twi bsbldr502 lead and manage effective workplace relationships case study of jkl industries

Assessment task 1 case scenario
You are a communications consultant. You have been engaged by JKL Industries to revise and update strategies and processes to manage communications and information flow within the organisation.
Note that the senior management team may be resistant to changes to communication strategies, policies and procedures. In particular, they are concerned that a new approach to communications may result in a less cohesive organisation.
You will need to ensure your communications strategy and processes address organisational issues, while using your highly developed interpersonal skills to engage and motivate the senior management team to embrace your proposed changes.
Assessment task 2 case scenario

Brisbane Branch Manager

You are the new manager of the Brisbane branch. Over the last two weeks you have familiarised yourself with the organisational environment and the characteristics and needs of your team.
You have read the consultants report on proposed communication and consultation strategies and are 100 per cent behind the approach. The strategy will need to be applied to supporting diversity and facilitating better networking.
The JKL Industries Brisbane Branch Manager reports to the Operations General Manager.
Questions
For the following scenario-based questions, put yourself in the position of the new Brisbane Branch Manager and answer the questions accordingly.
Question 1:
An employee has complained to you that some members of your team have not made any effort to accommodate non-Christians in this years Christmas celebrations. The employee feels excluded and disappointed that an opportunity to bring the team together has instead divided the team along religious lines.
How would you address the employees complaint?
In your written response to the above question:
Describe at least two pieces of JKL Industries policy or procedure that conflict with the teams behaviour towards the employee.
Identify the relevance of one piece of relevant legislation.
Describe how policies and processes can help to promote cultural diversity, ethical values and relationship-building.
Describe any changes or additions you would make to JKL Industries policies, processes or communications to further promote cultural diversity and ethical values.
Describe how you would approach the team and any suggestion you would make to resolve the issue fairly and consistent with organisational policy.
Question 2:
To respond to the issue described in question one, you have decided to meet with the team to directly address the behaviour.
How would you prepare for and approach this meeting?
In your written response to the above question:
Describe what potential problems you anticipate from the team.
Describe how you would confront the team with their unacceptable behaviour, while maintaining trust and avoiding the impression of taking sides.
Describe your standard or default communication style. What communication style would you consider adopting for this scenario?
Describe a previous situation in which you adapted your communication style to meet the needs of others in the workplace or achieve a work goal.
Question 3:
As a manager new to the Brisbane area, you feel that you need to develop contacts with people internal to the organisation, such as managers, and external people, such as suppliers, business networks, managers networks and mentors.
How would you approach networking to achieve goals?
In your written response to the above question:
Describe how networking with internal and external people could help you build positive relationships to achieve organisational and professional goals. What networking or networks would you suggest?
Describe a situation in which you joined a network to achieve an organisational or professional development goal. Describe the network. How did you build stronger relationships within the network? What was the result of the networking for you and your organisation?
Question 4:
Your sales team is relatively new and inexperienced. You feel that they would benefit from networking. Sam and Alex need to build relationships with customers, suppliers and fellow salespeople to achieve personal development and organisational goals.
Sam:Has issues with internal and external suppliers who consistently miss delivery dates and wont cooperate in keeping costs down for customers. Consequently, he has issues with his own customers; he feels suppliers dont understand his needs as a client. Sam finds conflict really hard and avoids getting angry, hoping the problem will resolve itself. Sam feels he would benefit from hearing how others negotiate terms with suppliers. Right now, however, he has very little respect for them as theyve let him down.
Alex:Has issues with customers who obviously dont understand a good deal when they see it. Hes also tired of chasing deadbeats for settling accounts on credit. Alex would like to know how others deal with such fools and still maintain a sense of self-respect.
How would you lead Sam and Alex to realise their professional goals and related organisational goals over the next three months?
Using the template provided:
Prepare a plan to develop and maintain internal and external relationships, including a schedule for the next three months.
Include at least two activities for each salesperson.
Provide a rationale for each activity.
Assessment task 3 case scenario
Role-play information: HR Business Partner
You are an HR Business Partner working in the JKL Industries Brisbane branch. You report directly to the HR Manager in the Sydney Head Office. As an employee of the Brisbane branch, you also report to the Brisbane Branch Manager. You work to provide information to employees, team leaders and managers at the branch, facilitate service delivery through HR centres of excellence, such as compliance and training and development, and partner with managers to assist them in strategising, workforce planning and development, and in meeting the needs of their customers, employees and the business as a whole.
A peer manager (from Rentals) has made an appointment to come to you about an employee grievance.
Employee grievance
A rental employee of the Brisbane branch is concerned about plans to restructure the business. The employee is extremely angry and feels that they:
will definitely lose their job as a result of the restructure
will not be given the opportunity to retrain.
They would like to formally complain that their manager has not provided rental employees with opportunities to retrain.
In addition, the employee feels they must be underpaid because they know people in the same job in the same industry who are making much more. They dont understand the basis of their pay or conditions.
Finally, the employee is currently organising other rental and sales employees for a possible strike. They intend to pressure their union into supporting and publicising the strike.
You know that the Rentals Manager is very concerned about the impact of the grievance on team cohesion and, potentially, the goals and objectives of the organisation. You also suspect that the manager will be hurt or angry themselves, as they have indicated their sincere desire to improve employee relations within their team through better communication and relationship-building.
The trouble is that while the manager may have the best intentions, they are relatively inexperienced and may not be approaching the conflict with the most productive mindset. And they may not have all the conflict resolution tools, tactics and strategies that you are equipped with as a more experienced HR specialist.
In addition, you are aware of the following facts:
JKL Industries firm policy and intention is to retrain rental employees to retain talent (retraining is in JKLs interest).
So far the employee has adhered to the grievance policy as intended by the organisation. The grievance procedure sets out a process whereby disputes are kept at the lowest level. Employees should take their grievance first to their immediate supervisor, which the employee has done. This gives managers the first opportunity to respond appropriately, which is only fair. The Rentals Manager now has an opportunity to resolve the dispute early.
The employee is paid to the terms of the relevant modern award (MA000089Vehicle Manufacturing, Repair, Services and Retail Award 2010), but that all employees will soon be able to negotiate possibly much better pay and conditions in upcoming enterprise bargaining.
In your meeting with the Rentals Manager to provide guidance, lead the meeting through the following stages:
greeting the manager
listening to their side
responding to the manager appropriately
working with the manager to come up with viable solutions
Documenting activities in an action plan.
You will also, as appropriate:
listen to the manager: understand the facts as they see them and understand their feelings
adopt an appropriate leadership/communication style
be reflective, regulate your emotions, and refrain from reacting
explain the facts as you understand them, including providing an explanation of the grievance policy, its benefit to the organisation, and the relevance of at least one piece of legislation
help the manager to understand reasons for the grievance
Note:Given the climate of fear and suspicion that has existed within JKL Industries, such a grievance may not be very unlikely. It is also possible that plain communications of facts and organisational intentions may have failed because of the underlying emotional work context. As such, the complaint should not necessarily be a cause of offense.
using your knowledge of dispute resolution, collaborate with the manager to determine a series of at least three activities to resolve the conflict with the employee and complete an action plan
offer to mediate in the dispute, if required, or help to provide assistance if it requires further escalation.
Given the companys industrial relations history and restructure plans, and history of conflict and mistrust, contributing to positive employee relationship-building through assisting managers will constitute a key measure of your value to the organisation.
Learner Instructions 1
Plan and present workplace communication and consultation systems
Performance objective
You will demonstrate the skills and knowledge required to plan communication systems.
Assessment description
Using the simulated business information provided, and in response to a scenario, you will prepare a portfolio of communications planning documentation that includes a communications strategy and grievance procedure. You will also prepare and deliver a presentation to the senior management team on your plans for managing communications and consultation.
Procedure
Part A: Communications planning portfolio
Review the simulated workplace information for JKL Industries. And assessment task 1 case scenario information.

Develop a draft communications strategy for meeting organisational needs that includes:

two to three communications objectives
at least two different audiences, for example, senior management, work teams, or individual employees
at least two methods of communication or media
at least two provisions to facilitate bottom-up consultation (from employees to management); for example, consultation on employee health and safety, consultation on continuous improvement of work processes, consultation on employee conditions and pay, or consultation on job roles and performance expectations.
Note: Ensure you also provide for management feedback on consultation back to employees.
Develop a short (less than one page) grievance procedure.
Submit your portfolio in accordance with quality specifications outlined below.
Part B: Presentation to the senior management team
Research, plan and deliver a 1015 minute presentation to senior managers on your proposed communications planning.
Prepare a business presentation in response to the scenario described in the scenario. Determine and prepare to discuss:

Audience needs and relevant interpersonal skills you will need to deploy to win support for your ideas.
Organisational needs:

internal strategic needs, goals and objectives
external regulatory or legal requirements, such as for WHS consultation, anti-discrimination or industrial relations
business ethics requirements.
Your proposed approach to communications and consultation to meet organisational and audience needs:

Prepare to explain your draft communications strategy, organisational policies and procedures, and how such communications systems and policies can support a coordinated approach to developing effective work relationships.
Deliver the presentation to the senior management team. Ensure you deliver your presentation in accordance with deliverables and quality specifications outlined below.
Specifications
You must:
submit a communications planning portfolio that includes:

a communications strategy
a short grievance procedure.
deliver a presentation on your proposed communications strategy.
Your assessor will be looking for evidence of your ability to:
provide leadership through your own behaviour including professional conduct that promotes trust with a business audience
explain how communications systems, policies and procedures can support the development of effective work relationships
explain how your communications strategy addresses legislative or regulatory requirements
interact with others through:
building professional trust
demonstrating high level support and facilitation skills and your ability to engage and motivate others
get the work done through:
taking public responsibility for planning and sequencing complex tasks to achieve organisational goals
developing processes and plans for complex communication activities with strategic importance
analysing information to inform decisions about organisational communications strategy
identifying opportunities for improvement in communications
develop processes to manage ideas and information including:
communicating information to support others to achieve work responsibilities
facilitating employees contributions to consultation on work issues
providing feedback on the outcomes of consultations
resolution of issues raised or referral to relevant personnel
demonstrate writing skills through:
Researching and preparing plans and policies incorporating appropriate vocabulary, grammatical structure and conventions.
Learner Instructions 2
Respond to scenario-based questions
The assessment task is due on the date specified by your assessor. Any variations to this arrangement must be approved in writing by your assessor.
Submit this document with any required evidence attached. See specifications below for details.
Performance objective
You will demonstrate the skills and knowledge required to establish systems to develop trust and confidence and manage the development and maintenance of networks and relationships.
Assessment description
For this assessment task, you will read and respond to a scenario by answering a set of written questions.
Procedure
Review the simulated workplace information for JKL Industries. And assessment task 2 case scenario information. Pay particular attention to diversity and networking issues and information about your role as Brisbane Branch Manager.
Create a document with written answers to the questions. Submit a print or electronic version of your document containing answers to the questions in accordance with the specifications set out below.
Specifications
You must submit:
a print or electronic document containing answers to the case-study-based questions.
Your assessor will be looking for evidence of your ability to:
apply policies to ensure that the organisations cultural diversity and ethical values are adhered to
provide leadership through your own behaviour, including:
professional conduct that promotes trust with internal and external contacts
adjusting your own interpersonal communication style to meet the organisations cultural diversity and ethical environment
plan for and manage the use of networks to support identifiable outcomes for the team and the organisation
explain how systems, policies and procedures can support the development of effective work relationships, focusing on interpersonal styles, cultural and social sensitivity and networking.
explain the relevance of legislation for managing effective workplace relationships
interact with others through adapting your personal communication style to build trust and positive working relationships, and to support others adjustments in practice and culture
get the work done through:
taking personal responsibility for planning networking activities for yourself and others, taking into account capabilities, efficiencies and effectiveness
developing plans for networking activities with strategic importance.
Learner Instructions
Dispute resolution guidance session
The assessment task is due on the date specified by your assessor. Any variations to this arrangement must be approved in writing by your assessor.
Submit this document with any required evidence attached. See specifications below for details.
Performance objective
You will demonstrate the skills and knowledge required to manage difficulties and conflicts in order to achieve positive work outcomes.
Assessment description
Using the simulated business information provided, and in response to a scenario, you will plan and conduct a role-play in which you provide a colleague with guidance regarding a dispute between the colleague and a member of their team. You will then develop an action plan in consultation with the colleague.
Procedure
Review the simulated workplace information for JKL Industries. And assessment task 3 case scenario information.
Plan to lead a role-played guidance session for a peer manager in response to the scenario.
Complete the first activity in the action plan template provided.
Plan how you will:

Build trust with your colleague through assuming a calm, professional and emotionally receptive attitude and demeanour.
Adjust your personal communication style appropriately to meet the needs (both emotional and technical) of your colleague.
Discuss relevant grievance policies and procedures for resolving conflict in accordance with organisational and legislative requirements.
Discuss strategies for identifying root causes of conflict and for resolving the conflict.
Collaborate with your colleague to develop an action plan, including at least three actions your colleague to take to resolve the issue with their employee.
Perform your role-play in accordance with the specifications set out below.
Submit your completed action plan within the agreed timeframe.
Specifications
You must:
participate in a guidance session role-play
Submit an action plan.
Your assessor will be looking for evidence of your ability to:
provide leadership through your own behaviour, including:
professional conduct that promotes trust with internal and external contacts
adjusting own interpersonal communication style to meet the organisations cultural diversity and ethical environment
develop and/or implement processes and systems to manage difficulties, including:
identifying and resolving conflicts and other difficulties according to organisational policies and procedures
planning how to address difficulties
providing guidance, counselling and support to assist co-workers in resolving their work difficulties.
explain and discuss procedures for conflict resolution
discuss relevant legislation

interact with others through:
adapting your personal communication style to model behaviour and build trust and positive working relationships
playing a lead role in situations requiring effective collaboration
get the work done through:
taking responsibility for planning in collaboration with others
developing action plans
Demonstrate writing skills through preparing action plans that incorporate appropriate vocabulary, grammatical structure and conventions.

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