Case Study 1 Scenario

Initially, your team performance plan was a success. Your team was motivated and worked well together, achieving performance well beyond their KPIs. In fact, your team performed so well that your team won the award for Most outstanding performance by a team at the annual awards dinner.

Things have recently changed though, and your team is going through a rough patch. After the novelty of the new performance plan wore off and enthusiasm waned, and performance dropped off. Your team members became insular and stopped communicating according to the guidelines you set. There was an air of barely contained contempt within the team as they began blaming the only person in your team from a non-English speaking background for the communication breakdowns and subsequent failure to produce results. Things got so bad that two of your team members left and found other jobs, and the team member from a different cultural background was absent from work for extended periods due to stress.

As things stand now, your team is three team members down, sorely lacking in motivation and direction and not acting in accordance with organizational values. Management has issued you with an ultimatum turn things around within six months or will have to step aside and let someone else take over the management of your team. You must do something immediately to get the team back on track.

1. Before you go ahead and act, you need to conduct some planning to ensure you make the right decisions.

• How can group dynamics can support or hinder team performance? Think about the change in dynamics is your team and its effect on performance.
• What steps should you take to ensure you plan and implement the most appropriate course of action?
• Who should be involved, consulted, or reported to regarding this matter?

  2. Now, create an action plan to address the difficulties your team is experiencing. You will need to address the following points:

• Summarise two (2) of the performance issues being experienced by your team
• Explain how you plan to develop team morale and cohesion
• Outline how you will facilitate teamwork and encourage team members to take responsibility for team activities
• 3. Develop a policy to ensure that ethical values and cultural diversity best practice are adhered to

• 4. Now that you have a plan in place to address your teams performance issues, you must communicate your plans to all relevant parties and receive feedback. You are to communicate your plans to the following parties:

• Management to satisfy them that you are taking appropriate action to resolve your teams performance issues

• o This should be in the form of an email.

• To your team so that they are aware of all changes you are making that will affect them o This should be in the form of a presentation. Your classmate will play the role of your work colleagues and you are to ask them for their feedback on your proposals. Your assessor will use the below checklist to assess you during the presentation

• You will need to think about and incorporate the following when you are preparing your presentation

• i. The information you will provide to your team, including concerns raised by management

• ii. The strategies you will use to consult with and gather feedback from them

• iii. How you will provide guidance and support to assist team members in resolving their work difficulties

• iv. At what points will you ask for work colleagues feedback

• v. How will you communicate the changes to your colleagues after this presentation?

  o On completion of your presentation, you are to revise your plans based on the feedback received from your work colleagues. You will need to submit a copy of your original and your revised action plan along with this assessment kit.

  5. Create a networking plan for your team that should include two (2) internal and two (2) external networks that should be attended in order to assist teams in working together in achieving the team and organizational outcomes.

• Your plan should include details of the event
• The outcomes to be achieved by the team by attending
• A description of how this event will benefit the team and the organization
• A plan on how you and the team will debrief after the event