05.1 Understand how to agree working arrangements
05.2 Understand how to communicate effectively with colleagues
05.3 Be able to develop and maintain good working relationships during the production process.
In the Company that I work for there are a few different ways that working arrangements can be agreed or changed:
Verbally. Verbal agreements are mainly used in our company to agree things such as starting or finishing work later or earlier or for arranging to work off site for the day and things like that.
It is unlikely that holidays and other reason to take time of work will be arranged verbally.
Form. Forms or other types of paperwork is another way that we may agree working arrangements in our company, We have special forms for holiday and time off requests that asks for all the information required. The form once complete has to be submitted to a position of management so that it can be approved or declined.
Telephone or E-mail. Telephone or E-mail agreements can be the same sort of things that can be verbally agreed such as starting or finishing work later or earlier or for arranging to work off site for the day and things like that.
It is always best to have a signed copy of a working arrangement or a signed change to arrangement request in writing or a whiteness to any verbal arrangements or changes to ensure that if the arrangement or the change is questioned you have evidence that it was allowed and approved.
In smaller company’s like ours where there are only so many people that can do certain jobs it may be best to ensure a good relationship with your colleagues, to discuss what time off they have booked in or if they need that day for a reason more important than your own. For example if there are only 2 people that can do a job they wouldn’t be able to go off at the same time as there area of work would just stop until one returns and this would cost the company.
With conflict in the workplace this can easily be resolved by speaking with a member of management about your problem if it can’t be resolved my yourself and also logging a written version of the conversation so that you have a record of what the conflict was and how it was resolved.
What are the most important factors of working in a team and how can they impact on working relationships & What factors impact on the success of a group of people in the workplace?
1. Trust among team members
Building trust takes time. If trust is lacking it must be the responsibility of the team leader to focus first on building trust, i.e. getting team members to open up and expose their weaknesses and fears to each other. In some cases, a team building exercise can be utilized. In certain business cases, due to time pressures, the leader may have to take responsibility for building trust or change the team to achieve the necessary level of trust for team success. Until everyone is willing to trust the other members of the team, progress towards team success will be limited.
2. Communicates constructively
Teams need people who speak up and express their thoughts and ideas clearly, directly, honestly, and with respect for others and for the work of the team. That’s what it means to communicate constructively. Such a team member does not shy away from making a point but makes it in the best way possible — in a positive, confident, and respectful manner.
3. Listens actively
Good listeners are essential for teams to function effectively. Teams need team players who can absorb, understand, and consider ideas and points of view from other people without debating and arguing every point. Such a team member also can receive criticism without reacting defensively. Most important, for effective communication and problem solving, team members need the discipline to listen first and speak second so that meaningful dialogue results.
4. Functions as an active participant
Good team players are active participants. They come prepared for team meetings and listen and speak up in discussions. They’re fully engaged in the work of the team and do not sit passively on the sidelines.
Team members who function as active participants take the initiative to help make things happen, and they volunteer for assignments. Their whole approach is can-do: “What contribution can I make to help the team achieve success?”
5. Shares openly and willingly
Good team players share. They’re willing to share information, knowledge, and experience. They take the initiative to keep other team members informed.
Much of the communication within teams takes place informally. Beyond discussion at organized meetings, team members need to feel comfortable talking with one another and passing along important news and information day-to-day. Good team players are active in this informal sharing. They keep other team members in the loop with information and expertise that helps get the job done and prevents surprises.
6. Cooperates and pitches in to help
Cooperation is the act of working with others and acting together to accomplish a job. Effective team players work this way by second nature. Good team players, despite differences they may have with other team members concerning style and perspective, figure out ways to work together to solve problems and get work done. They respond to requests for assistance and take the initiative to offer help.
7.Exhibits Flexibility
Teams often deal with changing conditions — and often create changes themselves. Good team players roll with the punches; they adapt to ever-changing situations. They don’t complain or get stressed out because something new is being tried or some new direction is being set.
In addition, a flexible team member can consider different points of views and compromise when needed. He or she doesn’t hold rigidly to a point of view and argue it to death, especially when the team needs to move forward to make a decision or get something done. Strong team players are firm in their thoughts yet open to what others have to offer — flexibility at its best.
8. Shows commitment to the team and demonstrates reliability
Strong team players care about their work, the team, and the team’s work. They show up every day with this care and commitment up front. They want to give a good effort, and they want other team members to do the same.
You can count on a reliable team member who gets work done and does his fair share to work hard and meet commitments. He or she follows through on assignments. Consistency is key. You can count on him or her to deliver good performance all the time, not just some of the time.
9. Works as a problem-solver
Teams, of course, deal with problems. Sometimes, it appears, that’s the whole reason why a team is created — to address problems. Good team players are willing to deal with all kinds of problems in a solutions-oriented manner. They’re problem-solvers, not problem-dwellers, problem-blamers, or problem-avoiders. They don’t simply rehash a problem the way problem-dwellers do. They don’t look for others to fault, as the blamers do. And they don’t put off dealing with issues, the way avoiders do.
Team players get problems out in the open for discussion and then collaborate with others to find solutions and form action plans.
10. Treats others in a respectful and supportive manner
Team players treat fellow team members with courtesy and consideration — not just some of the time but consistently. In addition, they show understanding and the appropriate support of other team members to help get the job done.
They don’t place conditions on when they’ll provide assistance, when they’ll choose to listen, and when they’ll share information. Good team players also have a sense of humour and know how to have fun, but they don’t have fun at someone else’s expense. Quite simply, effective team players deal with other people in a professional manner. Team players who show commitment don’t come in any particular style or personality. They care about what the team is doing and they contribute to its success — without needing a push.
Team players with commitment look beyond their own piece of the work and care about the team’s overall work. In the end, their commitment is about seeing the team succeed and knowing they have contributed to this success. Winning as a team is one of the great motivators of employee performance. Good team players have and show this motivation
These can impact a working relationship in two ways, If all of your colleagues are willing to be a team players then you will have a stronger team that is more likely to achieve a desired result this is because you will pull together and think logically to resolve issues that may occur. The other way that these key factors can impact a working relationship is that if certain members of the group lack them it can be a lot harder to resolve issues when they arise and it can also cause conflict and issues within your own team so you are more likely to encounter problems and not achieve the desired out come with people who don’t posses all of the qualities that contribute to making them a team player.
Why do you need to be open to other peoples points of view in reaching a consensus and agreeing tasks & Why is constructive criticism or feedback necessary??
It is important to be open to other people opinions no matter what is it you are trying to do. If you are not willing to listen to others about there thoughts and opinions then you will never progress, other people may be able to help you improve your own ideas or they might be able to offer an alternative way of doing something that would be more efficient that your own method.
To work as a successful team you need to involve every member of your team when it comes to discussions that way everyone can have there say and it keeps members of the team happy because they have been involved in reaching a conclusion.
If we did not take into consideration other people opinions and ideas then we would just go round in circles as it would take longer to realise where you are going wrong with things and you would have to figure out how to correct it yourself, so its better to take into consideration what other team members have to say.
Constructive Criticism
Gives New Perspective & Valuable Insight
When someone invites our criticism, we have the opportunity to help that person by giving our perspective or insight into the situation.
For example, say someone asks us to check out an article they’ve written to get our opinion. Chances are the person really wants to know what we think so that they can make it the best it can be.
Our objective reading of the article can give the person valuable insight into how they can improve the article. If they weigh the importance or usefulness of the criticism, they can rewrite or revise the article to make it better
Different people have different perspectives and knowledge about the way the world works. Each person brings a unique perspective to the table. If we listen and try to understand their perspective, we can apply that perspective to our work to make it better, Say someone wants to improve the design on their website. Who could provide beneficial criticism? Web designers? Regular readers? Casual readers?
Everyone provides a unique perspective.
Furthers Bonding and Trust
If we’re able to give our honest opinion on something, and the other person finds it valuable, we can increase our bonding and trust with that person.
Giving constructive criticism shows the other person that we value his or her work. The result is an increased level of respect between us and the other person.
If we’re lucky enough to have really cool friends that reciprocate coolness, they will provide their valuable perspective to us.
Let’s say that we help our friend out by reviewing his article and improving the spelling and grammar so people can read it easier, So when we want to make sure one of our articles is near perfect, we can send it on to our friend and ask him for his honest opinion, More than likely, he’ll return the favour to help us out.
If we give our valuable perspective, others might be inclined to return the favour.
No Hurt Pride or Resentment
So, when we offer even the slightest disapproval of others or their work without them inviting us to, we are basically asking for them to hate us.
Constructive criticism is different in that we only give it when we’re invited to give it. We give constructive criticism to people that we know and trust, and the people we are criticizing know our true intentions. We present constructive criticism as a discussion, and that our viewpoint is only one perspective and isn’t necessarily fact.
As well, constructive criticism is more about giving an overall view of things: what’s going well, what could be improved upon, etc. In return, the people we criticize are thankful that we’ve provided valuable feedback to improve themselves or their work.
Some of this information was sourced from different websites and brought together in this document.
No comments:
Post a Comment