TLIG107C - Work Effectively With Others - Learner Guide

TLIG107C Work

effectively with

others Learner Guide

Contents

What this Learner’s Guide is about ........................................ 3 Planning your learning ........................................................... 4 How you will be assessed ...................................................... 6

Section 1............................................................................................. 7 Work with others .................................................................... 7

Section 2........................................................................................... 19 Contribute to the planning of the activity .............................. 19

Section 3........................................................................................... 29 Contribute to determination of appropriate work roles ......... 29

Additional resources....................................................................... 33

TLIG107C Work effectively with others

Page 2 © Australian National Training Authority 2003 ADELG1037 Customised and developed by Armstrong’s Driver Education Pty Ltd August 2008


© Australian National Training Authority 2003 Page 3 Customised and developed by Armstrong’s Driver Education Pty Ltd August 2008 ADELG1037

What this Learner’s Guide is about

This Learner’s Guide is about skills and knowledge required to work effectively with others in a workplace including contributing to determination of appropriate work roles, contributing to the planning of activities, and working with others to complete the activities.

The Elements of Competency from the unit TLIG107C Work effectively with others covered in this Learner’s Guide are listed below.

Contribute to determination of appropriate work roles

Contribute to the planning of the activity

Work with others

This unit of competency is from the Transport and Logistics Training Package (TLI07).



Planning your learning

It is important to plan your learning before you start because you may already have some of the knowledge and skills that are covered in this Learner’s Guide. This might be because:

• you have been working in the industry for some time, and/or

• you have already completed training in this area.

Together with your supervisor or trainer use the checklists on the following pages to help you plan your study program. Your answers to the questions in the checklist will help you work out which sections of this Learner’s Guide you need to complete.

This Learner’s Guide is written with the idea that learning is made more relevant when you, the learner, are actually working in the industry. This means that you will have people within the enterprise who can show you things, discuss how things are done and answer any questions you have. Also you can practise what you learn and see how what you learn is applied in the enterprise.

If you are working through this Learner’s Guide and have not yet found a job in the industry, you will need to talk to your trainer about doing work experience or working and learning in some sort of simulated workplace.



Section 1: Work with others

Are you able to: Yes No

1. give information clearly and concisely?

2. present a view/opinion appropriate to a group discussion?

3. contribute positively to a group?

4. use appropriate procedures at meetings?

5. take follow up steps based on the decision your team has made?

Section 2: Contribute to the planning of the activity


1. complete the tasks you agreed to do?

2. contribute helpful information?

3. listen to and support others?

4. receive and carry out instructions effectively?

Section 3: Contribute to determination of appropriate work roles


1. identify work roles within your workplace?

2. identify the appropriate person to complete a task?



How you will be assessed

Assessment of this Unit of Competency will include observation of real or simulated work processes using workplace procedures and questioning on underpinning knowledge and skills. It must be demonstrated in an actual or simulated work situation under supervision.

You will be required to:

• demonstrate that you can follow instructions given to you

• demonstrate that you can give others clear instructions

• demonstrate that you can participate in a group activity.



Section 1

Work with others



Section outline

Areas covered in this section

Why do we have work teams?

What are work teams?

What are some features of teams?

What communication skills do you need to work well in a team?

How well do you communicate at work?

How well do you listen at work?

How do teams make decisions?

Why have meetings?

How do you follow appropriate meeting procedures?



Activity 1: Identifying workplace teams

Find out what kinds of teams operate in your workplace. (If you are not currently working, complete this activity by interviewing someone about their workplace.)

Using two examples of work teams in your workplace to fill in the following table:

Question Team 1 Team 2

What is the team called?

How many people are in the team?

What are the main objectives of the team?

Are members of each team all from one section, or are they from various sections?

How did things work before the team was formed?

Do members feel that their team works well?

In what ways?

Do members of the team feel that there are any problems with the team set up?



Why do we have work teams?

At the moment in Australia more and more industries and enterprises are using work teams to increase productivity and efficiency. Teams are not new. For years people have known that getting together to do a job is much easier and more efficient than doing it on your own.

What are work teams?

A work team is a group of people who are working together to complete a job. It's a bit like a sporting team where all team members are working together to win the game. Footballers don't win the game on their own. The team members depend on one another to get the job done.



Activity 2: Finding out about when you work in teams

When do you work with others to get a job done?

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Do you think of this as working in a team?

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What other people at your workplace work in teams?

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What are some features of teams?

Teams are organised in different ways. Some teams have formal leaders, some teams only exist for a week, some for a couple of years. Some teams have regular meetings where they have to make decisions and write them down. Other teams may be working together outside to get a specific job done.

What communication skills do you need to work well in a team?

You need to be able to:

• put your own views clearly

• listen to others

• think about other people and try to see things from their point of view

• speak without putting other people's ideas down

• accept that you may not always be able to get your own way

• commit yourself to the team's job.

The consequences of not working as a team can be very negative. If you cannot co-‐operate with your work mates then:

• the quality of your work will suffer

• the business may lose customers and income

• staff may have to be laid off

• the workplace will be more stressful.

How well do you communicate at work?

When you talk to team members about a job you need to make sure that you:

• think about what you want to say so that you don't waste time

• check that the people are ready to concentrate on what you have to say and are not busy with something else

• speak in words they can understand



• ask questions to make sure you have understood what was meant.

We all get busy at work and forget about the importance of communicating well.

Maybe you and your team have been trying to unload some freight before the yard closes. Everyone is working fast and the boss comes into the yard to make some changes about the next roster/shift. As team leader, you just agree because you're too busy to stop. The next day when the roster comes out a couple of the workers are angry about the changes. You knew that they had made a special request, but because you weren't really concentrating or listening, it didn't sink in.

How well do you listen at work?

When you're working in a team, it's important that you listen to the people you work with. Sometimes at work it's not easy to listen.

What are some of the reasons for this?

It could be that:

• there is a lot of noise in the room

• the other person doesn't speak your language

• you had a really late night and you're in a foul mood

• the other person had an even worse night and is in an even worse mood

• you are not feeling well

• the other person has a mental/physical disability

• you had a previous (and difficult) discussion with the other person and you now feel uneasy about having to communicate further.

Clearly there are many possible barriers to good communication. Working as a team involves understanding such barriers and trying to overcome them.



Activity 3: Finding out about listening

How do you know that someone's listening to you?

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What could you do if you realise they're not listening to you?

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For teams to work well you need to make sure people feel that they can make suggestions without being ridiculed. On the other hand people need to know that they won't always get their own way. The idea of working in teams is to get everyone to contribute so that the team comes up with the best way of doing things. The way people treat each other can affect the efficiency with which the job gets done.

Why have meetings?

'Oh no -‐ not another meeting!'

Such a statement may often be heard when a meeting is announced. It's true that many people believe that meetings are a waste of time. This is especially the case if the meetings are badly organised or if they happen too often.

However, it is also true that meetings are an important and often essential way of communicating with others about the work we do. In other words, a meeting or even a series of meetings may be a necessary part of getting the job done.

If meetings are not held, or if they are badly organised, the work place may quickly become chaotic. Without good communication (including meetings) it is very easy for a situation to develop where one person or department has no idea what another person or department is doing or is meant to be doing.

Such chaos can result in inefficient and perhaps even dangerous work practices. This in turn may lead to a downturn in business and perhaps even to a loss of jobs.

Meetings are held for all sorts of reasons. They may be to:

• solve a particular problem

• plan future work

• monitor or assess the current situation

• consider changes to work practices

• plan a future meeting.

Perhaps you will be involved in a meeting that aims to:

• develop a new code of practice for handling dangerous goods

• deal with a worker who has been turning up late and drunk to work



• read through applications and organise interviews for a new position of transport worker

• consider the latest union recommendations

• discuss and implement budget cuts

• raise the necessary funds to buy out the company

• plan the end of year Christmas party.

Meetings can be:

• long or short

• interesting or boring

• 'one-‐off' or 'on-‐going'

• on the premises or off the premises

• within a department or between departments

• informal or formal.

Informal meetings

Informal meetings are simply when two or more workers get together and talk over a work related issue. Such meetings might happen:

• on the job

• over lunch in the canteen

• in the toilet (many key political decisions have been made as a result of informal meetings between politicians in the parliamentary bathrooms)

• at the pub after work.

Such meetings are useful as part of the on going communication or 'networking' within the organisation.

Formal meetings

A formal meeting:

• is usually planned in advance

• has someone chairing it and someone taking minutes

• has a specific agenda

• takes place in a designated area (such as a meeting room) and at a designated time

• may have information distributed -‐ either before or during the meeting -‐ that needs to be read as part of the meeting



• may involve those present having to vote on a particular decision

• may require a certain number of people to be present for decisions to be binding.

How do you follow appropriate meeting procedures?

Meeting procedures are simply the rules that govern the way a meeting is run. Procedures may include such things as:

• how much notice has to be given for the meeting

• how many people have to be attending for the meeting to be considered legal

• recording who is present and who is absent

• distributing an agenda and any other materials that people attending the meeting will need

• how issues are discussed and how decisions are made.

Meeting procedures are important because they:

• help keep the meeting focussed

• prevent the meeting from becoming a waste of time

• make sure records of decisions are kept

• provide structure and stability to the running of the meeting

• help participants to be more prepared for follow-‐up meetings.



Activity 4: Identifying your workplace meetings

Make a list of some formal and informal meetings that have happened at your work place over the past three months.

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Find out what (if any) meeting procedures exist in your work place. Write them in your own words.

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Section 2

Contribute to the planning of the activity



Section outline


Planning for the job

Working co-‐operatively

Planning for success

Receiving instructions



Planning for the job

What are the five W's?

When you first start to work in a team you need to plan how you are going to get the job done.

Planning involves knowing and/or working out:

• what the job is that needs to be done

• who is to do the job

• when the job is to be done

• where the job is to be done

• why the job is to be done.

There are many jobs that require people to work together and plan as a team rather than work separately as individuals.

If team members plan and co-‐operate the job is more likely to go smoothly. It will also mean that the jobs are done more professionally and efficiently.

If the team is not co-‐operating and if the planning is all over the place then the job will probably never be finished.



Activity 5: Identifying co-operative work practices

Think of at least three different types of jobs/tasks that you have been involved in recently.

Jot down what the job involved.

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Jot down any planning that was necessary to do the job well.

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What help did you get from other people?

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Planning for success

Almost every job requires some level of planning. Complex jobs demand detailed and careful planning.

Planning involves:

• setting goals

• identifying necessary resources

• establishing a time line

• delegating tasks

• developing a work plan and breaking it down into manageable steps

• developing a process for feedback, evaluation and open communication.



Activity 6: Planning for major works

Read the following scenario:

The owners of the company where you work have decided to upgrade their yard.

Imagine that you've been asked by the owners to prepare some plans for the upgrade.

Get together with some colleagues and design the new yard.



Receiving instructions

When you are receiving instructions from someone in the workplace or your trainer, it is important that you:

• ask for explanations of terms and steps that you do not fully understand

• look at the person while he/she is speaking to you (in face to face situations)

• perform the task to ensure that you fully understand what you are to do

• write down the key points of the task so that you can refer to these notes if you should forget

• read your notes back to the trainer to check you have fully understood what is to be done.



Activity 7: How well are you able to carry out instructions given to you?

This activity can be completed when you are given instructions by someone in your workplace.

After the co-worker has instructed you to carry out a particular task and you have then carried out the task, complete the following self-evaluation.

Self-evaluation

What kinds of questions did you ask while you were being instructed?

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What might have been the results if you had not asked the question/s that you asked?

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When you saw the demonstration of the task, what were you able to learn from watching that you may not have been aware of had you only been told?

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Did you carry out the task as you were directed to? Yes/No

Was the person who instructed you pleased with the way you completed the task? Yes/No. If no, why not?

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What have you learned in this exercise about what to do when you are receiving instructions from someone in the workplace to ensure that you understand the task clearly?

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Section 3

Contribute to determination of appropriate work roles



Section outline


Determine appropriate work roles



Determining appropriate work roles

The goal of the group discussion -‐ in other words, what your team wishes to achieve from the discussion-‐ must be made clear to all group members. The person who has the responsibility of leading the team should make the goal clear to all members. If you are ever unclear about the goal of a discussion, ask questions to find out what it is. An example of a goal for a small group discussion may be to decide who will take responsibilities for the different jobs in a group task.

It is important in small work group discussions that you listen carefully to the contributions everyone makes to discussions about group work.

Follow these guidelines:

• don't interrupt other speakers -‐ allow people to finish what they wish to say before you make your own contribution

• be considerate of other people's opinions by listening carefully and by seeking to understand their point of view

• see differences of opinion as something helpful rather than as a problem. Differences of opinion help the group to examine and identify things that may have been overlooked

• contribute any ideas you have to help the group.

After a group discussion, it is important that each person is aware of what role he/she will play to attain the group goal. For example, it may be your role to get all equipment ready for securing a load, or to put the equipment away. Make notes of what you are required to do so you can refer back to these.

Each member must know what his/her role is and must carry out this role in order for the group to function effectively and appropriately. Only in this way can a job be completed on time and accurately.

Your role is important in group discussions and group tasks. In the group, it is important to contribute what you can and to listen to the other members' ideas. In a group activity, you need to know what role you will play in completing the group task.



Activity 8: What small work groups are you involved in and what is the role of each member?

Complete the table below on the small group tasks you are involved in at your workplace.

Small group task People involved Each person’s role

Example: loading truck

Supervisor Paperwork

Truck driver

Supervision of loading

Me Load as directed



Additional resources



The resources for this unit will be mainly ‘people centred’ and include:

• your trainer

• other team members

• this resource

• your own observations

• discussion in the workplace.

TLIG107C - Work Effectively With Others - Learner Guide

Documents

Transcript of TLIG107C - Work Effectively With Others - Learner Guide