Student Workbook

2nd Edition
Establish effective
workplace relationships
BSBWOR401A
Student Workbook
Student Workbook
BSBWOR401A Establish effective

workplace relationships
2nd Edition 2010
Part of a suite of support materials for the
BSB07 Business Services Training Package
Acknowledgment
Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council (IBSA) would like to acknowledge
The Indigenous Lead Centre for their assistance with the development of this
resource.
Writers: George Somerville, Jeff Golding, Paulette Threadingham, Shirley Lynn and
Pamela Bigelow
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2010 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd
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Published by: Innovation and Business

Industry Skills Council Ltd
Level 11
176 Wellington Pde
East Melbourne VIC 3002
Phone: +61 3 9815 7000
Fax: +61 3 9815 7001
e-mail: reception@ibsa.org.au
www.ibsa.org.au
ISBN: 978-1-921788-52-9
Stock code: BSBWOR401A2CL
First published: January 2010

2nd edition version: 1.0
Release date: June 2010
Printed by: Fineline Printing
130 Browns Road
Noble Park VIC 3174
Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1
Features of the Training Program .................................................................... 1
Structure of the Training Program ................................................................... 1
Recommended reading .................................................................................... 2
Note .................................................................................................................... 3
Section 1 Collect, Analyse and Communicate Information and Ideas ............. 4
What skills will you need?................................................................................. 4
Collect relevant information to analyse and share ......................................... 4
Communicate ideas and information appropriately ..................................... 10
Implement consultation processes................................................................ 15
Seek and value contributions......................................................................... 21
Implement responsive processes .................................................................. 23
Section summary ............................................................................................ 26
Further reading ................................................................................................ 26
Section checklist ............................................................................................. 26
Section 2 Develop Trust and Confidence ......................................................... 27
What skills will you need?............................................................................... 27
Treat contacts with integrity, respect and empathy ..................................... 28
Use the organisations social, ethical and business standards................... 33
Gaining and maintaining trust through competent performance ................ 35
Understanding corporate culture ................................................................... 43
Encourage others to follow examples set...................................................... 45
Section summary ............................................................................................ 48
Further reading ................................................................................................ 48
Section 3 Develop and Maintain Networks and Relationships ...................... 49
Using networks to build relationships............................................................ 49
Use networks and relationships to benefits the organisation. .................... 54
Section summary ............................................................................................ 57
Further reading ................................................................................................ 57
Section 4 Managing Difficulties into Positive Outcomes ................................ 58
Identifying and analysing difficulties and taking action ............................... 58

Guiding and supporting colleagues ............................................................... 63
Reviewing and improving workplace outcomes ............................................ 66
Managing poor work performance ................................................................. 68
Managing conflict constructively.................................................................... 73
Section summary ............................................................................................ 77
Further reading ................................................................................................ 77
Glossary ................................................................................................................. 78
Appendices ............................................................................................................ 79
Appendix 1 Sample policy and procedure (MacVille) ................................ 79
Appendix 2 Answers to select Learning activities ..................................... 93
Student Workbook
Introduction
Introduction
Features of the Training Program
The key features of this program are:
Student Workbook (SW) Self-paced Learning activities to help you to

understand key concepts and terms. The Student Workbook is broken
down into several sections.
Facilitator led sessions (FLS) Challenging and interesting Learning

activities that can be completed in the classroom or by distance learning
that will help you consolidate and apply what you have learned in the
Student Workbook.
Assessment Tasks Summative assessments where you can apply your

new skills and knowledge to solve authentic workplace tasks and
problems.
Innovation & Business Skills Australia has licensed the use of over 200 video
vignettes from the Channel 9 television program, Your Business Success. The
videos have been carefully selected and embedded into relevant learning and
assessment resources in order to assist education providers and students in the
learning process.
Each video is accompanied by a learning activity. Videos can be found on IBSAs
YouTube channel at <http://www.youtube.com/ibsachannel>.
Structure of the Training Program

This Training Program introduces you to the performance outcomes, skills and
knowledge required to collect, analyse and communicate information and to use
that information to develop and maintain effective working relationships and
networks, with particular regard to communication and representation.
Specifically, you will develop skills and knowledge in the following topic areas:
Collecting, analysing and communicating information and ideas.
Developing trust and confidence.
Developing and maintaining networks and relationships.
Managing difficulties into positive outcomes.
Each of these topics is covered by a section of this Workbook, and by one session
of the program.
BSBWOR401A Establish effective workplace relationships

Page 1 of 93
Introduction
Student Workbook
Recommended reading
Some recommended reading for this unit includes:
Books
Cole, K 2009, Management: theory and practice, 4th edn, Pearson

Education, NSW.
Hunt, John W 1992, Managing People at Work, 3rd edn, McGraw- Hill,
London, UK.
Robbins, S, Bergman, R, Stagg I, and Coulter, M 2008, Management, 5th

edn, Pearson Education, NSW.
Robbins, S, Millett, B, Cacioppe, R, and Waters-Marsh, T 2004,

Organisational behaviour: leading and managing in Australia and New
Zealand, 4th edn, Pearson Education, NSW.
Online documents
Hull, D & Read, V 2003. Simply the best: workplaces in Australia,

Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training. University
of Sydney, viewed 28 December 2009,
<http://www.business.vic.gov.au/busvicwr/_assets/main/lib60081/simpl
y%20the%20best%20-%20workplaces%20in%20australia.pdf>.
Lighthouse Corporate Coaching, 2005. Engaging generation Y, NSW,

viewed 28 December 2009,
<http://www.marketpartners.com.au/_uploads/PDF/EngagingGeneration.
pdf>.
Websites
Businessballs free resources including career help, business training and

organisational development: <http://www.businessballs.com>.
Effective communication Provides resources to help you develop

effective communication skills: <http://www.effectivecommunication.net/>.
About: management basic information about management

<http://www.management.about.com/>.
Free management library provides free, comprehensive resources about

personal and business management: <http://www.managementhelp.org>.
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Introduction
Note
In 2001, with support from the Business Council of Australia, the University of
Sydneys Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training
undertook a study to identify excellent workplaces in Australia. The centre
analysed the basis for their outstanding performance, in order to draw some
conclusions concerning the nature of excellence at work across Australia.
The results of this study found that there are 15 key drivers that separate
excellent workplaces from merely good ones, and the core of these is establishing
good working relationships.
Hull, D & Read, V 2003, Simply the best: workplaces in Australia
Frontline managers play a vital role in developing and maintaining good internal
and external working relationships so that customers, suppliers and the
organisation achieve planned outputs and outcomes. They play a prominent role
in motivating, mentoring, coaching and developing team cohesion through
providing leadership for the team and forming the bridge between the
management of the organisation and team members.

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Section 1 Collect, Analyse and Communicate Information and Ideas
Student Workbook
Section 1 Collect, Analyse and

Communicate Information
and Ideas
Frontline managers need to develop the ability to find relevant information from a
variety of sources and communicate it to a wide range of other people: staff,
customers, networks, other organisations, etc.
What skills will you need?

In order to collect, analyse and communicate information and ideas effectively,
you must be able to:
collect relevant information to analyse and share
communicate ideas and information appropriately
implement consultation processes
seek and value contributions
implement responsive processes.
Collect relevant information to analyse and share

Information can be gathered in a range of
different ways and from a range of different
sources.
Some information sources could include the
following.
Everyday work environment
For a manager, talking, listening, interacting
and observing personnel in their everyday
work environment is the primary means for
gathering information about their work team,
morale, difficulties and conflicts.
Internal data
Information may be sought from existing documents in the company.
Organisational data significant for ongoing business operations that are often
available for gaining information include:
Archived, filed and historical background data.
Individual and team performance data.
Marketing and customer related data.
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Planning and organisational documents including the outcomes of

continuous improvement and quality assurance.
Policies and procedures.
External data
Information may also be gathered from external sources. Depending on the
industry or the organisation you are working in, there may be bodies that govern
certain operations and practices that the industry must adhere to. Places where
relevant external data could be sought include:
Government departments and agencies.
Industry and professional associations, unions and employer bodies.
Business and contact networks.
The internet.
Literature available from customers, competitors, suppliers or other

organisations.
Learning activity: Identify information sources

List four sources of information (two internal, two external), which may include
print, non-print, internal and external sources that you could use to assist with
team management in your industry or an industry you wish to work in.
If possible, list sources that you use now in your workplace or are available for
you to use in your workplace. If this is not possible, many examples of the types
of internal and external sources discussed above are available on the internet.
How do you or how could you use the source to assist with your team
management?
Source
Use?

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What information is relevant?

While vast sources of information may be available it is important to discriminate
between what is relevant and what is not. To be relevant, information should be
connected with the matter at hand and needs to be linked with some intentional
purpose.
That purpose could be:
response to workplace issue
ongoing planning organisational, team, individual
seeking collaborative input from the team or customers.
Scenario: Managing health and safety

Sam manages the warehouse and his organisation recently held a workshop
about correct handling procedures in accordance with workplace health and
safety.
Jason is one of Sams team members. Since the workshop, hes had an
accident and injured his back, lifting heavy boxes. The workplace health and
safety officer has been notified and fortunately Jason was not seriously injured.
The workplace health and safety officer has gathered information from Jason
and from the other employees who witnessed the incident. She has also
surveyed the site and written an incident report, which she has made available
to Sam.
In response to the incident, Sam decides to access information from a range of
sources. He reads the incident report and checks Jasons previous incident
history. From these sources, he finds that the injury was the result of incorrect
lifting procedure and that it was Jasons first workplace injury.
Sam decides to investigate further. He surveys the rest of Jasons team to find
out if the training they undertook was properly conducted and whether they are
currently aware of, and have easy access to, the organisations workplace
health and safety policies.
As a result of his investigations, Sam discovers that several members of the
team, including Jason, had to leave the previous session early as a big order
had come in. He also discovers that most of the team werent even aware that
the organisation had workplace health and safety policies.
Sam arranges for a dedicated workplace health and safety training day next
week, during which normal operations will be closed for the day. He also
organises for a series of posters to be designed and displayed in the
warehouse, illustrating the organisations safe handling policies.
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Learning activity: Analyse workplace documents

Explain how information from the following documents can be used or
communicated in the workplace.
Make sure you give an example relevant to a workplace, ideally your own.
Workplace Health and Safety policy
Performance plan (individual or team)
Customer survey
Code of conduct
Competitor catalogue

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Analyse and share information

There are various ways you can collect information in relation to the workplace.
Sometimes you may use more than one method. Whichever method you choose,
your research needs to be purposeful, with clearly defined goals and objectives.
Goals and objectives will help you shape the gathering, analysing and sharing of
relevant information to achieve measureable results.
Research methods include:
Conducting document and file searches inside and outside the

organisation.
Observing, listening and talking to personnel in the environment.
Approaching individuals with relevant expertise and knowledge.
Attending group meetings.
Conducting interviews.
Conducting surveys.
Key points that should guide research include:
Establish a purpose :
o what questions you want answers to
o what you want to develop/fix/improve
o what goal/s you want to achieve
o what issue/s need to be resolved
o how you are looking to influence the attitudes of your team
members.
Know the audience stakeholders:

o employees management, team members, colleagues
o customers current, potential.
Select type/s of information you will be sourcing:

o print-based files
o electronic files
o web-based files.
Select source/s from where you will collect the information:

o staff
o customers
o external.
Employ methods and strategies for collecting the information internally

and externally different methods can be used to generate different types
of data:
o policy and organisational document retrieval
o interviews and consultation processes
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o implementing a survey or questionnaire

o focus groups
o observing and listening to employees and customers
o documentation including reviews
o individual consultations
o researching information on the internet.
Check information:
o is relevant to the goals and objectives
o for confidentiality considerations
o is current, reliable, unbiased.
Learning activity: Create information gathering plan

Maggie manages the sales team. She wants to investigate ways of improving
her teams customer service and relationship building skills.
Use the template below to make a plan that Maggie could use to gather
information to facilitate her aims.
Purpose
Audience (Who is the

information for?)
Sources
Method/s

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Information gathering
strategy
Strategy to ensure
information is:
Relevant
Reliable
Confidential
Communicate ideas and information appropriately

Poor workplace communication is a major barrier to organisational success.
Communication in the workplace is vital to maintaining an efficient workplace
environment that is safe. Workplace relations can be affected by a range of
barriers and obstacles which also include:
stereotyping
judging others
language indifference verbal and non-verbal
lack of cultural knowledge
ethnocentrisms.
What makes effective communication?

Effective communication is a two-way process sending the right message,
which is also being correctly received and understood by the other person/s.
For communication to be effective, it is important to understand how the people
you are interacting with may interpret your message. We obtain information
through our senses, and it is therefore recommended that your communication
includes aspects of the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic language to appeal to all
listeners.1
Australia is a diverse and multicultural society. As a manager, you will need to be
sensitive to social diversity in order to communicate effectively and build
relationships with people from a diverse range of cultural and social backgrounds.
Social diversity
Diversity in the workforce may include differences in the following:
gender
religion
race
socio-economic
education.
Effective Communication, 2008, viewed June 2010, <http://www.effective-communication.net/>.
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Cultural considerations
The word culture refers to what a community does and how it does it. Eating is
universal; menus and cutlery vary around the world. Culture also refers to the
agreements and shared understandings communities live by. Culture can be
defined as the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that
characterises an institution, organisation or group2.
Gaining knowledge and understanding about the various cultural backgrounds
your organisation encounters will be fundamental to establishing effective
relationships.
Communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds can be
challenging. You need to be aware that issues may be caused by language
differences, misunderstanding of cultural protocols and inappropriate non-verbal
communication (eye contact, touching, etc.). Any communication runs the risk of
being ineffective, if it lacks sensitivity and is not appropriate according to varying
cultural norms.
A manager needs to find ways to strengthen the organisation through its people
by breaking through cultural barriers to promote tolerance and respect.
Special needs
Stereotyping presents a significant barrier to people with a disability. Disability
can result from accident, illness or genetic disorders. Different kinds of disability
may be mental, physical or intellectual. A disability may be visible or it may not be
immediately apparent. While people with disability have their own specific
challenges, like all employees, they can bring a broad range of skills and
knowledge to the workplace. The greatest barrier to people with a disability is the
attitude of others.
Disability is part of human diversity. Colleagues or customers may be people with
disabilities, and as such they may have specific requirements to meet their
special needs.
Learning activity: Design communication tips
Betha is a trainee in an indigenous knowledge centre in a remote Indigenous
community. Bethas work involves data entry and basic administrative work.
Betha has permanently lost the use of her right hand. While she manages data
entry adequately, she is seeking a keyboard aid that could assist her and
improve the way that she is able to do her job. Betha has arrived at a customer
service counter in Cairns.
Design ten communication tips that you would give as a manager, to help a
customer service representative deal with Bethas needs.
Tip: Research customer service tips on the internet. Many tips are universal.
Adapt these tips to the advice you give to your CSR on how to communicate with
customers with special needs.
Wikipedia 2009, Culture, viewed June 2010, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture>.

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Try: Australian Achiever Awards, 2010, Our latest winners,

<http://www.achiever.com.au/pages/default.cfm?page_id=17913>.
1. ________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________________
6. ________________________________________________________________
7. ________________________________________________________________
8. ________________________________________________________________
9. ________________________________________________________________
10. _______________________________________________________________
Interpersonal communication
Interpersonal skills are how people relate to each other. As a manager you will use
your interpersonal skills to work with, lead, communicate, motivate and support
others in an empathetic and assertive way. Understanding your own personality
and communication style assists you in understanding and appreciating the
differences in others communications.
Learning activity: Interpersonal styles
Download and watch a YouTube video tracoms social style model
HD Version <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRBx8IkV-kQ>.
Answer the following questions:
1. What are the four interpersonal styles?
2. What are the growth actions for each style?
3. What is your style?
4. What growth actions could you take?
Give a workplace example.
Investigate the Kalarhythms website:<http://www.kalarhythms.com/ip/>.
Note the six interpersonal styles in the model. Compare the styles to the
TRACOM model. Click on the Part III Managing Styles link and answer the
following questions.
1. How do you think you are perceived?
2. How should you act?
3. How should you avoid being seen?
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Do your own internet search for interpersonal styles. Are there other models?
Which do you prefer or find easier to apply to your own circumstances?

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Interpersonal communication also encompasses written, verbal and non-verbal

forms of communication. Sending and receiving information between people
raises the need for skills to manage communication effectively in a range of
situations including: face to face, via telephone, email, letters and meetings.
Communication may include:
emails, memos, text, letters and faxes
meeting minutes and agendas
policies and procedural manuals
feedback forms and surveys
handouts, noticeboard flyers, brochures
reports and reviews
telephone, text
technology related webcam, web/videoconference, forum
verbal exchanges active listening, conversations, meetings.
Key points for effective communication
Establish a purpose clarify your communication goals.
Know the audience:

o their existing knowledge
o their specific needs, if any
o their interests.
Select a type of communication the way it will be conveyed,
Employ methods and strategies for communication.
Check communication:
o is relevant to the goals and objectives
o content is applicable and appropriate
o is sensitive to social diversity, cultural difference and special needs.
Learning activity: Identify communication needs

Marbung manages an administration team. Following a recent review of the
organisations data management it was found that essential procedures were
not being followed by some personnel in his department.
Outline how you will perform the steps that Marbung will need to take so that he
can address this situation by communicating appropriately with the
administration team.
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1. Establish a purpose.
2. Know the audience.
3. Select a type of
communication.
4. Employ methods and

strategies ( to ensure that
communication is
understood, appreciated and
followed, interpersonal
communication strategies,
for example)
5. Check communication.
Implement consultation processes

Consultation is about fostering cooperation and developing partnerships through
providing and receiving information in meaningful ways. Consultation also
provides you with the means to keep people informed about what is happening in
the organisation, and how it will happen. Effective consultation is built on mutual
respect and trust. Developing interpersonal skills will ensure that you can respond
to all types of situations when implementing consultation processes.

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Why consult?
Consultation can be used for dealing with a range of situations raising issues,
problem solving, change, building confidence and increasing team support.
When you give employees the opportunity to contribute to ideas and information
about organisational issues, the shift in ownership can bring about greater
motivation and commitment to the process of change. Your team members will
more readily accept and implement the required changes. Two-way
communication processes can contribute to a high performance culture where
quality relationships can be nurtured.
Scenario: Managing with formal communication
Adam manages a marketing team. He needs to develop a new product brochure
that includes the updated product range and the organisations new corporate
branding.
Adam realises that this will be a lengthy process that needs to be well planned.
He decides the first step is to organise a meeting with the team to collaborate
and develop an action plan.
To plan the meeting, Adam begins by informally negotiating a time and place to
suit all parties. He then emails his colleagues a draft agenda, copies of the old
brochure, the new corporate branding outlines, and a request for items to be
added to the agenda.
Adam knows that by collaborating with his team and valuing their input, they will
feel some ownership and increased motivation.
By the time of the meeting, the team have already been discussing the new
brochure and have some significant ideas and strategies to share.
Some situations are best suited to informal means of enabling a two-way
communication flow between management and staff.
Scenario: Managing with informal communication
Mark is a team manager. He has developed an Open Door Policy to allow a
two-way flow of interpersonal communication in the workplace. This includes:
raising issues immediately
raising items at weekly meetings
raising items in a suggestion box.
Workplace consultation can be both formal and informal and can be between
individuals or groups of people, for example:
regular staff meetings
individual meetings
key contacts with industry representatives
survey and feedback circulation
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focus groups and interest group meetings
regular emails, newsletters
advisory committees and review panels
communication corridors where time is allocated specifically for team

consultation
studies, independent research and data gathering
extended industry and organisational networks.
Learning activity: Define consultation methods

Define some methods of consultation that could be used in the following
situations, and summarise why you think they are suitable.
Situation1: Identifying priority areas for change
Methods
Why suitable?
Situation2: Building consensus

Methods
Why suitable?

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Situation3: Building support for policy recommendations and change

Methods
Why suitable?
Situation4: Testing new policy changes

Methods
Why suitable?
Consultation may be a single phase or it may require a continual communication

process that is implemented as part of an ongoing review process.
Some examples of ongoing review might include team performance planning and
individual performance planning.
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Scenario: Good communication for good relationships

Tom is preparing to undertake interviews with individual team members to
review their performance appraisals. Tom places a lot of importance on this
process, as he recognises it as a time for constructive involvement with
employees where they can take some personal responsibility for driving their
performance through goal-setting, establishing objectives for personal
satisfaction and for the success of the organisation.
Tom aims to maintain a high performance culture by underpinning quality
relationships in the following ways:
valuing employee contributions
encouraging learning, up-skilling and innovation
encouraging balance between work and personal life
affirming employment security
nurturing relationships amongst team members.
Using the performance plans, Tom creates and maintains the organisations
present and future capability to be able to respond effectively to ongoing
challenges.
Some consultations can be short and informal while others require a more formal
approach. More formal consultations can be quite time consuming and may
require you to make complex decisions. Managers undertaking formal
consultations often use committees as a strategy for effectively coordinating the
process. Committees can include a range of industry representatives, employees,
managers and union representatives to exchange views and review policies and
organisational operations.
Scenario: Organising health and safety
Sasha has to organise an annual meeting to elect a workplace health and safety
representative, and provide support as they adjust to their new role.
According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, workplace
consultation is an essential strategy to ensure employers, principal contractors
and workers identify and resolve issues that may affect the workplace health
and safety of any persons in the workplace.
The elected representative has to establish a workplace health and safety
committee for ongoing review of the current workplace health and safety policy
to ensure the ongoing commitment to health and safety in the workplace.
The elected workplace health and safety officer needs to be a key contact for
raising workplace health and safety situations with the management team.

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Key points for facilitating effective consultation
Establish a purpose:
o clarify your consultation goals
o identify the intended outcome.
Audience:
o determine who is required for the consultation process
o ascertain what perspectives they represent.
Initial stage:
o establish an appropriate team
o distribute any documents for reference in advance
o define intended outcome
o outline the expected process
o outline how results and input will be used
o establish trust.
Implementation stage:
o maintain communication channels to organise and manage
meetings and timelines as required
o advise and inform as required
o maintain ongoing relationship with trust and respect
o provide relevant feedback.
Completion stage:
o inform relevant individuals/groups select type of communication
and the way it will be conveyed
o maintain feedback and communication records
o report back to appropriate authority, committee, individuals on the
consultation in a timely manner.
Learning activity: Workplace health and safety representative

You have to organise an annual meeting to elect a workplace health and safety
representative, and provide support as they adjust to their new role.
1. Refer to the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, which can be
found on the internet.
2. Outline how you would manage this task through the five stages and
what the act requires.
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1. Establish a purpose
2. Audience
3. Initial Stage
4. Implementation stage
5. Completion stage
Seek and value contributions

An increasing number of workplaces encourage an open have a say policy,
allowing individuals to contribute to the running of their workplace.
Developing and refining new ideas and approaches
As organisations evolve, they look for ways to develop and refine their processes.
Contributions from internal and external sources can be of great assistance.
Feedback, opinions, suggestions and complaints are all contributions that aid with
informed decision-making.
Scenario: Valuing employee input
Shirley manages an administration team. Shirley realises from past experience
that prior to implementing changes to work practices she needs to involve her
team in the review.
She knows that they have valuable information that they can provide from their
experience in the workplace every day, and she values their knowledge,
suggestions, ideas and feedback about the implementation of change.
She also knows that by involving them in the process, they will feel that their
opinions are valued and will feel ownership and be more likely to adopt and
promote the changes.

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Suggestion, opinion and feedback gathering processes can be used to ask

pertinent questions which allow important information to be gathered. Processes
include:
conducting informal meetings
coordinating surveys or questionnaires
suggestion boxes
exchanging informal dialogue
participating in planned organisational activities.
Learning activity: Develop survey to gather feedback

Reflect with the group/facilitator or individually on an area in an organisation
(your organisation, theirs, or another) where an improvement could be made.
Develop a survey questionnaire that could be used to gather relevant
information that would allow you to effectively implement this improvement.
Determine the purpose of the survey.
Design the survey to get information from either customers or

employees.
Test the survey:

o Ask several people to fill in your questionnaire and gather
feedback on usability.
o Check whether the information would be useful with respect to
your purpose.
Redesign the survey if necessary.
Tip: Research survey design on the internet.
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Implement responsive processes

As a manager, you are responsible for ensuring that the information you collect is
responded to in an appropriate manner and timeframe. By responding to
information gathered, you demonstrate that you have valued it and are committed
to delivering services that respond to the needs of customers and the
organisation. This enables you to inspire confidence in you and your
organisations commitment to responsiveness and develop a constructive
workplace.
Scenario: Exposing customer dissatisfaction
Dang is the team manager. Dangs team has been reviewing their systems to
maintain processes for continuous improvement. Recently the sales team
conducted a survey with a cross-section of customers who provided feedback.
The survey revealed a series of complaints that targeted the unsatisfactory
delays customers were experiencing when dealing with the sales department.
This is a valuable indicator that this situation needs to be reviewed and
improved. Dang is quite aware that when customers are not happy with the
service that they receive they will choose to go elsewhere.
Dang immediately responds by calling a meeting with the sales manager to
discuss the complaints and develop an action plan to resolve this situation.
What are responsive processes?
Responsive processes are processes that ensure that issues raised are resolved
promptly. They include:
conducting informal meetings
coordinating surveys or questionnaires
distributing newsletters or reports
exchanging informal dialogue with relevant personnel
participating in planned organisational activities.

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Scenario: Understanding customers

Connor is a team manager. Connors team has been reviewing their systems to
maintain processes for continuous improvement. Recently the marketing team
conducted a survey with a cross-section of customers. The survey revealed a
series of positive comments about an advertising campaign that had been
developed by the marketing team. The advertising was responsible for attracting
the attention of a number of new clients to the organisation and this was
relayed in the feedback survey conducted.
This positive feedback was a valuable indicator affirming the good work that
they were undertaking. It also influenced planning of the next advertising
campaign. At the next team meeting, Connor openly acknowledged the
comments that were received through the survey and congratulated the team
on their great work.
Most organisations have a framework of established processes, through which
routine issues can be raised and resolved. However, there will be times when dayto-day issues and major problems arise that require an immediate response.
When issues cannot be resolved through standard processes, you may need to
refer to the relevant personnel for support.
Relevant personnel may include:
managers
supervisors
other employees
OHS committee and other people with special responsibilities
union representatives/groups.
Learning activity: Decide on appropriate personnel for referral

Susanne is a sales assistant. Jack is Susannes day-to-day supervisor. He
coaches and mentors Susanne in her everyday work. Tom is the organisations
manager and he oversees the work in the sales department.
Discuss or reflect on each of the situations below and identify the relevant
person to refer to in each case:
Tom manager
Jack supervisor
other employees
OHS committee and other people with special responsibilities
union representatives/groups.
State why this person is the most appropriate person to respond to.
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Situations
1. Jack is continually absent from work for unknown reasons. Susanne is
unable to receive the coaching and mentoring she requires to be able to do
her job properly.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. Staff members have complained to Jack about a series of holes in the
pavement at the entrance to their workplace. A staff member tripped
recently and injured herself.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. Susanne has a complaint she feels she is being intimidated by the actions
and behaviours of another member of the team.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. Jack has complained to Tom about the pay rate. He is now a supervisor and
he was told he would be paid accordingly. Tom has refused to take any
action.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

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Section summary
You should now understand about the information gathering, analysing and
communication activities a frontline manager is responsible for, and the
standards that are expected from them.
Further reading
Chapman, A., 2009, Personality theories, types and tests, Business balls,
viewed June 2010,
<http://www.businessballs.com/personalitystylesmodels.htm#carl%20jun
g's%20personality%20types>
Effective communication, 2010, Effective communication, viewed June

2010, <http://www.effective-communication.net/>.
Section checklist
Before you proceed to the next section, make sure that you are able to:
collect relevant information to analyse and share
communicate ideas and information appropriately
implement consultation processes
seek and value contributions
implement responsive processes.
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Section 2 Develop Trust and Confidence
Section 2 Develop Trust and

Confidence
This section is about the role that trust, integrity and respect play in developing
and maintaining effective relationships with people, both inside and outside of
your organisation. A workplace culture based on trust will foster the confidence
that staff need to achieve quality outcomes.

In order to work effectively as a frontline manager, you must be able to:
treat all internal and external contacts with integrity, respect and
empathy
use the organisation's social, ethical and business standards to develop
and maintain effective relationships
gain and maintain the trust and confidence of colleagues, customers
and suppliers through competent performance
adjust interpersonal styles and methods to meet organisation's social
and cultural environment
encourage other members of the work team to follow examples set,
according to organisation's policies and procedures.
Scenario: Trolltech
Modern organisations are becoming increasingly aware of the value of quality
workplace relationships. One company that is making headlines for its
innovative approach to valuing staff is Trolltech, a software company based in
Brisbane.
The fifty staff at Trolltech: the Trolls, are able to set their own hours of work,
use the company gym, play pool or table tennis and are provided with free food
and drinks. The operations manager says We value our staff there is faith in
our skills3. Trolltech has grown considerably and now has thousands of
customers in over 60 countries. It seems that free-thinking companies can
progress by allowing workers a generous degree of flexibility and trust.
3 Tilbury, A 2007, Pleasure to come to work, Courier Mail, 13 March, viewed 28 December 2009
<http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21376579-3122,00.html>

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Learning activity: Research excellent companies

Search the internet for other examples of modern workplaces that
are based on a culture of mutual respect and trust.
Note both the companies policies and specific ways those
policies do or can contribute to a culture of mutual respect
Tip: a good place to start for ideas is to search the internet for the best
companies to work for in Australia.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Treat contacts with integrity, respect and empathy

Internal and external contacts
We are all a part of something bigger. In 1990, Peter Senge wrote The Fifth
Discipline, which was voted as one of the key management books of the last 75
years. Senge describes a way of thinking which asks us to look at an organisation
in much the same way as a scientist studies a living organism. Systems thinking
is an approach that sees the organisation as a complete whole, made up of
complex, interrelated parts. This contrasts with the view of an organisation that
sees it made up of lots of separate, specialised teams who have little interaction
with each other4.
Product
development
Production
Customer needs
Marketing
Interconnected parts of a system
4 Smith, M 2001, Peter Senge and the learning organization, Infed, London, viewed 28 December 2009,
<http://www.infed.org/thinkers/senge.htm>.
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Learning activity: Systems thinking

1. On a sheet of paper, sketch a rough drawing, like the one above, to show
all the interconnecting parts of a coffee shop system. Choose a different
organisation if you are more familiar with a different organisational
structure (there could be a lot more than four parts).
2. Label each part with an E for external or an I for internal.
3. Draw arrows to indicate direction of a systemic process, for example
from customer needs to market research to product development, etc.
4. Explain your drawing to others.
5. Get feedback from others.
6. Modify and update your systems model.
Systems are defined by structure, behaviour and connectivity. Systems thinkers
ask us to consider all the people that interact with our organisation. Internal
contacts are all the people that work for the company.
The butterfly effect
All actions within a system affect every other part of the system, much like having
a toothache affects all other aspects of our wellbeing. In an organisation, a
seemingly small, simple event can potentially have a huge effect on a large
number of people, both within and outside the company. Some people call this
the butterfly effect: the concept that the flutter of a butterflys wing can potentially
cause a typhoon halfway around the world. Even our smallest actions can have a
powerful and long-lasting effect on the people around us and beyond.
Learning activity: The butterfly effect
Think of as many possible consequences of the following simple events in a
major retail store. How might the event affect a wide range of people, both
inside and outside the store? Think creatively, there are numerous possibilities.
1. There is coffee spilt in the entrance foyer and is not cleaned up.
Consequences:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. The cleaner returns a dropped wallet to a young shopper.
Consequences:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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Systems thinking reminds us that everything we do affects other people, often the
ones we havent met, or dont even know exist. The butterfly effect reminds us
that all our actions are important, especially the little ones. Get into the positive
habit of treating everyone with respect: the cleaner, the manager and the little old
lady at the counter.
Integrity
The dictionary defines integrity as the steadfast adherence to a strict moral or
ethical code. There are lots of words that could describe a person with integrity:
Integrity is many things
Learning activity: Integrity

Pick three words from the group above (or choose some others) that best
describe your view of integrity. Give reasons for each choice.
1. ________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Describe a time when you believe someone acted towards you with integrity:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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In your role as a frontline manager, there are several ways that you can
demonstrate integrity:
be consistent in your decision-making
share information
be a role-model for sincere behaviour
encourage honesty and openness
follow up on promised actions
reward people for good performance
highlight integrity in your performance appraisals.
Respect
Carl Rogers was one of the great social scientists of the 20th century. His
philosophy has had a wide-ranging influence on most areas of modern thought,
especially in psychology, education and business. Towards the end of his life he
was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Carl believed that the formation of a
genuine trusting relationship was the essence of any positive interaction. Being
genuine involved the demonstration of respect to all people. Carl Rogers called it
unconditional positive regard(UPR)5. One of his famous quotes reads: The
answer to most of our problems lies not in technology but in relationships.6
Learning activity: Respect
1. Search the internet for information on Carl Rogers and the
concept of unconditional positive regard.
2. Note down a few thoughts on what you find:
a. What are the benefits to UPR?
b. How could you apply UPR to your role as a manager?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Wikipedia 2009, Carl Rogers, viewed 28 December 2009, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Rogers>.

Henderson, V & Kirschenbaum, H 2006, Introduction, viewed 28 December 2009,
<http://www.carlrogers.info/aboutCarl-Reader.html>.
5
6

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Respect is not to be confused with liking someone; you dont have to like
someone to have a genuine relationship with them. In fact, the quickest way to
disrespect someone is to pretend to like them. In a large organisation it is not
possible to like everyone who works for or interacts with the company. However,
good communicators and leaders have the ability to interact successfully with a
wide range of people from very different backgrounds. There are a range of
behaviours that indicate respect. These include the following.
Being courteous Think of a time when you went to a shop and the
salesperson greeted you in a friendly way, listened carefully to your request
and paid attention to the details of your order. You probably still go to that
store and recommend it to others. If you are treated in a similar way by
your co-workers and bosses, you look forward to going to work. Many
workplaces place a high value on showing respect to customers; yet let the
standards slip when dealing with staff. Remember that the organisation is
a system and any action at one level affects the people at all other levels.
Showing tolerance A tolerant person will treat all their daily contacts with
acceptance, irrespective of age, looks, occupation or background. The
essence of tolerance is consistency and the key behaviour is the ability to
actively listen. Active listening means giving the other person our full
attention. This allows us to give, receive and record accurate information.
Focussing on information and problem-solving rather than stereotypes and
assumptions will consistently produce quality outcomes.
Displaying appreciation Most people respond well to feeling valued and

having their efforts recognised. Some theories suggest that recognition as
a person of worth is a basic human need. It costs very little to show
appreciation as people respond well to psychological rewards such as a
thumbs up, a kind word, or an email of thanks.
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to look at a situation through the eyes of the other person.
Have you ever wondered what it is like to have a disability? An empathic person
will think about others and their special needs, and make adjustments to make it
easier for all people to interact with them.
Learning activity: Empathy
1. Imagine what it is like to live life in a wheelchair, or to have a sick child, or to
have just arrived from another country. Take the time to get to know
someone with a special need and write down what you discover.
2. Alternatively, imagine what it would be like to have a special need and list a
few common workplace situations and how you would like to be treated in
each of them.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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Use the organisations social, ethical and business standards

There are a number of standards that a company adopts as their way of doing
business. These include governing legislation and organisational standards.
Governing legislation
All organisations are covered by federal and state legislation. There are a
considerable number of laws that can impact on a workers daily performance.
Often a worker only learns the law when an incident occurs. Good companies
maintain a training schedule to keep employees abreast of relevant legislation.
Learning activity: Governing legislation
1. Search the internet for an overview of each of the following
laws.
2. Comment on how you observe each law is being implemented
in your workplace.
Occupational health and safety (OHS)
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Environmental protection
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

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Equal opportunity
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Privacy
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Anti-discrimination
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Are there other legislative issues affect the way your company does business?
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Organisational standards
Successful companies dont just rely on their products to build a strong corporate
image. All organisations are now subject to a high level of public scrutiny and
accountability. Society expects high standards from its corporate citizens and will
respond well to companies that are ethically, socially and environmentally
compassionate. To publicly demonstrate their commitment to social principles,
organisations have formal documents such as written values, mission statements,
position descriptions and organisational codes of conduct. An example of a
statement of corporate citizenship can be found on the Microsoft website at
<http://www.microsoft.com/About/default.mspx>.
Learning activity: Organisational standards
What do you know of your companys organisational standards? See what you
can find on the following:
code of conduct
vision and mission statements
dress code
position descriptions
human resource policies
awards.
statement of workplace values
Keep your findings in a folder for future reference.
Gaining and maintaining trust through competent performance

How do you know when you can trust someone? Trust is feeling that you can rely
on someone to do and to say the right thing. Doing and saying are observable
behaviours and trust develops over time as a persons behaviours are shown to
be consistently reliable. Trust is also an interesting concept in that it is wholly
dependent on behaviour.
As soon as behaviour breaks someones trust, that trust disappears and it is
extremely difficult, at times impossible, to regain. Therefore, trust is a concept
that is intricately tied in to the concept of consistency. Good behaviours must be
rock solid and be observable at all times.
As a manager, the first thing you need to demonstrate is the ability to do your job
well. Otherwise, how can you ask others to do the same? You job may involve
performing tasks, and your performance of this tasks should serve as a model of
quality. You job also involves demonstrating your reliability and ability to manage
people fairly. Naturally, your relationship with one member of your team will stand
as an example for other members about how they can expect to be managed by
you.
Your attitude to self-improvement is also important. Seeking feedback,
recognising your need to improve and taking action to improve is important to
demonstrate that high performance is as important for yourself as it is for
everyone.

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Workplace trust concepts

Building trust can involve a lot of factors. Some topics to consider when building
trust include:
competence
rapport
first impressions.
Competence
People need to trust the competence of those leading them. Be good at your job.
Build trust. Be a model of high performance so that you can fairly ask the same of
those you manage.
Learning activity: Competence and trust
List three tasks that you to need to demonstrate competence in to your
employees. Self assess your abilities.
If you are not a manager, for the purpose of this activity, imagine that you are.
For those tasks you self-assess as NYC, what are you going to address the skill
gap? Will you try mentoring, coaching, training, another solution?
Task
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Self assess: Competent/not yet

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Student Workbook
Rapport
This is the feeling between two people that they can relate to each other, that they
are comfortable being in each others company. How comfortable we feel in the
presence of another person will certainly influence the ongoing communication
and longer-term relationship. Build rapport by emphasising shared goals,
attitudes, experiencesthose things that can help you work together and sustain
your working relationship through difficulty.
Learning activity: Soft skills
As in the activity above, list and self-assess three soft skills, such as showing
self-confidence or rapport-building that you also need to demonstrate to
employees.
If you are not a manager, for the purpose of this activity, imagine that you are.
For those skills you self-assess as NYC, what are you going to address the skill
gap? Will you try mentoring, coaching, training, another solution?
Soft skill
Self assess: Competent/not yet

competent

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First impressions
In our everyday lives we tend to seek out people we like and avoid those that we
dont like. Often we make this decision at the very instant that we meet a new
person. Our first impressions of another are based on their looks, their behaviour
and on what we have heard about them in advance. We also compare them to
people we have previously met or perhaps a stereotype. We can base our opinion
of them on that comparison or stereotype, e.g. on being introduced to a recently
released criminal, we can be influenced by our beliefs about prisoners.
Learning activity: First impressions
What opinions do you form about people pictured on the following page? Do you
think you would like them? Would you like to work with them? Would it be easy
to talk to them?
Comment:
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Comment:
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Comment:
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
First impressions may often be correct but often enough they are not; otherwise
con men would not be able to take advantage of the trust people often naturally
extend to other people. Good communicators are aware of their first impressions
but dont act on them straight away. They gather more information on the person
to test if the first impression was correct or inaccurate. The classic scene in the
movie, Pretty Woman, when the saleswomen dismiss a cashed-up customer
based on her looks is a good example of how first impressions can affect
behaviour. This is a case of a first impression influencing the trust and confidence
of the relationship. Get into the habit of putting aside your first impression until
you have received more information.
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On the other hand, first impressions can work for you. While you need to be open
minded and tolerant of first impressions in order to build trust, the activity above
may have indicated to you that first impressions can be strong and difficult to
completely ignore. By dressing and acting the part of a manager, that is, by
developing a managers persona, you can signal to people your sensitivity to
conventional expectations and willingness to play by the rules.
Learning activity: First impressions 2: the picture of competence
1. Brainstorm or list the attributes of the ideal competent, modern Australian
managers persona. How do they dress? How do they speak? What attitudes
do they project? What attitudes lie behind the persona?
Tip: some learners find it easier to generate ideas by creating scrap books
with pictures from magazines and favourite quotes that exist in the mind of
the manager. Other learners create posters with images of managers and
thought bubbles that represent the managers ideas and feelings. Other
learners dictate their ideas into recorders and create sound files for
playback.
2. Think about the persona from different perspectives. Modify and build your
persona.
3. Show your ideas to a learning group member, colleague or friend. Get their
impressions. Modify and build your persona accordingly.
Now, how close are you to the persona you have created? Identify three ways
you could become closer to your ideal.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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Similar or different?
As a general rule, people are more trusting of others who are similar to them and
less trusting of those who are different. On the other hand, Australians now live in
a vibrant, multicultural society and the next new person you meet may well be
very different to you. In this type of society, it would be very disturbing indeed to
be distrustful of meeting new people.
Individual differences
Good communicators recognise an interpersonal difference as an opportunity for

personal learning and development. It gives them the chance to broaden their
own horizons and enter into the other persons world and culture. Building rapport
with another person is all about moving towards their world view rather than away
from it. This could be as simple as an older manager taking off his tie when
interacting with a young person. It could mean enrolling in a cultural awareness
course or spending an hour or so gathering some information on the new persons
culture and belief systems.
Learning activity: Individual differences
Can you think of the reasons why some companies spend a lot of money on
uniforms for their staff?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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Generational differences: Hit me bac wen u av a min

Have you read much about the way different generations think and behave and
what they value? It seems that the media is reporting on these differences almost
daily and there is even a TV quiz show based on the differences between the
Baby Boomers, the X and the Y generations. Rather than being seen as a novelty,
many social scientists are now warning business managers to get ready for the
impact of generational change. Chris Tank of Texas Tech University alerts that In
the same way that baby boomers came in like a tidal wave over markets, culture
and business we need to expect the same from Gen Y.
A survey of the Australian population in 2006 found the following data7:
Description
Born
Age
Popn (mill)
% of Popn
Builders
Before 1946
61+
3.5m
17%
Boomers
1946 1964
42 60
5.3m
26%
Gen X
1965 1979
27 41
4.4m
21.5%
Gen Y
1980 1994
12 26
4.2m
20.5%
Gen Z
1995 2009
Under 12
3.1m
15%
So how do the differing generations see the world, and in particular their
workplace?
Boomers (19461964): Boomers dominate the workforce due to their large
numbers and the executive positions that they hold in many workplaces. They
have a strong belief in loyalty to the company and in working long and hard to get
ahead. Their attitude to work is characterised by:
achievement
power and authority
advancement and promotion
stability and status.
economic security
Gen X (19641979): Gen X is the between generation. They have been waiting
patiently for their turn at the top, yet some say they have grown resentful of the
wait. They can hear the footsteps of a highly educated and technologically
advanced generation that is catching up and, increasingly, overtaking them. Their
attitude to work is characterised by:
self-belief
resilience
meaningful work
equality.
balance
McCrindle Research 2006, Australias generations the definitive classification, viewed 30 December
2009, <http://www.mccrindle.com.au/fastfacts.htm>.

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Gen Y (19801994): Gen Ys were born into a world of ever-increasing technology.

In the 90s there were mobile phones, laptops and remote controls. In the 2000s
came Skype, Twitter, Facebook, iPhones and digital cameras, often within the
same device. They are highly educated and highly networked. Gen Y is entering
the workforce in numbers, looking for the opportunity to learn and move about.
Their attitude to work is characterised by:
relationships
cultural diversity
technology
lifelong education
finances
continuous change.
Research findings suggest that Gen Y places a high value on workplace

relationships. Generation Y was found to be motivated by external factors more so
than internal factors. Motivators, such as power, influence and equality scored
the lowest whilst their highest value was teamwork.
There are many researchers and writers who disagree with these generalisations
and argue that each person should be treated as an individual and not be tagged
with a group label. What do you think?
Learning activity: Generational differences
Do some research of your own: interview several people from each generation
and find out what they value most in the workplace. Note down a summary of
what you discover. How could you modify your management or communication
style to accommodate the different generations?
Baby Boomers
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Gen X
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Gen Y
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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Understanding corporate culture

Corporate culture is often referred to as how things get done around here.
Another term used to describe corporate culture is the personality of the
workplace. Organisations are dynamic systems, constantly changing and
responding, much like a living organism. Like an organism, a workplace develops
within a larger environment and establishes both formal and informal ways of
interacting with that environment. The personality of the workplace reflects the
values and behaviours of the people who work there.
Values
Values form the basis of a companys way of doing things and, as we have seen,
are written into the official company literature. It is up to the management and
staff to implement these values and the extent to which they are successful will
largely establish the corporate culture. In addition there is the collective value
system held by the individual workers and these may or may not align to the
corporate view. For example, a company may strongly support a multicultural
value system, yet different worksites may be for or against the principle,
depending on the values of the individuals at each site. It is a management
responsibility to monitor the values of each workplace and implement strategies
and procedures at local levels.
A survey of core company values listed the following as the most highly ranked:
customer satisfaction
ethics/integrity
accountability
respect for others
open communication.8
Behaviours
Irrespective of the official written standards, each workplace, over time, develops
a set of informal behaviours that define its corporate culture.
These social behaviours are evident on a day-to-day basis and include:
how work gets done
how employees treat one another
how employees treat customers and other external contacts
how willing employees are to share ideas and information
how flexible the company is in allowing work to get done.
Cultural behaviours develop over time and, in older organisations, can be firmly
ingrained. Recruitment managers tend to select new staff that fit the bill and are
Robbins, S, Bergman, R, Stagg I, & Coulter, M 2008, Management, 5th edn, Pearson Education, NSW, p.
173.

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likely to share the company values, ensuring the established culture is

maintained.
Learning activity: Corporate culture
1. The culture of an organisation is often apparent after interacting
with the first person inside the front door. Talk to people from
different workplaces. Write down some notes on how things get
done in relation to:
a. values
b. behaviours.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. Conduct an internet search for the corporate values that drive successful
international companies. Note down some of their ideas.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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Encourage others to follow examples set

Role models in a workplace have a profound effect on encouraging younger or
less experienced workers. When a new person joins a workplace, they look at how
things are done, and try to fit in as easily and as quickly as possible. New workers,
just like new kids at school, have their senses on high alert and take in all they
see, hear and experience.
They look to managers and older workers to show the way and the role models
they adopt will strongly shape their own workplace behaviour. Being a role model
is not about acting like a saint at all times. Sharing your life experiences, both
good and bad, can help other workers learn the best practices and avoid the
pitfalls that you have already encountered.
Coaching and mentoring are two techniques that can be used to develop
individual workers or teams. Both methods are defined by the quality of the
relationship that develops and the goals and objectives of the participants in the
process. These approaches motivate employees, and ultimately, can positively
impact the bottom line of business.
Mentoring is an effective solution where there are specific tasks to be

mastered or skill-sets to develop. Mentoring is a hierarchical relationship
where the senior (experienced) person in an organisation accepts the
responsibility of passing on knowledge and skills to a more junior (less
experienced) individual. The mentor is often the employees boss. An
apprenticeship is an example of a formally contracted mentoring
relationship.
Coaching focuses on improving a wider range of work and life skills, with
the emphasis on monitoring an individuals overall progress. It is a
continual process that is based on providing instruction, support and
objective feedback. Coaching is most effective in response to a
performance issue, or when there is a need for a more holistic personal
development, as opposed to the learning of tasks and skills. A workplace
coach helps workers to achieve short and long term goals and provide
opportunities to empower staff to realise their potential.
In each instance, the driving force is the relationship between the two people
involved in the process. The dynamics and the quality of this relationship must be
based on mutual trust, respect and open communication. A sense of ownership,
pride, and loyalty are among the many positive outcomes that result from this
approach to personal management. Additionally, a worker with a positive outlook
is in a better position to deal with new challenges.
Learning activity: Workplace coaching
How has mentoring and coaching been used in your current and past
organisations?
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Brainstorm some of the skills and qualities that are required to be a successful
workplace coach:
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__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________
You may have identified some of the following skills and qualities that make an
effective coach:
enjoys helping others
is genuinely interested in people and believes in their potential
has good listening skills (active/attentive listening) and can ask the right
questions
can develop trust and confidence
boosts confidence encourages workers to take responsibility for their

own learning and development
maintains high standards
can identify and adapt coaching to preferred learning styles
matches workers needs to performance targets
follows workplace health and safety policies and procedures
can clarify the organisations policies and procedures.
Coaching can be formal or informal. It can involve scheduling formal coaching

sessions for underperforming employees; on the other hand, it can involve side-by
side informal coaching, where the coach may listen, give feedback, make
suggestions for professional development as the need or opportunity presents
itself in the workplace.
One useful coaching model is the GROW model. This model comprises 4 phases,
each of which has a negotiated outcome:
Goal: In this phase, you collaboratively establish what the specific

performance goal is. There is scope for employees to develop their own
performance goals as long as they align with business objectives. For
example, they may wish to achieve goals above and beyond minimum
expectations.
Reality: In this phase, you establish mutual agreement on how far the
employee needs to go to reach a performance goal.
Options: In this phase, you discuss options about how the employee can
achieve the performance goal and what support you commit to giving the
employee. You need to agree on a suitable option.
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Will: In this phase, you need to gain the employees commitment to follow
through with the options they have selected to pursue. All of the above
phases are important, but this may be the crucial phase. In order for
coaching to be effective the employee needs to own their performance
goals and take personal responsibility for achieving them. In order to
encourage your employees to take responsibility, however, you have to
build trust by demonstrating respect, commitment and professional
competence.
The intent of the model is to remind you of the four essential areas that must be
covered in order for coaching to be more than just a conversation and to be an
effective way to bring out the best in your employees performance. Obviously,
informal, side- by-side or on the job coaching may be brief, assume some phases
as understood, and happen in different orderjust like any genuine two-way
conversation about real issues. The coaching conversation has individual
performance improvement as its defining purpose, however.
Learning activity: Workplace coaching 2: GROW
You are the manager of a call centre. Milton is one of your customer service
representatives. He has started to come in late for shifts, and he takes too
much time on breaks. His sales performance on key products and services is
30% below expectations. Frankly he looks bored and uninterested.
You know that Milton is capable of achieving beyond minimum expectations. In
the interview, you were impressed by his ability to communicate ideas and his
enthusiasm for sales. In fact, you believe Milton could progress upwards
through the organisation, to team leader and beyondhe just needs to apply
himself.
You arrange a ten-minute coaching session with Milton. Prepare for the session.
In each of the phases, describe how you will negotiate the necessary outcomes.
What questions will you ask? What problems do you anticipate? How will you
handle these problems constructively? What attitude will you take? What
persona will you adopt to put Milton at ease? Fill in the following table.
GOAL
REALITY
OPTIONS
WILL

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Section summary
You should now understand how to build trust and confidence and maintain
quality relationships with a wide range of internal and external contacts.
Further reading
Books
Cole, K 2009, Management: theory and practice, 4th edn, Pearson

Education, NSW.
Robbins, S, Bergman, R, Stagg I, & Coulter, M 2008, Management, 5th

edn, Pearson Education, NSW.
Robbins, S, Millett, B, Cacioppe, R, & Waters-Marsh, T 2004,

Organisational behaviour: leading and managing in Australia and New
Zealand, 4th edn, Pearson Education, NSW.
Websites
Businessballs free resources including career help, business training
and organisational development: <http://www.businessballs.com>.
Free management library provides free, comprehensive resources about

personal and business management: <http://www.managementhelp.org>.
About: management basic information about management

<http://www.management.about.com/>.
Section checklist
define the concepts that indicate a trusting relationship
demonstrate behaviours that gain and maintain the confidence of others
use the organisational standards that foster workplace relationships
adjust your behaviour to reflect individual and group differences.
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Section 3 Develop and Maintain Networks and Relationships
Section 3 Develop and Maintain

Networks and Relationships
As a frontline manager, building and maintaining networks and relationships with
a wide range of internal and external contacts is crucial to the success of your
role. Having a wide range of good working relationships will enable you to develop
your team, your organisation and ultimately you in your role.

In order to develop and maintain networks and relationships, you must be able to:
use networks to build relationships
use networks and relationships to benefit the organisation.
Using networks to build relationships

Networks refers to the range of contacts that you have, where both parties refer
to each other for support. Your networks can be seen as symbiotic relationships,
where both parties use each other for their mutual benefit.
Informal networks
Informal networks are those that we build through conversations, social events,
meetings and group activities. As with most interpersonal interactions, strong
communication skills are needed to ensure that the exchange of ideas, beliefs
and messages are heard, understood, responded to and followed up with
feedback.
Managers and people working in organisations have informal and formal network
systems internally and externally through colleagues, customers, suppliers, family
friends, and strongly rely on the support and ideas from these sources in their
working and personal life
The greater number of informal networks that you have within the organisation
the more access to influence you may have. If you develop relationships with
people with power and responsibility the more likely you are to be noticed and
valued within the business. By the same token, you may be able to influence
others with ideas, encouragement and support.
Strategies to improve the building of informal networks may include the following.
Make contact with people shortly after the first meeting, perhaps to give
feedback on something that they have accomplished.
Obtain a list of people or organisations that you may be able to contact to

discuss something related to the job, role, organisation, and contact them.
Introduce yourself to people within the organisation; be friendly but

professional. Get familiar with peoples names and jobs so that you can
invite them into your network.

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Join the social/community activities of the organisation.
Share information with other people who have similar interests/needs.
Formal networks
Formal networks are those relationships that are more structured and
documented. Managers may be members of a range of bodies, including industry
associations or skills councils; they may attend documented meetings and
conferences and discuss current and future strategic directions of the
organisation and industry.
Some of the benefits of formal networks include developing strategic alliances,
access to resources, contacts, technical assistance, business and funding
opportunities, etc.
Learning activity: Identify your networks
Make a list of the individuals you have contacted in your work role in the last
week and categorise them as formal or informal contacts.
How did they become part of your network?
What benefits have your team, your organisation or you personally

gained as a result of your relationship?
What benefits have their work team, their organisation or they

themselves gained as a result of your relationship?
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Internal networks
Internal networks are those that you develop with others that work for your
organisation.
The extent of your internal networks is partly determined by factors over which you
have direct control:
your ability to build and maintain relationships
your attendance at work and social events.
It is also partly determined by factors outside your direct control:
the size of the organisation
the organisations structure
the length of time you have worked there
your position within the organisation.
Examples of internal networks that you may develop as a frontline manager

include:
your team
senior management
other teams within the organisation (human resources, admin, the

warehouse, catering, cleaning, maintenance, marketing, others)
individuals within the organisation (workplace health and safety officer,

harassment officer, fire warden, others).
Learning activity: Internal networking at Sandhurdst Golf Club

Watch the video BSBWOR401A: Internal networking at Sandhurst Golf Club on
IBSAs YouTube channel at <http://www.youtube.com/ibsachannel>.
The Your Business Success Golf Tournament was successful in cementing ties
between which kinds of people?
What are the benefits of networking on a golf course such as in the scenario
seen in the video?

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External networks
External networks are work based relationships that you form with others outside
you organisation.
The extent of your external networks is partly determined by factors over which
you have direct control:
your ability to build and maintain relationships
your attendance at conferences, reference groups, etc.
It is also partly determined by factors outside your direct control:
the nature of your organisations business
practical services available to you (suppliers, subcontractors, etc.)
your business size and location.
Examples of external networks that you may develop as a frontline manager

include:
customers
competitors
suppliers
unions
couriers
skills councils.
subcontractors
Learning activity: Internal and external networks

Consider the list you made in the Identify your networks learning activity above.
Which of these are part of your internal network and which are external?
Internal network
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Scenario: Using all networks

Mary manages a technical support team for a rapidly expanding marketing
company. She has decided to review the way in which requests for support are
handled. Currently, staff members with a problem call the team and if a
technician is at their desk, theyll answer.
As the organisation is expanding so quickly, this has become an inefficient
method for dealing with technical problems, and Mary has started receiving
feedback that staff members are complaining.
Mary starts by accessing her internal networks through formal means to find
information to help her resolve the issue. She adds an item to the agenda for
her next team meeting and designs a short questionnaire that she gives to team
leaders to circulate among their staff.
Mary also uses her external networks, by contacting some peers that she met at
a conference six months ago and with who she has been corresponding, to ask
how the problem referral procedure operates in their organisations.
Mary also discusses the issue informally with relevant internal and external
contacts whenever related issues arise in conversation. As a result of having
developed and maintained such a wide network, Mary gathers lots of input.
To improve the procedure, she liaises with the human resources manager and
arranges for a new member to join her team, who will man the phones
permanently and log and prioritise jobs. She also sets up a white board on
which queued jobs can be recorded and responded to.
Three months after implementing these changes, Mary creates another
questionnaire to circulate among her internal networks, so that she can review
the new procedure and make sure it is working.
How do you network?
Opportunities for developing a quality working network include:
Professional development and training opportunities you may meet

people working in similar roles, with similar interests, skills and vision.
Business functions and groups.
Professional associations, e.g. womens business networks, industry

councils, Master Builders Associations, The Association of Professional
Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia, etc.
Industry associations such as The Flower Association of Queensland Inc.,

Motor Trades Association, Queensland Hotels Association, etc.
Online blogs, social network systems and newsletters from internal and
external stakeholders.
Techniques you can use to help build and maintain networks include:
Present a positive and professional demeanour in all interactions,

publicise your organisation by putting forward its attributes and benefits.
Be open to fresh ideas.

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Be active in social, recreational and professional associations related to

your work and interests.
Stay in touch though emails or phone calls, invite contacts to participate

in activities, information distribution or other events.
Learn what is important to the group and the people in your network, their
personal and professional values and ethics.
Consider, what information you, or your organisation can offer the group,
and what information can you gain from it.
Use networks and relationships to benefits the organisation.

As a manager, a wide ranging network will enable you to increase the benefits
that you bring to your team and organisation. The phrase its not what you know,
its who you know is especially pertinent when it comes to work. If you are able to
refer to experts for help in your work, it will save you time and energy and result in
a high quality outcome.
Tip
Managing directors and chief executive officers dont know how to do every job
within their organisations. Their skill is the ability to be excellent networkers.
Their job involves accessing their networks, so that they can make use of other
peoples skills appropriately for the overall benefit of the organisation.
E-networking
Maintaining networks through internet technology is known as e-networking.
Business practices are changing at the fastest rate in history because of the
networking opportunities offered by technology.
If you had used terms like Facebook and Twitter two years ago, many people
would have given you funny looks, but these networking tools are now fully
integrated into peoples personal and work lives. As a manager, you will gain a
huge advantage if you are able stay current with the latest tools on offer.
Some of the most common e-networking tools that you should know about include
the following.
Email
Email is on par with the telephone now, as the primary means for communicating
with others in business. You can send messages and attach digital files
(documents, photos, receipts, invoices) and send and receive them instantly.
Facebook/LinkedIn/Bebo/MySpace
These are all different social networking websites. You create a profile in which
you enter your personal details, bits of information about what you are up to,
pictures, links to websites, etc. Other users can then search to find you and ask to
join your friends list and vice versa, so that networks are created. Once in your
network, your friends can access your information.
Profiles can also be created for organisations, clubs and for common interests.
These profiles enable you to expand your network to people you dont already
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know. For example, if you are a fan of a film or band, by joining their profile you
join a network of other people with a similar taste, who you can then
communicate with.
Smartphones: Blackberrys/iPhones
These are mobile phones with internet capacity. As well as making and receiving
phone calls, you can access the internet easily, readily check your email, etc.
Blogs/wikis/chatrooms
These are websites on which you and others who have similar interests or goals
can collaborate and share information and digital files.
Skype/web conferencing
These tools (with the addition of a webcam, microphone and speakers), enable
you to use the internet to speak to and see others in real-time.
Instant messenger/MSN
These are tools that enable you to send and receive messages instantly between
computers. These are like email, but you are instantly alerted when you receive a
message, and they tend to be used for shorter and more informal messaging.
Twitter
This tool enables you to create a site and write short text updates so that others
(either everyone, or, a restricted list decided by you) can read about what youre
up to.
YouTube
This website hosts videos clips. You can post clips for others to view and search
to find clips that interest you. There are a huge number of clips on this site
covering a wide range of topics.
Learning activity: Use YouTube to find out how Twitter can improve your
business relationships
Visit the YouTube page using the link below, and watch the video clip How to
build business relationships using Twitter:
<http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=3ZxE1CrBVms>.
Do you think Twitter could be a useful networking tool for you? Why/Why not?

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Scenario: E-networking
Kafwe works for a software development company. He has been leading a team
which has been developing an updated version of their popular free anti-virus
tool and it is ready for release.
In order to advertise the new version to their existing networks and to try and
expand their networks, Kafwe takes a number of steps.
Firstly, he emails all existing registered customers, creates an update for his
organisations Facebook site and Twitters, letting people know that there is a
new version available and detailing some new improvements.
He then creates a short video about how to use the tool that showcases some of
the new products features, and uploads it to YouTube.
He also buys advertising space on several sites across the internet, and posts
newsflashes on several blogs, chatrooms and wikis.
In the first few months after release, Kafwe is able to read messages that users
have sent him directly through email and Facebook, as well as being able to
read what they have posted to the general public on the message boards of
Facebook, and YouTube, in chatrooms, on blogs, wikis and on Twitter. This is
invaluable market research that allows him to monitor the success of the new
product and peoples opinion of his organisation.
Learning Activity: Use Facebook/ to develop a group network

Create a Facebook profile for yourself (if you do not already have one) by
following steps 13 below. If you are part of a learning group, invite all other
members of the group to be part of your network.
In future, you can continue to collaborate with this network about the course,
about establishing effective workplace relationships, or about any other
common interests or goals you may have.
1. Visit <http://www.facebook.com>, enter your details and press Sign up.
2. Complete the security check by entering the words in the space provided.
3. Complete the steps to find friends and invite them to be part of your
network, and enter the details that you would like people to be able to see
when they access your information.
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Section summary
You should now have developed an understanding of how to develop and
maintain good working relationships and networks that benefit that your team,
your organisation and you personally.
Further reading
Open space, 2010, How to get involved in the Open Space community,
OpenSpaceWorld, viewed June 2010, :
<http://www.openspaceworld.org/news/join-us/>.
Profiling for success, 2006, My personal development, Profiling for

success, viewed June 2010,:
<http://www.profilingforsuccess.com/products/my_persona.php>.
Section checklist
use networks to build relationships
use networks and relationships to benefit the organisation.

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Section 4 Managing Difficulties into Positive Outcomes
Student Workbook
Section 4 Managing Difficulties into

Positive Outcomes
As a frontline manager, problem solving and decision making are key skills that
you must develop. It is important that you are able to quickly identify and respond
to difficulties, take steps to prevent them occurring again and apply strategies to
improve workplace outcomes.

In order to manage workplace problems you must be able to:
identify and analyse difficulties, and take action to rectify the situation
within the requirements of the organisation and relevant legislation
guide and support colleagues to resolve work difficulties
regularly review and improve workplace outcomes in consultation with
relevant personnel
manage poor work performance within the organisations processes
manage conflict constructively within the organisations processes.
Identifying and analysing difficulties and taking action

A wide range of difficulties can affect a workplace, including:
bullying/harassment
too much work
too little work
unmotivated staff
breaches of compliance with the organisations policies, or with legislation
poor management
lack of strategic direction
personality clashes
under-skilled staff
difficult customers
changing markets
the global financial crisis
inadequate equipment.
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Learning activity: Analyse own workplace difficulties

Have you ever experienced any of the workplace difficulties in the list, or any
others that were not covered?
Tell the group or reflect on:
What caused the problem.
Who was involved.
What the impacts of the problem on the organisation were.
Whether it was addressed effectively.
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It is useful to have a standard operating procedure for facing workplace
difficulties. This can be adapted, depending on the nature of the difficulty and the
requirements of the individuals and organisations involved.
To effectively address workplace difficulties it is useful to follow these steps:
1. Indentify and define the difficulty identify all the parties involved and
gather all the relevant facts.
2. Analyse the difficulty determine the nature, size and severity of the
difficulty and the impact it is likely to have.
When analysing difficulties you may need to access the following
documents for guidance:
a. your organisations policies and procedures, code of conduct and
other relevant operational manuals and documents
b. a wide range of relevant legislation: Occupational, Health and
Safety (OHS), discrimination, equal opportunities, confidentiality,
industrial relations, etc.
c. employee awards.
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3. Identify ways to resolve the difficulty depending on the nature of a

difficulty, you might decide on a solution yourself, take a team approach to
identifying a solution, or refer to others for assistance (human resources
manager, OHS manager, senior management, or outside agencies).
In some instances you will be able to use your discretion to arrive at an
appropriate solution, in others you will have to act in compliance with your
organisations requirements and legislation.
Ways to resolve problems can include, for example:
a. training
g. social events
b. mediation
h. new staff
c. disciplinary action
i.
new equipment
d. allocation of work duties
j.
new policies and procedures
e. professional development
k. information sessions
f. meetings
l.
forums.
4. Take action once you have decided on a solution, you will need to decide
how to implement it.
a. how it should be implemented
b. who will be involved
c. how will you monitor its success
d. what resources will be needed.
Scenario: Solving the problem
Sandro has recently been re-deployed at the car plant to manage a team on the
assembly line.
Anna is one of his new team, and the only female working on the shop floor. She
is a single mother and often has commitments that mean she has to leave work
early, arrive late or take leave at short notice.
Trevor has worked at the car plant for over 30 years and is dedicated to meeting
the teams targets, which secures a bonus. Trevor has approached Sandro
because he feels that Annas unreliability has cost the team its bonus on a few
occasions recently.
To help Sandro confirm the issue, he checks Annas time sheets over the
periods in question and finds that they have been filled in to show that she has
been arriving and leaving at exactly the same time every day. Concerned that
they have been fraudulently filled in, Sandro seeks advice from the floor
manager, who says he has no way of proving whether Anna has been in work
when she says she has.
Sandro checks his organisations policies for attendance and for bonuses, the
relevant equal opportunities, discrimination and industrial relations legislation
and the employees award.
In order to resolve this dispute Sandro decides to organise a meeting with
Trevor and Anna. He knows the best way to resolve workplace conflict is to bring
the parties together, so that they can hear each others points of view.
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To begin the meeting Sandro outlines that he will allow both parties to make a
brief statement of their position. He knows he has to be very careful not to take
sides in the dispute, so he lets both parties know he will be concentrating on
how to address their concerns in the future, rather than concentrating on what
has happened in the past.
After the meeting, in order to address the issues raised, Sandro prepares an
item for the next team meeting about filling out timesheets correctly and the
consequences for not doing so.
He also approaches Anna to let her know that she has a range of options to help
her balance her work and family life under her award, including: parental leave
allowances, flexible working hours and job share. He also asks if it would be
helpful if he informed her about local childcare facilities.
Learning activity: How to address workplace difficulties

Apply the four steps for addressing workplace difficulties to the scenario:
1. How did Sandro identify and define the problem?
2. How did Sandro analyse the problem?
3. How did Sandro identify ways to resolve the problem?
4. How did Sandro take action to resolve the problem?
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Can you offer Sandro any suggestions about how he could have managed the
difficulty more effectively?
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Learning activity: Reflect on experience

Think about a time when you, someone you know, or, someone you have heard
about has faced a difficulty in their workplace.
1. Outline the steps you would take to identify and analyse the difficulty.
2. Identify ways to resolve the problem.
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Guiding and supporting colleagues

As a manager, many of your organisations operating procedures will provide the
primary means for guiding and supporting your colleagues to resolve their
workplace difficulties.
Performance appraisals are one of the most ineffectively managed systems in
many organisations, but if they are carried out efficiently they can be used to
address a range of workplace difficulties.
Performance appraisals offer the opportunity to collaboratively identify workplace
difficulties and means for overcoming them, but they must be conducted
sensitively and they must always lead to an outcome: training, mentoring,
increased responsibilities, redeployment, etc.
Scenario: Comparing workplaces
Workplace 1
Tom works for a multimedia company. His manager has just handed him a
performance appraisal form to fill in and return and set a date for an interview.
Tom is very busy currently working on a project with a tight deadline.
When he first started working for the company he used to take the time to fill
the form in properly and undertake the interview in the hope of having his
professional development goals addressed. Unfortunately, he has never
received any feedback or seen any positive outcomes from the process. Tom
now resents having to do the appraisal, because nothing ever comes from it.
The form that Tom has to fill in is 15 pages long and he has to write a paragraph
for each question. He has to repeat the same point several times on this form,
so after page seven he enters the sentence see previous points in each space.
Tom complains to other staff in the tea room about doing the appraisal and they
decide it must be something their boss is made to do by the human resources
department, in order to tick some boxes or something.
Workplace 2
Indias boss hands her a professional development form to complete and lets
her know that he will be completing one too and will let her see his responses
before her interview. The form has a number of criteria on it and both India and
her boss have to rate her performance out of ten. There are some sections at
the bottom in which India has to state the areas in which shed like to improve,
what her career aspirations are and then how they can be achieved.
India has been looking forward to doing her appraisal, because shes keen to
develop her account keeping skills further and would like to be exposed to
MYOB. She is confident that when she raises this, arrangements will be made
so that she receives some workplace mentoring or some training.
In the past, her company has given her lots of professional development
opportunities that were identified through the performance appraisal process.
These have increased her skill levels, given her a career path that she feels
shes progressing along and made her feel loyalty towards her employer.

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Learning activity: Critically assess a performance appraisal procedure

Discuss an organisations performance appraisal procedure (your workplace,
your trainers workplace, another).
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Do you feel positive or negative about the performance appraisal procedure?
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Does the procedure lead to any outcomes for the staff members undertaking it?
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How do you think it could be improved?
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Team meetings are another standard workplace system that should be carried out
on a regular basis in every organisation. If they are effectively managed they
provide a forum at which issues can be raised and discussed and solutions
brainstormed and negotiated.
Emergency meetings can be held at short notice to respond to a crisis. Staff
should know that they can approach management, or, management can call
emergency meetings as situations arise.
Other communication forums: lots of workplaces have alternative procedures in
place so that staff can communicate their difficulties and suggestions for
improvements. These might include feedback forms, blogs, suggestion boxes,
informal social events, staff representatives, staff forums, OHS officers,
harassment offices, counsellors, etc.
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As a manager, much of your ability to guide and support colleagues to resolve

their difficulties have to do with your ability to communicate appropriately:
be aware of others culture, age, sex, work history, personality, etc, and
adapt your interpersonal style to suit them
use effective questioning techniques and active listening
act in a manner that is respectful and shows empathy
value their opinions
respond to their concerns.
Learning activity: Poor guidance

Can you think of a time when you have talked to a person in charge (manager,
teacher, or trainer) about a problem and they have used bad communication
skills?
1. How did they communicate poorly?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. What impact did this have on you?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. What impact did this have on resolving the situation?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. How could the person in charge have communicated more effectively?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

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Reviewing and improving workplace outcomes

Well-run organisations have a range of procedures in place for regularly reviewing
and improving workplace outcomes:
meetings
performance appraisals
personal development plans
business and strategic plans
project management procedures.
Efficient management of these procedures is based on the same principles:

Goal-setting is one of the most important steps in implementing systems to
improve workplace outcomes. These goals may take a number of forms, for
example, actions in a meetings minutes, development goals in a personal
development plan or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in a business plan.
Goals give clear targets to work towards, set a point in time by which they should
be achieved and provide an identifiable means for assessing the degree of their
success. Goal-setting may include developing a timeline for a project with
milestones to be reached along the way.
Delegating duties ensures that all parties involved in implementing an
improvement in the workplace know their role and the role of others.
Monitoring should be undertaken during the timeline of large or complex
workplace improvements (for example, at reporting milestones in projects), or,
after smaller and simpler improvements have been completed (for example, when
reviewing the minutes of the previous meeting).
Monitoring enables those involved in implementing an improvement to review its
progress and make modifications if problems arise. It also serves as a
motivational tool, as those involved know that they are going to be asked to show
the work they have been undertaking.
Review needs to be undertaken once an improvement has been implemented, to
assess whether it has met its aims. This can involve collecting feedback from
those affected by the improvement and statistical results (for example, how many
people have been affected, or, what impact the improvement has had on profit).
The review process enables the success of the action that has been undertaken
to be assessed and also allows the procedure for implementing improvements to
be refined in the future.
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Scenario: From the agenda to the review

Frank manages the catering staff in the canteen of a large engineering firm. The
organisations OHS manager is introducing a healthy lifestyles scheme and has
asked Frank to arrange for some healthy menu options to be offered in the
canteen.
At the catering teams weekly meeting, the healthy menu is the main item on
the agenda. A discussion takes place about some healthy dishes that could be
offered and everyone seems happy with the idea. The head chef says hell look
forward to a new challenge.
Frank closes the item by stating that they will review the healthy menu in a
month to see how successful it has been.
Learning activity: Planning workplace improvements

Consider the scenario above.
1. Has Frank clearly set goals for his team?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. Has Frank clearly delegated duties?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. Has Frank clearly set out how the improvement is to be monitored?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. What steps would you take to increase the chance of the health menu
being effectively implemented?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

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5. What are some ways in which the success of the healthy menu could be
reviewed?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Managing poor work performance

As a manager it is vitally important that you constantly monitor your team and are
able to quickly identify and respond to poor work performance.
If you are able quickly address poor performance, it can lead to a range of positive
outcomes by setting high standards for your team and demonstrating your ability
to respond to their needs.
If poor performance is not addressed it can create a vicious circle leading to
decreased productivity, lowered morale, decreased motivation and increased noncompliance with the organisations operating policies.
Scenario: Comparing employee performance
Kamahl works for a marketing organisation and has been given a project to
manage, organising a promotion for a new product that a client is launching.
This is the first project that Kamahl has been responsible for managing
independently.
Situation 1
Kamahls manager, Jason, has organised a meeting with him, because he is
concerned that Kamahl has only contacted the client once. Jason wants to see
his campaign plan and make sure hes staying on track.
In the meeting, Jason discovers that Kamahl has booked a venue for a launch
party and organised catering and promotional materials, but he has not invited
any guests, or liaised with the client about any of the work hes been doing.
Jason immediately delegates Suzie, an experienced project manager, to act as
Kamahls mentor through the project. He also arranges for Kamahl to undertake
some project management training and enters these actions into Kamahls
professional development plan.
After the project, Kamahl receives a card and a gift from the client for an
excellent job. He thanks Jason and Suzie for helping him develop his skills and
asks if he can be given other projects to manage in future.
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Situation 2
Kamahls manager Jason has only heard him talk about contacting his client
once, but he thinks it is Kamahls responsibility to manage his project and seek
help. He doesnt raise the issue with him.
Three weeks later, Jason receives a call from the client notifying him that they
are cancelling their contract and are going to withhold payment of their account.
Kamahl organised a product launch event, but no one came as he did not invite
guests until two days before. The client also felt his posters and promotional
materials were inappropriate.
Jason gives Kamahl a warning and tells him that in future he will only work as a
project officer. Four months later, Kamahl is dismissed for a succession of
breaches of the organisations operating procedures.
There may be a range of reasons for poor work performance.
Workload staff with too much work perform badly because they are
under pressure to deliver unrealistic targets and are set up to fail. Staff
with too little work perform badly because they are not challenged and
become bored and complacent.
Under-skilled/over-skilled staff staff that do not have the skills to

complete the work they are allocated are being set up to fail. Staff that are
not challenged by their work become bored and complacent.
Personal problems staff may be experiencing a range of issues in their

personal lives that impact on their work performance. While it is the staff
members responsibility to balance their work and private lives, effective
managers are able to refer their staff for counselling, or provide necessary
support.
Unclear duties staff members appreciate clearly defined roles so that

they know what they are supposed to be doing.
Work environment conflict with other staff, inadequate equipment or an

uncomfortable working environment can all lead to reduced productivity.
Learning activity: Reflect on own poor performance

Can you think of a time, either in your current position, in a previous job or at
school, where you have performed poorly?
1. What factors lead to your poor performance?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

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2. Did the person in charge respond to the poor performance?

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. If you had been in their position, what would you have done to help support
you to improve your performance?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Strategies for addressing poor performance9
There are a range of strategies for dealing with poor performance. First, though,
you need to identify whether the root cause of underperformance is lack of ability
or lack of motivation. Once you have identified underlying cause/s of poor
performance, you can determine the way forward.
Address ability issues
There are five main ways to address ability issues. Use them in this order, which
starts with the least intrusive and ends with the most serious:
1. Resupply: Does your employee have the resources they need to do the
job?
2. Retrain: Does your employee need retraining? Some training options are:
a. Training seminars with in-house or external providers
b. Computer-based training (CBT)
c. Simulation exercises
d. TAFE or university courses
3. Refit: Do you need to consider rearranging the employees job description
and/or the job description of others to accommodate the actual skill set of
the employee?
9 Mind tools, 2010, Dealing with poor performance, MindTools, viewed June 2010
<http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_80.htm>.
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4. Reassign: Do you need to give an employee another role in the

organisation or within the team that is more appropriate to their skill level?
5. Release: Do you need to let the employee go? Sometimes this is the only
option. There are potential negative consequences of not letting poor
performers go:
a. You'll annoy other members of your team. They may have to work
harder when others cannot carry the load.
b. You may demonstrate that you're prepared to accept
underperformance.
c. You may waste precious time and resources.
d. You may undermine trust by showing that you think some
employees deserve preferential treatment.
Make sure to address each of these options in one-on-one performance
interviews with employees.
Address poor motivation
Sometimes employees can do the job, but they just arent willing. To address this,
you need to:
1. Set performance goals.
2. Assist performance.
3. Provide feedback.
Using the GROW coaching model, discussed in section 2, is a good way to
structure your approach to improving the motivation of your team members. In
this way, you engage your employee in a non-confronting conversation about how
the employee can take responsibility for their own self-improvement. You show
that you are interested enough in the employee to provide feedback and provide
all the assistance and support the employee needs to excel.
Creating a Performance Improvement Plan
To ensure success, you and your employee will need to discuss and agree upon a
plan for improving performance. Agree on actions and dates and performance
milestones to be reached. Write these down. One way to underline the
seriousness of the commitment is to have your employee sign under the actions
they have agreed to. Continually monitor progress with the employee to ensure
follow up.
Lets apply some of the techniques discussed above to some scenarios.

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Learning activity: Management responses to poor performance

Consider the impacts of the poor performances in the table and how you would
deal with them:
Fleur works part-time in the Impact
call centre where youre a
floor manager. She is good
at her job, intelligent and
hard working, but she is
consistently late for work
even after repeated
warnings.
Solution
Charlie is a maintenance
man in your firm. He has
been repeatedly instructed
to complete his OHS
induction on your
companys intranet and is
now in breach of policy for
not doing it.
Impact
Solution
You have found cigarette

butts on the floor in your
departments toilets and
the no smoking in toilets
poster has had a smiley
face burnt into it with a
cigarette.
Impact
Solution
Sally is supposed to be
writing a report for a
funding body, but every
time you walk into the
room you can see that she
is looking at non-work
related websites which she
closes quickly while looking
sheepish.
Impact
Solution
Pauline has had an

accusation of racism
levelled against her by a
customer. You have
checked the recording of
the telephone call that your
company is required to
keep, and confirm that she
has indeed racially insulted
the customer.
Impact
Solution
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Managing conflict constructively

Most organisations have details in their organisational documents that outline
their expectations for dealing with conflict resolution. This may be part of their
policies and procedures, code of conduct or it may be a standalone document. As
a manager, it is important that you act in accordance with the standards laid out
by your organisation when you are managing conflict resolution in the workplace.
Learning activity: Access a conflict resolution policy
Access and read an organisations conflict resolution policy (your company, your
trainers, another).
There are many strategies to resolve conflict. Lets research some of them on the
internet.
Learning activity: Conflict resolution strategies
1. Research four conflict resolution strategies on the internet.
2. Fill in the chart below, giving a description of each strategy and
how it could be applied. Give examples.
4Rs
AEIOU

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Negotiation method
NORMS
In general, there are four steps you can work through to manage a conflict:
1. Identify the conflict.
2. Assess the conflict.
3. Deploy conflict resolution strategy.
4. Monitor and review.
Step
1. Identify the
problem
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Detail
Make sure you can describe the specifics of the

conflict. Be able to state exactly what the conflict
is about. For instance, is it a personality clash or
a power struggle? Is it an issue about an
employees performance?
Determine the reliability of the evidence you

have to support the existence of the problem.

Student Workbook
2. Assess the conflict

and determine
strategy
You need to investigate and analyse the

problem. You do this by asking the following
questions:
o How serious is the conflict?
o How long has the conflict existed?
o What are the circumstances involved with
the conflict?
o If the problem is about capability, what is the
employee shortfall in capability between the
job and them?
This may be a problem that is better handled
through coaching.
3. Deploy strategy
Determine whether or not you need to deploy a

conflict resolution strategy.
Choose an appropriate strategy.
Develop a personal action plan with:

o
Specific tasks for you to perform.
o Timeframes.
o Monitoring mechanism to check completion
of tasks.
4. Monitor and
review
Monitor the success of your strategy.
Modify your strategy as necessary.

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Lets apply the steps.

Learning activity: Work through the steps
1. Consider a workplace conflict you have encountered. You are the manager
of the people involved.
2. Work through the conflict resolution procedure below.
1. Identify the
problem
2. Assess the conflict

and determine
strategy
How serious is the conflict?
How long has the conflict existed?
What are the circumstances involved with the

conflict?
3. Deploy strategy
Task
4. Monitor and
review
How would you measure success in this case?
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Section summary
You should now understand how to identify and respond to a range of workplace
difficulties, provide guidance and support to colleagues and implement
improvements.
Further reading
University of South Australia, 2010, Effective problem solving, UniSA,

viewed June 2010, <http://www.unisa.edu.au/ltu/students/study/
wellbeing/resolution/problemsolving.asp>.
Section checklist
identify and analyse difficulties, and take action to rectify the situation
within the requirements of the organisation and relevant legislation
guide and support colleagues to resolve work difficulties
regularly review and improve workplace outcomes in consultation with
relevant personnel
manage poor work performance within the organisations processes
manage conflict constructively within the organisations processes.

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Glossary
Student Workbook
Glossary
Term
Definition
Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers born before 1965.
Communication
The imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or

information by speech, writing, or signs.
E-networking
Relationships built through use of software facilities on

computers via the internet.
Empathy
Trying to understand how others are feeling by imagining

yourself in their position.
External data
Data accessed from outside you organisation, from books,

newspapers, the internet, TV, customers, contractors, the
general public, etc.
Formal networks
Relationships that tend to be more structured and

documented.
Gen X
People born between 1965 and 1979.
Gen Y
People born after 1980.
Informal networks
Relationships that we build through conversations, social

events, meetings and group activities.
Integrity
Sticking to your moral code.
Internal data
Data accessed from within an organisation, from its

operating documents, manuals, your colleagues, etc.
Interpersonal
Exchanges between two or more people. For instance

interpersonal communication style is the way you interact
with another, which may be based on your perception of
them.
Legislation
A law put in place by a governing body.
Networking
Building and maintaining business relationships.
Rapport
A positive interpersonal relationship between two or more

people.
Performance
appraisal
A standard business procedure where staff members

periodically meet with their managers to review their
performance and negotiate how to meet their professional
development goals.
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Appendices
Appendices
Appendix 1 Sample policy and procedure (MacVille)
Affirmative action policy

Introduction
An affirmative action programme means a programme designed to ensure that:
Appropriate action is taken to eliminate any employment discrimination

against women.
Measures are taken to promote equal opportunity for women.
Reverse discrimination against men is not involved. Promotion and other

employment decisions will continue to be based on merit. There are no quotas.
Legislation
This policy complies with the Commonwealth Affirmative Action (Equal
Employment Opportunity for Women) Act 1986.
A series of objectives will be developed as part of an affirmative action
programme. Procedures for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the
programme will be designed and an assessment will take place of the
achievement of these objectives.
Responsibility for the affirmative action programme for women

It is the responsibility of the business manager, along with all levels of supervisory
staff to see that the affirmative action programme for women is properly
developed and implemented. Management will ensure that the personnel policies
and practices that operate within the organisation are reviewed. The review will
identify any practices which are discriminatory or which may be necessary to
achieve equal employment opportunity for women. Staff participation is strongly
encouraged.
Alcohol and drugs policy

MacVille recognises the value of its employees and is committed to promoting
and maintaining the health and well being of every member of its work force.
Alcohol and other drugs can influence an employees ability to maintain safe work
practices and can endanger themselves and others. As such all employees,
contractors and sub-contractors have a responsibility to present for work and
remain not influenced by alcohol and other drugs.
Accordingly, MacVille adopts the following alcohol and other drugs procedure that
applies to all employees regardless of their position or classification.

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Employers responsibilities
Management will ensure that adequate resources are available to

implement this policy in the work sites over which they have control.
Managers and supervisors have delegated day-to-day responsibility for

implementing this policy.
Supervisors/team leaders must monitor employees fitness for work and

take appropriate action in accordance with the procedure.
Employees responsibilities
Ensure they are not, by the consumption of alcohol or other drugs, in such
a state as to endanger their own safety at work or the safety of any other
person at work.
Present for work and remain not influenced by alcohol or other drugs. This
includes employees engaged in after hours work, on standby availability,
casual or contract.
Notify their manager/supervisor if their work performance is likely to be

influenced or if there is any risk to the safety of self or other employees.
Consult with their manager/supervisor about any concerns they may have
about working with any other workers due to possible increased risk to
safety.
Disciplinary action
The requirements for the control of alcohol and other drugs in the workplace form
part of MacVilles occupational health and safety policy and, as such, any breach
of this policy will lead to normal disciplinary action being taken, which may include
dismissal. MacVille also may request testing and medical assessment of
individuals who appear to be impaired by drugs or alcohol.
With respect to this policy:
Confidentiality is to be observed in these matters.
No employee will be unfairly discriminated against.
Employees will be provided with a copy of the policy and an explanation of

its purpose.
A regular review and evaluation of the policy will occur.
Bullying and harassment policy

MacVille is committed to providing a working environment that is free from
bullying. Working relationships and standards of behaviour between employees
are important workplace issues. MacVille code of conduct sets out principles for
behaviour required in the workplace, namely that:
All people should be treated with respect.
All employees should develop an awareness about the impact of their

behaviour on others.
There is agreement about what is appropriate behaviour at work.
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Appendices
MacVille considers that bullying in the workplace is inappropriate and

unacceptable behaviour and those employees found to have either committed or
condoned such behaviour in the workplace may be subject to disciplinary action.
Definition: a bully is a person who uses strength or power to coerce others by fear
and that to bully is to oppress, persecute, physically or morally by (threat of)
superior force. Bullying is physical or psychological behaviour or conduct where
strength (including strength in personality) and/or a position of power is misused
by a person in a position of authority or by a person who perceives that they are in
a position of power or authority. While bullying is normally associated with
unequal power relationships, peer to peer bullying is not uncommon and is an
equally unacceptable behaviour at MacVille.
A variety of behaviours and acts my constitute bullying which, over time, create a
negative workplace environment. These may include:
sarcasm and other forms of

demeaning language
threats
verbal abuse
shouting
coercion
repeated refusal of requests for

leave or training without
adequate explanation and
suggestion of alternatives
punitive behaviour
isolation
blaming
constant unconstructive criticism
deliberately withholding
information that a person needs
to exercise her or his role or
entitlements within the
organisation.
Bullying may be perpetrated by an individual who may be a work colleague, a

supervisor or a person/s who is part of the work environment.
Employees responsibilities
Ensure that their actions do not negatively affect another staff members
career, health or well-being and are consistent with the MacVille code of
conduct.
Employees are encouraged to try and resolve issues of workplace bullying

at the local level, directly with the person they believe is responsible for
bullying. If issue is not resolved in this way, an employee may lodge a
formal complaint.
Employers responsibilities:
To provide a safe work environment that enables staff to carry out their
work responsibilities free from bullying. This includes investigating
complaints of bullying thoroughly and expeditiously and reviewing work
units where bullying has been found to have taken place.
To educate themselves and their employees on the issue of harassment

and bullying, to avoid its incidence, and to inform employees of procedures
to deal with the problem should it occur.

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Disciplinary/dismissal policy
Part 1
1. An employees contract of employment may be terminated by either the
employer or the employee giving the notice required by the applicable
award or the Industrial Relations Act 1990.
2. Where the prescribed notice is not given, the employee shall be paid
wages in lieu of notice, or the employer may withhold wages due to the
employee, as the case may be, equivalent to the notice not given or
received.
Part 2
1. Notwithstanding Part 1 above, where any employee is guilty of misconduct,
the contract of employment may be terminated instantaneously. In such
cases there is no requirement for the giving of notice, nor payment in lieu
of notice.
2. Where it is alleged that an employee is guilty of misconduct, the employee
shall be provided with details of the allegation/s and be given a
reasonable opportunity to respond to allegations prior to a decision being
made to either terminate the employment or to issue a written warning.
Part 3
1. Where it is alleged that an employees capacity or performance is
unsatisfactory, then the following procedure should be followed. The
existence of this procedure shall not prevent an employee being dismissed
in accordance with Part 2 above.
2. The initial discussion and direction will be provided on an informal basis by
the business manager or other authorised person. The employee shall be
advised that such discussion forms part of the process arising out of
Clause 3.a.
3. If the problem/s persist the business manager or other authorised person
will discuss with employee:
a.
b.
c.
d.
the matter/s of concern

actions necessary to resolve the concerns
a timetable for improvement to be evidenced
input including explanations will be sought from the employee.
4. As a result of this discussion the business manager or other authorised

person will notify the employee in writing regarding those matters in
question discussed per Clause 3.c above.
5. The notice will detail:
a. the matter/s of concern
b. actions necessary to resolve the concerns
c. a timetable for improvement to be evidenced.
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Appendices
6. This notice will be signed and confirmed by the employee to record the
discussion in Clause 3.c above. If there is a disagreement as to the content
of the notice the employee shall have the opportunity for their view to be
placed on the record.
7. Appropriate monitoring and counselling shall then be provided to the
employee by the business manager or other authorised person.
8. Where the problem/s are not rectified through the use of the above
process, the employees contract of employment may be terminated.
Part 4
1. At any meeting or discussion forming part of the process in Part 2 or 3, the
employee may be accompanied by a Union representative or other person
of the employees choosing.
Part 5
1. On request a dismissed employee will be provided with a written statement
of reasons for dismissal.
Dress and appearance policy

MacVille maintains a professional working environment and as such a high
standard of dress and appearance is expected of all employees.
While it is accepted that staff dress is a matter of individual taste, all staff are
expected to ensure that appropriate professional standards are maintained at all
times. Whenever staff are on duty, business attire or attire appropriate to the
activity is required.
Your cooperation in maintaining high standards of dress and appearance will be
appreciated.
Equal employment opportunity policy

In keeping with the federal government legislation to promote equal employment
opportunity MacVille is committed to the promotion of equal opportunity for all
persons including women, people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island descent,
people of all racial and ethnic groups and people with disabilities.
Equal employment opportunity means that merit and equity will form the basis of
all employment, training, promotion decisions that affect employees at the
workplace.
MacVille accepts that as an employer we have a responsibility to eliminate and
ensure the continued absence from within its structure of any source of direct or
indirect discrimination on the basis of any factors not related to work performance
including race, colour, national or ethnic origin, nationality, sex, marital,
pregnancy, age, status as a parent or carer, political conviction, social origin or
impairment.

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Student Workbook
In practice, MacVilles EEO policy means:
For job applicants:

o fair recruitment procedures
o opportunities for non traditional jobs for women and men
o merit-based access to jobs for members of designated groups
including people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island descent,
people of all racial and ethnic groups and people with disabilities.
For employees:
o no unjustified barriers to advancement for all members of staff
o elimination of unjustified discrimination in selection and promotion
processes
o appropriate training and development opportunities for all staff,
including women and members of designated groups
o opening up of business decision-making processes to staff.
MacVille is committed to the principles of the legislation and we seek your support
in implementing the equal opportunity program.
Expenses policy
Purpose of this policy is to ensure you are properly reimbursed for out of pocket
expenses related to direct expenses for work-related activities, and that Macville
is able to claim on taxable expenses.
Meals and entertainment

As a general rule, meals and entertainment necessary for the conduct of business
should not be lavish, extravagant or unreasonably costly.
The business meal/drink
A meal is classed as a business meal and is reimbursable when the purpose of
the meal is a business discussion in line with business goals.
One employee may not entertain another except when a client is present or:
When one employee is away from home.
When the discussion cannot, for reasons of privacy or other pertinent

business purposes, be conducted on business premises.
In order to qualify for business use, the entertainment must:
Be fully documented and explained in the expense report.
Be for a business purpose and not just general goodwill.
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Appendices
Reimbursement of small expenses/temporary cash advance

In some situations, it may be necessary to use cash and claim the reimbursement
of these expenses via a cheque requisition or your cash.
Always obtain a tax invoice or we may not be able to reimburse you.
Parking expenses incurred while working will be reimbursed against

receipts.
Until previous cash advances have been accounted for, further cash
advances are not allowed. You must reconcile all cash advances and
attach appropriate receipts with an expense statement.
You will be required to sign for the advance before it is issued.
Internet and email usage policy

This policy ensures the efficient, lawful and ethical usage of internet and email
resources.
Policy
Internet and email access is provided for the purpose of work related to
MacVille business operations and some limited personal use.
Internet and email usage should be able to withstand public scrutiny and
disclosure. Unauthorised access, transmittal or storage of any material
that might bring MacVille into disrepute is prohibited.
MacVille information should not be made available via the internet or

email without approval.
MacVille staff should not use the internet or email in a way that could
defame, harass, abuse or offend other users, individuals or organisations.
MacVille staff should not create, knowingly access, download, distribute,

store or display any form of offensive, defamatory, discriminatory,
malicious or pornographic material.
MacVille staff should not disrupt or interfere with the use of internet or
email services.
MacVille reserves the right to monitor and audit any or all internet and
email activity undertaken by staff using MacVille resources. Staff may be
called on to explain their use of the internet or email.
Violations of this policy may result in restriction of access to internet/email

or disciplinary action, including dismissal, at the discretion of the business
manager.
Media policy
This policy outlines the protocol for dealing with media representatives. While due
care needs to be observed when speaking to media as outlined below, it is
important to remember that the media is to be treated respectfully and in a
professional manner.

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Policy
No comment is to be made by a staff member to media representatives on

behalf of MacVille in relation to any matters unless authorised by the
business manager to do so.
Staff members are not permitted to make personal comment to the media
in relation to matters concerning MacVille or its business operations.
Staff members are not to give the contact details of any MacVille
employees to the caller unless specifically directed to by business
manager.
A caller from the media may not identify themselves as a media

representative. Therefore, callers who are asking questions that are
beyond the usual enquiries should always be referred to the business
manager.
Occupational health and safety policy

MacVille cares about the safety of our people and recognises that injuries result in
needless suffering to individuals and their families.
We are committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for our
employees, contractors and visitors.
All MacVille employees, whatever their role, carry the primary responsibility to
ensure that the work they undertake or supervise is carried out safely and without
injury. Our first priority must always be the well-being of our employees. No task is
so important that a persons safety is put at risk. We believe that all accidents are
preventable and are therefore, committed to the goal of no injuries.
Photo identification policy

As part of the implementation of a structured workplace health and safety
programme, MacVille uses a staff photographic identification card system. These
cards will be replaced periodically and staff will be required to wear their card at
all times while on premises.
There are a number of reasons for this including:
To ensure MacVilles after-hours security firms are able to identify staff if

they question people on premises after hours.
To ensure visitors will readily be able to recognise staff by their ID cards.
The ID cards can be attached either by the clip provided or by a lanyard around
the neck. The card is to be worn on the body between the upper torso and waist
level so that it can be clearly read.
ID cards will be provided to staff at induction and remain the property of the
MacVille. Upon completion of your employment at MacVille, please return your
badge to administration.
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Privacy policy
MacVille is committed to protecting your privacy. It is bound by the national
privacy principles contained in the Privacy Act 1988 and all other applicable
legislation governing privacy.
Where appropriate, MacVille will handle personal information relying on the
related bodies corporate exemption and the employee records exemption in the
privacy act. Our respect for our customers privacy is paramount. We have policies
and procedures to ensure that all personal information is handled in accordance
with national privacy principles.
This privacy policy sets out our policies on the management of personal
information that is, how we collect personal information, the purposes for which
we use this information, and to whom this information is disclosed.
1. What is personal information?
Personal information is information that could identify you. Examples of personal
information include your name, address, telephone number and email address, or
more complex information like a rsum.
2. How does MacVille collect and use your personal information?
Some of the ways in which MacVille collects personal information is when you
send a job application to us or when you email us. These uses are discussed
below.
3. What happens if you dont provide personal information?
Generally, you have no obligation to provide any personal information to us.
However, if you choose to withhold personal information, we are unlikely to be
able to respond to your application or query.
4. To whom do we disclose personal information?
We engage third party service providers (including related companies of MacVille
which may be located outside Australia) to perform functions for MacVille. Such
functions include mailing, delivery of purchases, credit card payment
authorisation, trend analysis, external audits, market research, promotions and
the provision of statistical sales information to industry bodies.
For our service providers to perform these function, in some circumstances it may
be necessary for us to disclose your personal information to those suppliers.
Where disclosures take place, we work with these third parties to ensure that all
personal information we provide to them is kept secure, is only used to perform
the task for which we have engaged them and is handled by them in accordance
with the national privacy principles.

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5. How do we protect personal information?

At all times, we take great care to ensure your personal information is protected
from unauthorised access, use, disclosure or alteration. We endeavour to ensure
that our employees are aware of, and comply with, their obligations in relation to
the handling of personal information. Only properly authorised employees are
permitted to see or use personal information held by MacVille and, even then,
only to the extent that is relevant to their roles and responsibilities. Your personal
information will not be sold to any other organisation for that organisations
unrelated independent use. Further, we will not share your personal information
with any organisations, other than those engaged by us to assist us in the
provision of our products and services (as described above).
6. What about information you provide in job applications?
If you submit a job application to MacVille, we will use the information provided by
you to assess your application. In certain circumstances, MacVille may disclose
the information contained in your application to contracted service providers for
purposes such as screening, aptitude testing, medical testing and human
resources management activities. As part of the application process, in certain
circumstances, you may be required to complete a pre-employment health
questionnaire. You may also be asked to undergo a pre-employment medical
assessment. In that case, you will be asked to give specific consent to MacVille to
disclose your questionnaire to its service providers for the purposes of arranging
the medical assessment and for the relevant service providers to disclose the
results of the assessment to MacVille.
If you refuse to provide any of the information requested by MacVille, or to
consent to the disclosure of the results of your medical assessment to MacVille,
we may be unable to consider your application.
7. Is the personal information we hold accurate?
We endeavour to maintain your personal information as accurately as reasonably
possible. However, we rely on the accuracy of personal information as provided to
us both directly and indirectly. We encourage you to contact us if the personal
information we hold about you is incorrect or to notify us of a change in your
personal information.
8. How can you access or correct the personal information we hold about you?
Wherever possible and appropriate, we will let you see the personal information
we hold about you and correct if it is wrong. If we do not allow you access to any
part of the personal information we hold about you, we will tell you why.
9. MacVilles internet policy
MacVille generally only collects personal information from its website when it is
provided voluntarily by you. For example, when you send us an electronic
message with a query about MacVille or its products. We will generally use your
information to respond to your query, to provide and market our services to your
or as otherwise allowed or required by law.
For the same purposes, MacVille may share your information with other members
of the MacVille group (including those who are located outside Australia) and their
respective service providers, agents and contractors. If we do this, we require
these parties to protect your information in the same way we do.
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When you visit this website or download information from it, our internet service
provider (ISP) makes a record of your visit and records the following information:
your internet address
your domain name, if applicable
date and time of your visit to the website.
Our ISP also collects information such as the pages our users access, the
documents they download, links from other sites they follow to reach our website,
and the type of browser they use. However, this information is anonymous and is
only used to statistical and website development purposes.
We use a variety of physical and electronic security measures, including restricting
physical access to our offices, firewalls and secure databases to keep personal
information secure from unauthorised use, loss or disclosure. However, you
should keep in mind that the internet is not a secure environment. If you use the
internet to send us any information, including your email address, it is sent at your
own risk.
You have a right of access to personal information we hold about you in certain
circumstances. If we deny your request for access we will tell you why.
10. Use of cookies
A cookie is a small message given to your web browser by our web server. The
browser stores the message in a text file, and the message is then sent back to
the server each time the browser requests a page from the server.
MacVille makes limited use of cookies on this website. Cookies are used to
measure usage sessions accurately, to gain a clear picture of which areas of the
website attract traffic and to improve the functionality of our website.
When cookies are used on this website, they are used to store information
relating to your visit such as a unique identifier, or a value to indicate whether you
have seen a web page. We use session (not permanent) cookies. They are used to
distinguish your internet browser from the thousands of other browsers. This
website will not store personal information such as email addresses or other
details in a cookie.
Most internet browsers are set up to accept cookies. If you do not wish to receive
cookies, you may be able to change the settings of your browser to refuse all
cookies or to notify you each time a cookie is sent to your computer, giving you the
choice whether to accept it or not.
Professional development policy

MacVille recognises that organisational and individual excellence are best
attained by training, development and educational activities, which build upon
individual strengths and are forward looking. It also recognises that responsibility
for performance and development lies jointly with the individual staff member and
MacVille.
The individual staff members responsibilities are to:
Take ultimate responsibility for their own career.
Seek and use opportunities for development.

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MacVille responsibilities are to:
Identify human resource requirements.
Discuss development needs with individual staff members.
Establish training and development of academic, technical and

administrative effectiveness in MacVille.
Purpose
To facilitate professional development opportunities for staff and faculty
consistent with the individuals workplace function.
Procedure
Supervisors and/or individuals may identify relevant professional

development opportunities.
An application is submitted to the director for funding.
Once approval is granted the individual engages in program.
Once the program is completed a report is drafted and submitted to the

director.
Security camera policy

MacVille utilises security cameras, for the purpose of deterring theft, and for
identifying perpetrators of theft, should it occur. Security cameras are only
installed in public areas adjacent to locations where there is a high concentration
of valuable equipment.
Procedure
Staff are informed when security cameras are installed, and the operation of
security cameras in an area is brought to public attention by prominent signs in
the vicinity of the cameras.
Security cameras capture moving images with audio, or in some instances still
images only. The images captured by security cameras are recorded and stored
until such time as they are automatically overwritten by the recording equipment,
in practice approximately two weeks.
Access to security camera recordings is protected by password, and is held by the
business manager. Security camera recordings are not viewed unless a suspected
theft has occurred. Security camera recordings are only viewed with the prior
approval, and in the presence of, the business manager.
Sexual harassment policy

MacVille recognises that sexual harassment is a serious issue and is committed
to providing a workplace free from sexual harassment.
What is sexual harassment?
Sexual harassment is any deliberate verbal or physical conduct that is unwelcome
and uninvited, embarrassing, demeaning, offensive or compromising. It can be
experienced anywhere in the workforce and by both men and women.
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It has nothing to do with mutual attraction or genuine affection between people.

Such friendships, whether sexual or not, are a private concern. It should not be
confused with genuine compliments or behaving with common courtesy.
Sexual harassment may include such actions as:
Dirty jokes, derogatory comments, offensive written messages

(email/sms), or offensive telephone calls.
Leering, patting pinching, touching or unnecessary familiarity.
Persistent demands for sexual favours or outings.
Displays of offensive posters, pictures or graffiti.
If such behaviour makes you feel:
Offended and humiliated.
Intimidated and frightened.
Uncomfortable at work.
Then it is against the law. MacVille considers sexual harassment an unacceptable

form of behaviour which will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
MacVille, undertakes to educate all employees on the issue of sexual harassment
to avoid its incidence and to inform employees of procedures to deal with the
problem should it occur.
Smoking policy
As an employer MacVille has a duty under relevant occupational health and safety
legislation, to provide a safe working environment and to protect the health of all
employees from any illness and injury arising from the workplace. As such areas
other than those designated will be smoke-free to eliminate the hazards of
environmental tobacco smoke.
A designated area will be available, where smokers will be able to smoke during
scheduled work breaks. As long as this does not cause harm or discomfort to
other employees in the workplace. Employees may not, at any time, smoke inside
buildings or premises or any enclosed workplaces. The designated areas will be
away from flammable or other dangerous activities.
It is recognised that while this initiative will provide a positive benefit to all
employees, some employees may have difficulty in adjusting, particularly those
with whose smoking habit is a long-standing one. It should be noted that smokers
are being asked to restrict their smoking in the workplace rather than stop
smoking altogether. Every effort will be made to assist smokers to adapt to
working conditions under this policy.
Responsibilities of employer
Managers and senior personnel are responsible for:
Ensuring a smoke-free workplace in all areas other than those designated

for smoking.
Offering assistance to employees who have a problem with nicotine

addiction.
Resolving problems which arise in the implementation of this policy.
Taking corrective action if employees breach this policy.

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Responsibilities of employees
Employees are responsible for achieving a healthier workplace by:
Only smoking in designated areas at designated breaks.

Making sure that their smoking does not harm the health, or course
inconvenience to others.
Encouraging and supporting smokers who are attempting to quit.
All cigarette butts will be placed into bins provided for that purpose.
Ensure you smoke more than four metres away from any building opening.
A breach of this policy will be dealt with in the same manner as a breach of any
occupational health and safety policy. Standard disciplinary procedures will apply.
Work/life balance policy

MacVille aims to provide a flexible and family-friendly workplace that reasonably
accommodates external commitments and carer responsibilities.
Principles
As a flexible and family-friendly business, MacVille recognises that its staff have
responsibilities and commitments extending beyond the working environment.
MacVille is aware that these responsibilities and commitments can have a
significant impact on employment opportunities and is committed to providing an
accessible, supportive and flexible environment for all staff.
MacVille also recognises that many cultures have wide kinship and family
networks, and promotes sensitivity to cultural differences in the implementation
of family-friendly policies and practices.
MacVille acknowledges that family responsibilities affect both men and women
and can impact on all aspects of an individuals life. It also recognises that
personal commitments and responsibilities may include matters additional to, or
exclusive of, carer responsibilities and that these are not confined to the private
sphere and that there are many ways in which they impact on work and
education.
Supporting the balance of work and personal commitments

In responding to requests for arrangements relating to work/life balance, the
director will need to consider work requirements and the current and potential
needs of others in responding, keeping in mind that the MacVille seeks:
Minimisation of disadvantage/s that may result from competing

commitments.
An environment that is supportive and accepting of the responsibilities of
caregivers and staff with cultural obligations.
Benefits
Promotion and support of the balance of work and personal needs for staff and
will position MacVille as an employer of choice, initiate a high level of commitment
from staff to the work and ideals of MacVille, provide high levels of job
satisfaction and a strong collaborative and collegiate culture while at the same
time reducing stress and turnover.
Staff will be provided with a positive work climate where supervisors strive to
meet expectations in accommodating life and personal responsibilities.
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Appendix 2 Answers to select Learning activities

Learning activity: Internal networking at Sandhurdst Golf Club
Watch the video BSBWOR401A: Internal networking at Sandhurst Golf Club on
IBSAs YouTube channel at <http://www.youtube.com/ibsachannel>.
The Your Business Success Golf Tournament was successful in cementing ties
between which kinds of people?
The different kinds of people mentioned were clients and suppliers, sponsors
and beneficiaries, managers and mentors.
What are the benefits of networking on a golf course such as in the scenario
seen in the video?
The benefits are many. Firstly, it is much cheaper as it costs three times as
much to win a new client as it does to get new business from an existing client.
You can also network in a relaxed and comfortable environment, have fun,
make friends, renew contacts, find new leads, establish new contacts and
share resources.

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2nd Edition

BSBWOR401A Establish effective

Part of a suite of support materials for the

BSB07 Business Services Training Package

Published by: Innovation and Business

First published: January 2010

Identifying and analysing difficulties and taking action ............................... 58

Student Workbook (SW) Self-paced Learning activities to help you to

Facilitator led sessions (FLS) Challenging and interesting Learning

Assessment Tasks Summative assessments where you can apply your

Structure of the Training Program

Collecting, analysing and communicating information and ideas.

Developing trust and confidence.

Developing and maintaining networks and relationships.

Managing difficulties into positive outcomes.

BSBWOR401A Establish effective workplace relationships

Cole, K 2009, Management: theory and practice, 4th edn, Pearson

Robbins, S, Bergman, R, Stagg I, and Coulter, M 2008, Management, 5th

Robbins, S, Millett, B, Cacioppe, R, and Waters-Marsh, T 2004,

Hull, D & Read, V 2003. Simply the best: workplaces in Australia,

Lighthouse Corporate Coaching, 2005. Engaging generation Y, NSW,

Businessballs free resources including career help, business training and

Effective communication Provides resources to help you develop

About: management basic information about management

Free management library provides free, comprehensive resources about

BSBWOR401A Establish effective workplace relationships

Hull, D & Read, V 2003, Simply the best: workplaces in Australia

BSBWOR401A Establish effective workplace relationships

Section 1 Collect, Analyse and Communicate Information and Ideas

Section 1 Collect, Analyse and

What skills will you need?

Collect relevant information to analyse and share

Archived, filed and historical background data.

Individual and team performance data.

Marketing and customer related data.

BSBWOR401A Establish effective workplace relationships

Section 1 Collect, Analyse and Communicate Information and Ideas

Planning and organisational documents including the outcomes of

Policies and procedures.

Government departments and agencies.

Industry and professional associations, unions and employer bodies.

Business and contact networks.

Literature available from customers, competitors, suppliers or other

Learning activity: Identify information sources

BSBWOR401A Establish effective workplace relationships

Section 1 Collect, Analyse and Communicate Information and Ideas

What information is relevant?

response to workplace issue

ongoing planning organisational, team, individual

seeking collaborative input from the team or customers.

Scenario: Managing health and safety

BSBWOR401A Establish effective workplace relationships

Section 1 Collect, Analyse and Communicate Information and Ideas

Learning activity: Analyse workplace documents

Performance plan (individual or team)

BSBWOR401A Establish effective workplace relationships

Section 1 Collect, Analyse and Communicate Information and Ideas

Analyse and share information

Conducting document and file searches inside and outside the

Observing, listening and talking to personnel in the environment.

Approaching individuals with relevant expertise and knowledge.

Attending group meetings.