues, Roman –Dutch, Renaissance. Sports cultures: Kaizer Chiefs, Bafana-bafana, Amabokoboko, Comrades marathon. Business cultures: Coca-Cola, Camel, Marlboro, Anglo-American, M-Net. Family cultures: a combination of all the above.

Traditions and Behaviour:

A tradition is an unwritten body of beliefs and practices. These beliefs and practices become customs and are of longstanding nature. They are handed down from generation to generation.

In some Black cultures it is tradition to ask the forefather’s blessing before someone is leaving on a long trip. Beer and snuff are thrown on the ground and then the ancestors are asked to protect the traveller. In Western cultures it is tradition to have trees decorated over Christmas and gifts are exchanged.

Opinions and Culture:

Our views of other people are often based on what we see and hear from or about them. These views or opinions are often not based on fact. It is only when you experience first hand the ways of others that you really begin to understand them.

LESSON

Can We Change Culture?

• • •

• • • •

1.4

Culture is learned from a young age. The traditions of a culture are so often repeated that they become firm habits. People seldom, if ever, question these habits, traditions and behaviours of their own culture. It is never easy for people to change. Therefore we must find ways to accept and understand each other. We should rather appreciate each other’s ways of doing things than fight about it. People from different cultural groups often have different viewpoints and skills, different ways of doing things that we can learn from.

Ways To Understand Cultural Diversity:

• •

•

Be aware of your own assumptions about other cultures. Try to learn more about other cultures. Try and understand why they do things the way they do. If you understand why people do things in a certain way, you can be more understanding and patient and problems can be prevented. How you see people will influence your behaviour towards them. Ensure that your views are based on fact. Differences in culture are simply different starting points to achieve the same objectives.

Working In a Multi-Cultural Environment:

•

• • • •

•

All people belong to cultural groups, all of us to more than one. These groups are different in nature. The ways we behave are the results of our cultural differences. Cultural differences may awaken feelings of discomfort, uncertainty and fear. In the workplace differences in culture can be used to benefit all. The future challenge for employees is to find out how they can use their differences to the advantage of all. The differences become a starting point and a bridge to overcome problems rather than a barrier. The most important interpersonal skill that we all will have to acquire is the ability to interact and communicate effectively across cultures.

TEAM SUPERVISOR

5. CO-ORDINATION Co-ordination is used where two or more people need to work together to achieve the same goal or objective.

Co-ordination is the process whereby the supervisor accomplishes unity among the team members and the activities.

Methods for achieving co-ordination:

•

Mutual adjustment: This includes achieving co-ordination through face-to-face interpersonal interaction. The supervisor of the team sets certain rules and procedures for the team members. When these team members start with the actual project they need to do, unexpected problems arise. As these problems arise the team members interact with each other in order to solve these problems. This interaction is referred to as mutual adjustment. Rules or procedures: If the work is planned in advanced, the supervisor can allocate certain actions to the team members. Rules and procedures can be useful when certain activities are recurring. This ensures a course of action that team members will follow, if a specific action arises. Direct supervision: This is achieved when one person co-ordinates the work of the team members. The person gives instructions to team members and monitors the results.

6. RULES FOR HEALTHY WORK RELATIONSHIPS

• • •

• • • •

Always keep your subordinates informed. Allow them to participate in accordance with their capabilities and experience. Remember that you are your subordinates’ representative to higher levels of management. You and your subordinates must adhere to the chain of command. Give recognition where due. Discourage negativeness. Encourage team spirit.

LESSON 1.5

LESSON 1.5 In this lesson you are going to learn about aligning work in progress with allocated costs.

Work in progress can be defined as a piece of work that is not yet finished.

1. WHAT IS WORK IN PROGRESS? Some tasks or activities can take a long time before they are completed. It is vital to calculate and allocate costs to these specific tasks as they are concluded. This will ensure that you keep to your budget. If you are allocating the costs and you realise you are overspending, you can also adjust the costs for future action steps to align with your budget. This will ensure that the total costs of your project is still within your original budgeted amount.

You are halfway through the month. You budgeted R3000 for food this month. You add all your food bills and realised you already spent R3000 on food. You have a budget of R2000 allocated for spending and have only spent R1000 on spending. Since you realise your shortfall and food takes a priority, you decide to cut down on your spending money so that you can have more money for your food.

CHAPTER 2

MANAGE INTERPERSONAL

TEAM PROCESSES TO

ACHIEVE REQUIRED OUTPUTS.

IN THIS CHAPTER:

• LESSON 2.1: DEVELOPING AND ARRANGING

PROCESSES TO MONITOR WORK PROGRESS, IN

OTHER WORDS LEADING.

•

LESSON 2.2: TRACK PROGRESS AGAINST THE PLAN.

LESSON 2.3: GATHERING INFORMATION AND

REPORTING IT TO MANAGEMENT.

• LESSON 2.4: ANALYSING PROGRESS REPORTS AND

TAKING CORRECTIVE ACTION.

LESSON 2.1

LESSON 2.1 In this lesson we are going to focus on developing and arranging processes to monitor work progress, in other words leading.

Leading is the art of influencing the behaviour of other people in order to achieve results.

1. LEADERSHIP

Leader Supervisor

Organise

Deputise (represents)

Supervise

Control

Plan

React

Sets goals

Communicate

Motivate

Coach

Train

Initiate

2. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LEADING AND SUPERVISING A supervisor will take control over tasks. A supervisor tends to own tasks and the way tasks are performed. A leader encourages others to own the work and the end result. The leader initiates.

3. RESPONSIBILITIES OF •

•

• •

A LEADER Identify your own strengths and areas for improvement in order for you to develop and improve your leadership skills. Be consciously aware of your position and the effect you will have on others, particularly when dealing with employees from different ethnic and cultural groups. You must think and act like a leader. You must be concerned about the welfare and growth of your subordinates. Train and develop them. People like to feel important, welcome ideas from your subordinates. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Learn from your mistakes and tolerate those who are making mistakes. Mistakes can also be educational. Keep your promises. Lead by example.

TEAM SUPERVISOR

4. LEADERSHIP STYLES There are four basic leadership styles:

Autocratic

Bureaucratic

Laissez-fair

Democratic

- telling people what to do

- selling ideas to people

- leaving people to do their own thing

- consulting with and involving people

CHARACTERISTICS OF VARIOUS STYLES:

Autocratic: •keeps vital information to him/herself. •makes decisions without consulting his/her team. •announces or dictates his/her decisions to his/her team. •does not allow group discussions or evaluation of decisions because he/she does. not want to be questioned. •disregards the views and feelings of subordinates. •accepts full responsibility/accountability for decisions made. •has a broad and diversified knowledge and experience of issues involved. •gets what he/she wants. •leads by fear.

Bureaucratic: •makes decisions on his/her own. •sells decisions by concentrating on the advantages of his/her decisions. •appears to consult his/her team by approaching them individually and privately. •knows the standpoints of the individual team members and then uses personal influence and group pressure to persuade those who do not follow. •manoeuvre, bargains and compromises to gain his/her own way. •listens attentively so that he/she can use the information in counter arguments.

Laissez-Fair: •invites the team to join him in decision making. •keeps all the team members happy and involved and everyone has an equal say. •creates an informal, permissive atmosphere in which ideas are freely expressed, shared and explored. •has a high level of participation in meetings. •transfers major part of responsibility to team. •can lose control of the situation. •can be seen as weak. •only effective with team of high specialised subordinates.

LESSON

Democratic: •makes tentative decisions, then consults his/her team. •is prepared to alter or change his/her decisions based on input from team. •makes final decisions based on input from team. •creates a climate of mutual trust and confidence during discussions. •takes into account the effects of decisions on his/her subordinates. •has a high level of commitment and support from his/her team.

2.1

2.1.1 You have a subordinate that always challenges your way of doing things. You have an important project coming up and your deadline is soon. What kind of leadership style would you use in this situation. Motivate your answer.

Which style is the best? There is no one best style. You must supervise/manage every situation on its merits and use the style most suited for that situation. To be effective and efficient your style must be consistent with the realities of the situation.

5. LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES In order for you to be an effective leader, you have to get your subordinates to: •accept the goals of the organisation. •ensure their work makes a meaningful contribution to these goals. •merit their wages and salary. •display reasonable initiative within the limitations of their jobs. •be loyal to the company and their leader. •try and adjust to their leader’s style. •keep you informed. •abide by the rules, regulations and policies of the company. •try and get on with others in a civil manner. •accept the need for change and modification. •keep themselves informed. •ensure they understand instructions. •train and develop them as much as possible within their own jobs.

6. AUTHORITY AND POWER Authority: Every Supervisor is also a leader who sees to it that subordinates co-operate in attaining the goals of the organisation. Without authority, no supervisor can manage. Authority has to do with the obtaining of the right to enforce certain actions, within certain guidelines, and the right to punish failure.

TEAM SUPERVISOR

Authority is closely related to leadership. Authority is awarded to a supervisor by the management of an organisation. Unlike authority, power is not awarded to a supervisor, but is obtained in various ways.

This is also the important difference between authority and power. Authority is awarded and power is earned or obtained. Power is thus the basis for leadership!

Power:

Power is the ability to influence the behaviour of others. It has nothing to do with the hierarchical position held by a supervisor and is not obtained through a title. For this reason it is better to be a supervisor with both authority and power.

To have power, a leader must have followers (subordinates). Without authority and power a leader will not be able to influence others to attain goals.

Types of Power: Legitimate power: This authority allocated to a supervisor by the organisation and is the same as authority described above. According to this type of power a supervisor can instruct and discipline.

Reward power: Supervisor can give or withhold rewards.

Coercive power: This is exercised through fear.

Referent power: Also referred to as personal power. Subordinates will follow a leader because they like him/her or respect him/her or identify with him/her.

Expert power: based on the knowledge and experience a leader has.

Monetary power: Money can buy you power.

LESSON

7. DECISION MAKING

Decision making can be defined as an action that determines the flow of events.

2.1

The Stages of Decision Making:

Step 1: Establish aims : What are the end result/s that you want to achieve and how will you know that you have achieved them? Against what standards will you measure your success? A decision involves a choice and stating the aim that you want to achieve limits the alternatives you have to consider.

Step 2: Establish the success criteria of the decision: In order to know whether your decision was effective or not, you have to, beforehand, specify the standards or criteria the decision needs to satisfy. What resources (labour, finances, time, and equipment) can be utilised and what company policies and procedures or regulations may have to be taken into account? What are your restrictions?

Step 3: Generating alternatives: The two activities concerned here are collecting information and developing alternative solutions. To make a good decision, the more information you have the better. When looking for alternative solutions you have to analyse all the information you have collected, consider past experience and then be creative to find new solutions! Finding the best solution is not just a matter of logic and analysis. Other people’s views can be of great help. You must identify the cause of the problem, not only the symptoms.

Step 4: Evaluating alternatives: When assessing risk two common issues arise: •the chance of the decision going wrong (probability of failure); •the seriousness of the consequences. All decisions bear an element of risk and it is only natural that you will anticipate this and take steps to minimise the impact of failure. The simplest way of assessing risk is to: •Consider what could go wrong relative to the success criteria you have set; •Determine the level of risk: high (H), medium (M), low (L). •Consider what the impact of the negative consequences is and what can be done to minimise this.

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Step 5: Implementing and Evaluating decisions: Implement your chosen alternative (choice) by discussing it with your subordinates. Explain to them why this specific choice and what you want to achieve with it. Get them committed!

You may need to plan the implementation with your subordinates, especially if it concerns major changes: •Determine how things will look when a decision is fully implemented. •Chronologically order the steps necessary for implementation. •List the resources necessary to implement. •Estimate the time for each step. •Assign the responsibility for each step to individuals (DELEGATE!).

The final stage is to evaluate the success of your decision. You must, as soon as possible after implementation, start collecting information relating to the aims and success criteria of the decision. This will allow you to accurately determine the success or failure of your decision. You must know why you were successful or why not!

2.1.2 You decide you want to study. You can study distance education or enroll for full time studies. Use the steps of decision making to make the decision. Write down every step and the factors that come into play with that particular step.

Motivation is primarily concerned with the behaviour of people and why people behave in a certain way. Motivation is not behaviour itself, neither is it performance! Motivation concerns action and the internal and external forces that will influence a person’s choice of action.

8. MOTIVATION

If you as a supervisor want to improve the performance of your subordinates you need to know what is going to motivate your subordinates.

Lets look at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: •The primary needs are physiological and are for food, drink, shelter and sex. Little energy will be aimed at satisfying the other needs unless the primary needs are satisfied.

• The safety needs are next on the list. These are for physical safety at work and

LESSON

at home, economic security, and job security. Fair payment and fringe benefits, including pension, life and accident insurance are important. One of the reasons individuals resist change is because their safety needs are threatened.

•

2.1

Social needs are those for acceptance, to belong to a group and for love and affection. In the work environment this is achieved through induction programs, socializing and team activities.

The next categories of needs are those for recognition, status and esteem. Each of us needs to be recognized for our capabilities and achievements by our superiors, peers, and subordinates. We also need to have self-respect. This is achieved in the work environment by tangible things such as rewards, titles, cars, and other status symbols.

The highest need is for self-actualisation and achievement. The need is to fulfil oneself and to make something of one's life and to use one's capabilities to their maximum.

•

Maslow assumed that a person would attempt to satisfy the more basic needs before satisfying the higher level needs. In one sense this is true because a person who is hungry, thirsty and without shelter will not be interested in achievement. However, this is not always true as other factors can also affect motivation.

Self Actualisation Needs Personal Growth and Fulfillment

Ego Needs Self-Respect, Status, Achievement, Responsibility

Social Needs Affection, Acceptance, Family, Relationships, Work Group

Safety Needs Protection, Security, Order, Law, Limits, Stability

Biological and Physiological Needs Basic Life Needs : Hunger, Air, Water/Drink, Shelter, Warmth, Sex, Sleep

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For example: If one of your subordinates does not have a permanent place to live in and he / she battles to provide food for the family, it will be pointless to try motivating him or her with a specific job title (which is on level 5). Motivation should happen on the level where the person feels the need.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs:

Guidelines for Motivating and Empowering:

• • • • •

Recognise and respect individuals especially where there are different cultures. Practice participation but don’t be scared to say what you want. Be clear on what is expected. Provide the right environment. Lead by example.

9. ESTEEM AND COMPETENCE

Levels of Esteem: 1.Self-esteem: How you view yourself. 2.Esteem from others: How others view you, your need for recognition and appreciation.

The above two levels of esteem are very closely interrelated. Your feelings about yourself are often influenced by the way other people relate to you. The way you feel about yourself and the way you experience how others feel about you is very important in the process of self-motivation.

A major motivator is a desire to be competent. You want to control your environment rather than being controlled by it. To be competent is to be successful and success is important for continuous personal growth and feelings of self-worth.

As a supervisor you must create an environment in which your subordinates can give expression to their creativity and be allowed to demonstrate competence. This is necessary because the way employees feel about themselves and their level of competence strongly influences their work performance.

It is a fact that a person who feels confident and competent is more likely to perform at a higher level.

How to Maintain and Improve Self-worth and Competence:

LESSON

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

2.1 Praise specific results achieved. Praise effort as well as achievement. Show interest for ideas and suggestions. Use employees’ names. Ask for ideas and suggestions. Accept differences in others. Ask employees to train others. Tell employees what you expect of them, i.e. to perform well. Delegate responsibility. Keep appointments with employees. Recognise important events in people’s lives. Give reasons for instructions. Share ideas. Support other’s actions and statements. Ask someone to take control of a meeting. Spend time with others. •Listen. •Pay attention to others.

A LONG LESSON. TAKE SOME TIME OUT AND MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND ALL THE CONCEPTS OF THIS LESSON. THIS WAS

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NOTES:

LESSON 2.2

LESSON 2.2 In this lesson you are going to learn how to track progress against the plan.

1. CONTROLLING

Communication is a process where a message or information is transferred from one person to another via a certain medium.

The reason why organisations implement control procedures is to make sure that the goals they have set are being achieved and that the resources are used productively.

Control is important because it ensures the following: •It makes sure the activities and tasks that are accomplished are in line with the goals and mission of the organisation. •It makes sure that all the resources used to accomplish these tasks are utilised correctly and not wasted in the process. •It ensures better quality of tasks, services and production. •It makes sure that employees are doing their work correctly.

2. TYPES OF CONTROLLING

Personal observation: The supervisor personally checks the work done by subordinates. Changes or deviations in work being performed are spotted immediately and corrected very quickly.

•

The disadvantages of this type of control are that it limits delegation and it makes employees feel that they are not trusted. This type of control must only be used when no other methods can apply. •Control by exception: The supervisor uses resources to make comparisons between actual results and objectives and then he/she controls the deviations which occur. You will therefore only control by exception and allow the employee to perform at standard. A condition for this type of control is that employees must report on progress on a regular basis.

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3. CONTROL ACTIVITIES

There are four different activities:

1. 2. 3. 4.

Developing performance standards; Measuring performance; Determine deviations; Correcting performance.

1.Developing performance standards: To determine to what degree objectives have been met, there must be a method whereby you can evaluate results.

Performance standards are clear requirements which are established to achieve the desired objectives. They are the criteria which a supervisor uses to assess the work of subordinates.

The basis for performance standards is the planning that you have done originally when you stated what you wanted to achieve.

Performance standards must comply with four requirements:

• It must be realistic: it must be within reach of employees, neither too high nor too low.

It must be acceptable: when setting performance standards get your subordinates involved. The more participation, the better understood and accepted their use and advantages are, and employees will “buy in”.

It must be measurable: performance standards must always be linked to measurable units like costs, time, quality, quantity.

It must be flexible: performance standards are dynamic and will therefore change with time.

Measuring Performance:

•

Measuring performance has as its objective the recording and reporting of completed work and work which is still in progress. It is a factual summary of all the information regarding the work. It is normally processed in a report format so that one can get a clear picture of results and objectives achieved.

LESSON

These reports must be :

• • •

2.2

Clear; Accurate and concise; Timely.

Determine Deviations: 3.

After you have measured performance you can now assess /evaluate completed work or work in progress. It is a process of comparing the actual performance (what has actually been done) to the performance standards set at the beginning. Your aim is now to identify deviations and to explain why they occur.

3.1 Identifying Deviations: A deviation is the difference between the actual performance and the set standards or objectives. You compare actual performance with standards and objectives and determine where deviations occurred.

Explaining Deviations: Once deviations have been identified you must establish why they have occurred.

Correcting Performance:

3.2

All the abovementioned is of no value if no corrective action is taken to prevent similar occurrences and to understand why deviations took place. Correcting is therefore done to improve work methods, to regulate and improve results and to ensure that those deviations do not take place again.

Refer to the example on page 124 of the printing of the invitations. This was your action plan. When you started with the actual process, the design team took a day longer to design the invitation. That is now a deviation from the original plan. Find out why the deviation occur. It could be that the power was off for a day, or the graphic designer was ill for two days.

A correction needs to be made. A possible correction could be to work over- time or to appoint another graphic designer.

2.2.1 Think of a time where you planned for something in particular and a deviation occurred. Write down your plan, the deviation and what you did to solve the problem (corrective action).

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NOTES:

LESSON 2.3

LESSON 2.3 In this lesson you are going to learn how to gather information and report it to management.

Examples of progress reporting: •Checking the progress of building work on a new house. •Progress report on a negotiation process. •Progress reports on expenditures of the department. •Progress report on a grievance or disciplinary procedure.

An oral report or presentation is when you present a written report, prepared in advance, verbally.

1. GATHER INFORMATION

Information is knowledge or facts required of a situation through study, observation, etc.

1.1 FILES, RECORDS AND MEDIA: When you are dealing with any labour related issue, you need to collect information about which laws are applicable to the specific situation. Make sure you understand the specific law and the interpretation thereof.

Communication records (minutes of meetings, etc.) of the organisation and other files are important sources of information. Other files include mass media (newspapers, magazines, films) and more personally, investigating personal letters, journals, paintings, dairies and so forth.

1.2

• • •

•

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES: The following information can be collected via questionnaires: Biographical information (age, education, income, etc.) of the employees;

Typical behaviour of employees at work; Opinions and ideas about topics for example their opinion on the working conditions of the staff;

Attitudes (for example towards the leadership of the organisation they work for)

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1.3 INTERVIEWS:

1.3.1 Structured Interviews: A structured interview consists of a collection of previously prepared questions (known as an interview schedule), where the researcher asks the questions and writes down the answers as the participant responds. The researcher or interviewer is restricted to the questions on the interview schedule.

1.3.2 Unstructured Interviews: Unstructured interviews are normally used when an investigation takes place. Questions need to be asked to identify certain aspects and then questions about the aspects discovered need to be asked. Further assumptions from these responses need to be made to in order to complete the investigation. Questions cannot be prepared in advance since the subject is unknown.

1.3.3 Semi-structured interviews: These interviews consist of both structured and unstructured questions. Consider this type of interviewing when the topic you are researching is sensitive, when the participants come from different backgrounds and when available interviewers are experienced in conducting interviews. With a semi-structured interview you will use an interview guide instead of an interview schedule. An interview guide consists of different topics and details of these topics which are related to the research subject that should be touched on during the interview. Even though the same questions are asked during the interview, the interviewer can formulate the questions differently, ask them in different order or use different wording to suit the educational level of the participant. An advantage of a semi-structured interview is the fact that the interviewer can clarify responses that are vague or incomplete.

1.4 DIRECT OBSERVATION:

With direct observation information is gathered by watching the behaviour of someone and writing down the behaviour immediately. Make sure that the process is observed more than once and make sure it is a typical event. For direct observation to be valid, it is essential for the observer (the person watching the process) to be objective (neutral).

2. REPORT PROGRESS INFORMATION Progress reporting includes but is not limited to meetings, presentations, verbal and written reports. We are going to have a quick overview of each one of these reporting methods. In this lesson we are going to look at specifically reporting progress information.

LESSON

3. PROGRESS REPORTING No matter if you are reporting on your progress during a meeting, presentation, verbally or a written report, the following aspects are essential to include:

1. 2. 3.

The current status or the goals completed so far. Explain the achievements of the work unit. Present problems or deviations and state how these deviations are going to be resolved. Indicate future actions.

2.3

4. PRESENTATIONS

Planning for a presentation: Step One: Write the presentation •Introduction - Explain the aim or purpose of the presentation, background information, etc. •Body of the presentation - Formulate the main points of the topic and give detailed discussion around these main points. Use the following words to build up your presentation: •What •Where •When •Who •Why •Conclusion of the presentation: Give a synopsis or summary of all the information gathered. •Recommendations: Give advice or suggestions on how to move forward with the situation based on the information uncovered.

Step two: Rewrite presentation •Simple tenses with verbs in the active voice. •A straightforward structure that can be followed easy. •Simple, uncomplicated words that are easy to understand. •The words you use should sound like they fit together. •Spaces in the right places to allow for maximum impact.

Step Three: Practise presentation verbally Read through your presentation a view times and memorise the main points of the presentation. Plan intervals where you can ask the audience questions and where the audience can ask you questions. Indicate to the audience when they can ask questions.

TEAM SUPERVISOR

Step Four: Prepare visual aids People are all different therefore it is important to have different aids when giving a presentation. Different aids will speak to different people. Visual aids help keep the listeners interested, it keeps their attention and support your points in a different form. It clarifies points that are difficult to understand and helps the listener to keep the focus on the topic and not the presenter. Make sure the audio-visual equipment works before you do the presentation.

Advice when giving a presentation:

•

• • •

Organise all the information you are going to present into key points. Write the key points one by one on individual cards. Number the key cards so that you keep the correct sequence. Do not read the presentation too fast but deliver it in the same speed as you would talk. Practise loud before you give the actual presentation. Speak loudly and clearly. Make sure you pronounce words correctly.

If you are using visual aids make sure everybody can see the illustrations clearly. Keep presentations exciting by using colours and pictures. Be careful to use light colours when presenting text; on a projector or slide show it might be difficult to see. Be confident and familiar with what you are going to say.

Use simple words.

• •

5. REPORT WRITING

Procedures for creating a report: 1.Identify your task or the purpose of the report. Do you have to report on work done, make a complaint, report an accident or just simply respond to a request? 2.Consider the receiver of the report in terms of knowledge and familiarity with the subject. It is important to convey the report in language that is understandable to the receiver of the report. Someone that is not familiar with the subject will not understand the terms and jargon that is related to the subject. 3.Collect the information needed for the report. This can be done via meetings, research, workshops, etc. 4.Review all the information you have and discard information that is not necessary. It is critical to keep it simple, enough should be written for the audience to understand but too much information might only bring confusion. 5.Group the information into different headings or themes. Make sure the information follows a logical chronological order.

LESSON

6. Now you have an outline for your report. Take all the information you gathered in steps 1 to 5 and decide on the appropriate format for your report.

Long reports. •The introduction: -The title page: This page includes the title of the report, the name of the person who authorised the report and name of the organisation. -Letter of transmittal: This is a cover letter of the report - a business letter written to the person who requested the report. In this letter, mention the date, the author of the report and those who helped compile the report. -Letter of authorisation: This is a letter that states the details of what was requested and the requirements of the report. -Table of contents: This is a list of the headers used in the report. Make sure the numbering of the headers in the table of contents corresponds with that of the numbering in the body of the report. You can also indicate the page numbers of the headings. -Lists of tables, figures and or illustrations: You can have a listing of all the tables, figures and illustrations that you have included in the report. -Abstract, synopsis or executive summary: An executive summary is a summary of the report; why you are writing the report, the scope, methods used, findings and the conclusion. This is a very important part of a long business report and its generally used by those who are too busy to read the entire report and those who are not experts in the particular field. An abstract or synopsis is a overview of the most important points of the report. It is a basic, condensed view of the report.

• The body: -The introduction: This explains the main purpose and the scope of the report. -Main contents: Ask yourself what you are reporting on. Write this part of the report under different headings per paragraph. (This is the list of headings you will show in the table of contents) The main contents will include all the relevant information collected and will state the arguments of each of your findings. Keep it factual, objective and formal. Bear in mind you are not writing an essay. -Conclusion: The conclusion evaluates the main facts of the report. No new information should be added in this paragraph. -Recommendations: Name your recommendations and mention what is required for each recommendation. Present

2.3

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- -

•

recommendations in order of importance. Tables and graphics Signature block

End: -Bibliography: List of the references and sources used. -Appendices (facts and findings that are useful but not vital) and glossary (explaining special terms and definitions used in the report).

2. Short reports. The main information in the body of a short report can be in a tabular form. This is an excellent format if you are reporting on figures and progress.

•

• • •

A Title page -Introduction: Identify the purpose of the report. -The body with headings and sections: The current status. Details of the achievements of the team. Present problems or deviations and present solutions. -Conclusions -Recommendations

LESSON 2.4

LESSON 2.4 In this lesson we are going to focus on why analysing progress reports is important and the need for taking corrective action.

2.4.1 Do you feel analysing progress reports and taking corrective action is important? Motivate your answer.

1. ANALYSING REPORTS AND TAKING CORRECTIVE ACTION.

The reason why progress needs to be reported is that management can be aware of deviations. In an organisation, departments work together to achieve a common goal and if major deviations occur on operational level, it might have an effect on the tactical planning of the organisation. In the same manner deviations and problems arising on tactical level can influence strategic planning. It would be meaningless if one department was 20% up on its goal, while another was down 30%.

If management is aware of deviations and problems corrective action can be taken before it has a negative impact on the organisation.

CHAPTER 3

EVALUATE ACHIEVEMENT OF

WORK UNIT OBJECTIVES.

IN THIS CHAPTER:

• LESSON 3.1: CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL AND WORK

OUTCOMES FOR THE TEAMS AND IDENTIFY STANDARD

RESULTS.

• LESSON 3.2: COMMUNICATING RESULTS IN ORDER

TO SET BENCHMARKS AND TO IMPROVE

PRODUCTIVITY.

LESSON 3.1

LESSON 3.1 In this lesson you are going to learn how to consolidate financial and work outcomes for the teams and identify standard results.

1. PERIODIC REVISION

This is when the result of each individual goal is taken to establish if the initial goal is reached. During this revision it might come to light that certain individuals or team members did not reach their goals. It is important not to treat individuals as machines but to establish why a specific level of performance was not reached.

The following could be reasons why inadequate results were achieved: •The goal or objective set was impractical and unobtainable. •The individual concerned did not have enough training to be able to do the job properly. •The individual concerned is not working hard enough and is not productive for all of the 8 hours of the working day.

Each of the above factors needs to be taken into account to establish what needs to be done to rectify the situation. It is absolutely essential that corrections take place immediately and that the right adjustments are made.

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NOTES:

LESSON 3.2

LESSON 3.2 In this lesson we are going to talk about communicating results in order to set benchmarks and to improve productivity.

A Benchmark is a standard by which something can be judged or measured.

1. BENCHMARKS For example: Three employees are given the same task to complete. It takes the one employee 2 days and 5 hours; the second employee finishes the task in 2 days and 4 hours. The third employee takes 2 days and 6 hours to complete the task. The benchmark that can be set for this task can be between 2 days and 4-6 hours. If the task is given to a fourth employee and he or she takes 3 and 1/2 days to finish the task, that employee falls short of the benchmark or standard.

In an organisation benchmarks or standards need to be communicated so that staff can be aware of the standard. Once the staff is aware of the standard, they can continuously measure themselves against the standard. If they see they are working too slow, they can improve their effectiveness or if they are overworking themselves, they can slow down the pace to prevent burnout. If any variable changes with regards to the standard new benchmarks need to be set. For example: If the process of assessing an assignment changes, the benchmark needs to be changed.

3.2.1 Do a mind map of this chapter in your POE.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

DWYER J, 2003, The Business Communication Handbook, 6th Edition, Prentice Hall, Australia.

FERREIRA, EJ, ERASMUS, AW, GROENEWALD, D 2003, Administrative Management, Juta, Lansdowne.

FINNEMORE, M. (1997): Introduction to Labour Relations in South Africa, Butterworths, Durban.

SLABBERT, J.A., PRINSLOO, J.J., SWANEPOEL, B.J., BACKER, W. (1998): Managing Employment Relations in South Africa. Butterworths, Durban.

Team Supervisor Assignment

2. 3.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Mark your answers under Section A on page 2 of the blue assignment cover sheet. There are 68 questions for this assignment. Answers that are not marked on the assignment cover sheet will not be assessed. All answers must be marked in black or in blue pen. Do not mark your answers with a pencil. Remember to keep a copy of your answers. The suggested time to complete a module is 3 months. NB!! Due to the fact that evidence provided has to be current, this assignment is ONLY valid for 6 months from the date of receipt. If you take longer than 6 months to complete this assignment and module, please contact the

Team Supervisor Formative Assessment 1 Identify communication methods below (choose 2):

a)Talking and listening. b)Typing memo’s. c)Slouching and moving around. d)Fingers and arms. e)Cooking food.

Page 2 2

2 Process of planning: a)Forecasting, programming, scheduling, budgeting, selecting the final. b)Forecasting, setting goals, programming, scheduling, budgeting, go with the result. c)Projection, setting goals, programming, scheduling, budgeting, selecting the final. d)Forecasting, setting goals, programming, scheduling meetings, budgeting, selecting the final. e)Forecasting, setting objectives, recording programmes, scheduling, budgeting, selecting the final.

Identify the methods of forecasting: a)Mechanical predications, analytical predications and forecasting of human behaviour. b)Mechanical projections, analytical projections and prediction of behaviours. c)Past events, analysing events and predicting human behaviours. d)Mechanical forecasting, analytical forecasting and predictions. e)Deciding what will happen in the future by making calculations.

Mechanical projection can be described as: a)Escalating prices with 10% every year. b)Something that happened in the past will happen the same in the future. c)You project the exact same amount as the previous years. d)The rates stay the same every year. e)Take other changes in consideration.

An effective objectives is: a)A statement of improvements. b)Something you hope to achieve. c)An intention you want to achieve and how you are going to measure that it was achieved or not. d)Business results. e)Something to measure.

Programming entails: a)Establishing the sequence of events and how to follow them. b)Determining who will be responsible for performing certain tasks. c)Determining the main actions, how these actions will be prioritised and determining who is responsible for every task. d)Allocating responsibilities. e)Deciding which tasks are more important than others.

What is a budget? a)Is a document that interprets resources. b)A yardstick for resources. c)To achieve objectives. d)To show how moneys were spent. e)To allocate resources to objectives.

The term scheduling can be described as: a)Helps to coordinate employees and resources. b)To determine the order of priority of the tasks. c)It establishes the time it takes to complete a task. d)Helps to put together the budget. e)Allocates the time for the tasks.

Your duty to carry out your tasks and to achieve your goals can be described as your… a)Duty. b)Authority. c)Duty and authority. d)Responsibility. e)Accountability.

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Page 3 Team Supervisor Formative—Continue 10 Choose steps to delegate responsibility:

a)State the responsibility to the employee. b)Describe the new responsibility and ask for the employees reaction. c)Allow the employee to agree on the specific task. d)Explain to the employee the task, request feedback and agreement. e)Listen to the employees responses and offer your assistance.

How would you manage diversity in an organisation? a)Listen to other people. b)Culture is learned at a young age. c)Change the views of other people. d)Understand different cultures. e)Work in a multi-cultural environment.

Mary is clever but lazy. She always questions your decisions. How will you lead her? a)Bureaucratic. b)Autocratic. c)Democratic. d)Laissez-Fair. e)C and D.

John is clever and has good ideas. He enjoys working in a team. How will you lead John? a)Autocratic. b)Bureaucratic. c)Democratic. d)Laissez-Fair. e)B and D.

What statement is NOT true for decision making? a)You need to establish a measure against which you can assess your decision. b)When you are pressed to make a decision, choose the easiest alternative. c)You need to assess the chance of the decision to go wrong. d)Can be determined as an action that determines the flow of events. e)Discuss major final decisions with your subordinates.

Motivation can be described as: a)Behaviour of people. b)Why people behave the way they behave. c)To improve employees’ performance. d)Internal and external forces that will influence a person’s choice of action. e)Performance.

Choose an activity below that is NOT a control activity a)Measure performance. b)Develop performance standards. c)Correcting performance. d)Actual performance vs. to future performance. e)Evaluating completed work.

Measuring performance is important because… a)Employees find it helpful. b)Management uses information to make decisions. c)Performance can be used to calculate profits. d)Teams are built on performance. e)Salaries are calculated according to performance.

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Page 4 Team Supervisor Formative —Continue

18 Choose an aspect below that is NOT necessary for a short report a)An introduction. b)A table of contents. c)A title page. d)Conclusions. e)Recommendations.

Progress reporting includes: a)Current status or goals completed. b)What the team wants to achieve. c)Present problems or deviations. d)B and C. e)A and C.

Why is it important to provide progress information to management? a)So that deviations can be analysed and corrected. b)It is important for management to check-in on the project. c)It gives the project leader time to reflect. d)It helps the project manager to point to management who in the team is not performing. e)All of the above.

From the following choose an aspect that is not necessary when you are preparing for a presentation: a)Practice out loud before you give the actual presentation. b)Prepare your visual aids. c)Organise information into key points. d)Re-write your draft. e)Make sure you know how to pronounce your words correctly.

Reasons why individuals may not accomplish performance goals? a)The goal or objective was impractical an unobtainable, lack of training and workers that are unproductive. b)The goal or objective is not clear to the employee. c)There is not enough time to accomplish the goal. d)The employee lacks skill to accomplish the goal. e)All of the above.

Benchmarking can be defined as: a)A law on how to control projects. b)The trademark of a product. c)A standard by which something can be judged. d)A budget. e)A duty that needs to be completed.

Total Team Supervisor Formative

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WWW .BMTC OLLEGE . EDU . ZA

Team Supervisor Assignment

DO NOT leave out any questions You must receive a pass mark of 50% in each section to pass this assignment.

ASSIGNMENT

COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING

ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS:

Case Study

It is the 1 of November. You need to oversee the project of planning a Christmas party for the staff. You have 3 other team members, Johan Davies, Carol Greenside and Thabo Muroa. The date of the party is the 3 of December. The organisation has 35 staff members including your team. Your monetary budget for the function is R350 a head, which totals to R12 250. The resources to your disposal are the R12 250, the team members, the space and room to do your planning, your work pc’s, the time it will take you to organise you the project and phone calls, etc. made in connection with the project. Your manager has made it clear the following should be included in your project:

• • • • • •

Invitations to each staff member. A dinner. Music for dancing. A small gift for every staff member. Soft Drinks for free and a cash bar for liquor. Entertainment for the beginning of the evening.

You asked the accountant to give you a detailed expense of last years party. It was as follows:

Invitations Dinner Music for the night Gifts Entertainment Venue (incl. cash bar) Soft Drinks Staff attended

R50 a invitation R150 per person R3500 for evening R50 per person R3500 for evening R3500 R30 per person 35 people

Notes: •The entertainment and music industry is going through some changes. There are a lot of upcoming artists and they are all competing to get to the top. •One of your team members, Thabo, is a top graphic designer. •You saw a stationary shop the other day that sells good quality paper to print invitations. •Your aunt makes really special Xmas tree decorations. You think they will be great to give as gifts to the staff and you can work on a good discount with her.

Specific Outcome 1: Plan, organise and allocate work. In this outcome you are going to be tested on the following: •Aligning the work unit’s plan with the work unit’s business plan. •Communication methods used to help the team understand the procedures. •If the work is planned and allocated in a participative manner, in accordance with resourcing requirements. •Understanding by individuals within the team of what their roles, responsibilities and accountabilities are. •Align work in progress with allocated costs.

Question 1.1 - All the questions relate to the case study. Is it important to align your plans for the party to what the manager is requesting of you? Why?(2)

Question 1.2 Describe communication methods you will use to explain the project to your team members. (5) Question 1.3 Draw the following tables in your POE and complete the steps of the planning process with regard to the Christmas party.(27)

STEP 1: FORECASTING - Complete the following table:

Aspect being Forecasted

Example: Staff to attend

Forecast

30 people

Motivate your forecasting Type of Forecasting

Predicting that probably 5 Prediction of Human people won’t be able toBehaviour come because of other reasons.

Cost of Invitations

Cost of Dinner

Cost of Music

Cost of Entertainment

Cost of Venue

Cost of Soft Drinks

Cost of Gifts

Time need for project

Hidden costs of project

STEP 2: SETTING OBJECTIVES Write down all the objectives and goals for this particular project. Example: Main objective: The team has to plan and organise a Christmas party event for the 3 of December with R12 250. Secondary objective: Invitations for the Christmas party has to be sent out by the 15th of November by the team. Now write at least five more objectives you can think of for this case study.(15)

STEP 3, 4 and 5: PROGRAMMING, BUDGETING, SCHEDULING - Complete the table with all the action steps you need to take in order to plan and prepare for the Christmas party. NB!! Your action steps need to include the beginning of the project and run right through to the end of the project.(30)

Programming

Action Steps

1. Call a meeting

Responsible Person

Liani Soderholm

Scheduling

Deadline Date

3 November

Material

Budget

Labour Equipment

Meeting room

Costs

0 * See not below.

Notebooks,3 hours pens,labour per refreshments team member = 12 hours

Etc.

For the team there will be no costs to decrease their budget of R12 250 but it will cost the organisation the labour, the material and the meeting room. These are indirect costs. These resources (labour, material and equipment) were part of what was available for the team to use.

Question 1.4 1.4.1 Explain the following terms: •Duties •Authority •Responsibility •Accountability 1.4.2 Write a short paragraph about how to delegate a task to a subordinate. 1.4.3 Write a short paragraph about managing diversity in a group. (10)

(5) (5)

Question 1.5 Is it essential to allocate costs to your budget as you progress with your project? Why? (2)

Specific Outcome 2: Manage interpersonal team processes to achieve required results.

In this outcome you are going to be tested on the following assessment criteria: •How to develop and set processes in place to monitor work. •Track progress against plan. •Gather accurate information and report it to management. •Analyse progress reports and take corrective action.

Question 2.1 2.1.1 Explain in detail giving at least 10 ways of how you would lead your team members in order to complete this project.(10) 2.1.2 How will you lead the following people? Motivate your answer. •Thabo is a hard worker. You can rely on him and apart from unforeseen circumstances, he is always on time with his work. •Carol likes to question everything you say, not because she has better ideas but because she is not happy with her work at the moment and likes to waste time by not complying. •Johan is very good at assisting and problem solving. He comes up with good ideas.(6) 2.1.3 You need to make a decision with regards to the gifts of the Christmas party. Your aunt said she could make the gifts at R30 a person but it will take a while and it will only be ready on the 30th of November. You will need to collect the gifts and wrap them yourself. The local gift shop can give you a similar gift at the price of R55 a gift, wrapped and delivered on the same day. Go through the steps of making a decision and decide which option you are going to choose: Step 1: Establish aims Step 2: Establish success criteria of the decision Step 3: Generate alternatives Step 4: Evaluate alternatives Step 5: Implement alternatives(15) 2.1.4 Explain how you can keep your staff motivated.(5)

Case Study—Additional information: It is now the 20th of November and the following facts have come to light:

You have up to date spent R10 000 actual costs on this project. (When answering the question you can decide how much you spent on each item) The invitations were designed and printed by the 18th of November and were sent out on the 19th of November. Everything has been arranged except for the gifts, the music and the entertainment. You are still waiting quotes from various companies for the music and the entertainment and the gifts are not delivered as of yet.

Question 2.2 Copy your table of Step 3, 4 and 5 of your planning process and write down progress information next to each action step. Use the additional information that is given to you with regards to the case study and where needed you can make up your own information. See an example in BOLD.(15)

Programming

Action Steps

1. Call a meeting

Responsible Person

Liani Soderholm

Scheduling

Deadline Date

3 November

Material

Budget

Labour Equipment

Meeting room

Costs

0 * See not below.

Notebooks,3 hours pens,labour per refreshments team member = 12 hours

Etc.

Question 2.3 Use the information from Question 2 and write a short formal report on the progress of the project to management. Remember that a short report has the following headings: •Title of the report •Introduction of the report •The body of the report •Conclusions •Recommendations.(10)

Question 2.4 Analyse your progress report and explain how you are going to take corrective action. (5)

Specific Outcome 3: Evaluate achievement of the team. In this lesson you are going to be assessed on the following: •Consolidate the outcome of the team •Compare the key performance areas with the identified work plan •Report results in a required format to the organisation •Communicate the results to your team and set benchmarks to improve productivity.

Case Study - Additional information

It is the Monday after the Christmas party. You calculate that all in all you spent R14 000. The staff gifts arrived only on the Monday morning after the party. Other than those two aspects, the party was a huge success and enjoyed by everyone.

Question 3.1 Write down a summary of all the important aspects of this project from the planning stage to the end of the party. List at least 10.(10)

Question 3.2 Use the same table on the previous page (p.59). Turn the progress column into an actuals column and complete the table with actual information from the additional information provided above. You can split the R14 000 actual expenditure in any way you feel fit amongst you action steps. Please make sure that the amounts you use correspond with you progress report.(10)

Question 3.3 Write another short formal report to management with regards to the results of the project. Include the information you have collected in question 2 above.(10)

Question 3.4 Use the information of Question 2 above and set benchmarks or standards for next years Christmas party.(10)