1

By the end of this session you will be better able to…

Understand the roles, functions and responsibilities of the team leader; and the limits of your authority and accountability.

Know how to seek, accept and respond positively to feedback on personal performance to improve workplace performance.

2

List as many responsibilities of a team leader as you can. Aim for a minimum of 6.

Also consider what makes a team leader different from a team member or the next level of management above.

3

4

5

Fayol broke down the role of the team leader into

Five distinct areas of activity. He described these

as:

Thinking ahead – PLANNING Arranging resources – ORGANISING Maintaining morale – LEADERSHIP Making improvements – DEVELOPING Knowing what’s going on - CONTROLLING

You have a responsibility to the organisation to implement the objectives.

You have a responsibility to run the team, but you are still a member of the team.

Divided loyalties

TASK

TEAM INDIVIDUAL

Team Development ModelTannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum:

Team Development ModelTannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum:

•Shows relationship between the level of freedom that a manager chooses to give to a team, and the level of authority used by the manager.

•As the team's freedom is increased, so the manager's authority decreases. This is a positive way for both teams and managers to develop.

As a manager, one of your responsibilities is to develop your team.

You should delegate and ask a team to make its own decisions to varying degrees according to their abilities.

There is a rising scale of levels of delegated freedom that you can use when working with your team.

Leadership Style

Manager able to make decisions

which non-managers

accept

Manager must ‘sell’ decision before

gaining acceptance

Manager presents decisions but must

respond to questions

Manager presents tentative decision subject to change

after input

Manager presents problem, gets input

then decides

Manager defines limits within which

others make

decisions

Manager and team members jointly

make decision within limits of

organisational constraints

Autocratic, controlling

Democratic, sharing

Area of freedom for

managerArea of

freedom for non-manager

Involving people

Solving problems

Communication – no one likes being kept in the dark.

Consultation – on things that affect them.

Avoid giving orders – unless it is an emergency.

Use requests – it gives people an opportunity to respond.

Do you walk away, bury your head in the sand, deal with it yourself or involve other people?

The way you respond to problems can either earn you or loose you the respect of your team.

Always remember that there are occasions when a problem arises which you need to refer to your own line manager.

Key communication skills team leaders need:

Active listening

Asking questions

Encouraging the team members to think through issues and come up with solutions

Giving honest and constructive feedback

copyright Deeside College 17

As a team leader, you’ll often have to give feedback to others.

Using the scenario you’ve been given, give feedback to your partner.

Discuss how it went.

18

19

20

What is meant by limits of authority?

What your job role allows you to make decisions about or control, and what you may not.

To what extent is your authority limited in each of thefollowing areas?

◦ Budget expenditure◦ Staff recruitment◦ Task allocation◦ Changing staff shifts◦ Staff disciplinary issues

What would you do if faced with asituation where your authority was

limited?21

Accountability refers to a team leaders’ answerability for their own, and their teams’, performance and/or achievement of agreed goals.

What are you accountable for in your role?

22

Think of a person you respect and trust. Try to define what it is that makes you feel that way about them.

Think of a person you do not respect or trust. Try to define what it is that makes you feel that way about them.

23

Why is it important to encourage respect and trust within the team?

How well respected are you as a team leader?

How much do your team members trust you? Why?

What can you do to develop respect and trust within the team?

24

Give praise when a job is well done Give on-the-job support if a member needs it Give negative feedback constructively Ensure team members are clear as to their role Give instructions in a clear and non ambiguous

way Support and protect team members Stand by the team in times of trouble Avoid getting drawn in to ‘office gossip’

25

‘Muck in’ with the team if necessary Take your turn with the unpleasant tasks Be clear as to aims and objectives Treat everyone equally and fairly Lead by example Communicate good and bad news Be honest If you say you will do something, make sure

you do it

26

Technical knowledge Knowledge of staff

members’ skills Knowledge of

organisation’s procedures

Patient Supportive Excellent

communication skills

27

Able to work with others

Decision making Respect from

others Honest Trustworthy Treat people fairly Assertive

Using the list produced, self-assess your skill levels in each of these areas.

Use this scale:-

1. Excellent2. Very Good3. Good4. Fair5. Poor6. Very poor

28

What other methods are there for you to assess your own skills as a team leader?

Feedback from manager, peers, and team members

Appraisals or performance reviews

‘Reflection’ and ‘Critical Incidents’

29

As part of the assessment for this unit, you have to get feedback about your performance from other people.

1. In small groups, discuss how you could do this effectively.

2. Jot down a plan for how you will personally get feedback from others for your reflective review.

30

Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (1984)31

Having an Experience

Planning How to Change/Improve

Reviewing the Experience

Draw Conclusions

Whatever feedback you get from others, you should receive it and respond to it positively.

Reflect on it, and identify one strength and one area for possible improvement.

32

Research has shown that we are far more likely to get where we want to be if we set ourselves personal goals.

One way of doing this is a Personal Action Plan.

Have a go at producing a plan.

33

By the end of this session you will be better able to…

Understand the roles, functions and responsibilities of the team leader; and the limits of your authority and accountability.

Know how to seek, accept and respond positively to feedback on personal performance to improve workplace performance.

34

Now complete the assessment relating to this session

35