8000-253 Developing the Work Team

8000-253 Developing the Work Team is a unit within the ILM Level 2 module that focuses on guiding the learners into developing effective teams to achieve specific goals and objectives. The unit is important for the learners to ensure that they are able to understand and implement the theoretical frameworks that are effective in achieving the desired composition of teams to achieve the goal and objectives of the teams that contribute to effectively meeting the targets, goals and objectives that are assigned to the team from the organisational leadership.

With this unit, team leaders understand the diversity among the teams as well as the concept of team working hence improving their theoretical and practical ability to achieve specific goals and objectives. The unit requires the learners to go through 6 learning hours and makes a contribution of 1 credit value to the overall performance of the learner in the ILM Level 2 module.The unit is important in contributing to the process of training and developing leaders for organisations. It is effective in preparing team and cell leaders for their roles and responsibilities within their teams and in contributing to the organisational goals and objectives.

The main purpose of the unit is to develop an understanding of building an effective team for the organisation, which is a requirement of a practising or potential cell or team leader. This purpose suggests that the unit provides the learners with the information and knowledge that they apply in different contexts to achieve the desired levels of team building and fostering the practice of teamwork within the organisation and in their cells. The process requires the leaders to have an understanding of strategies to study and analyse their members to ensure they suit the teams that they have developed and the specific responsibilities that are to be assigned to them. Lastly, the purpose of the unit suggests that it contributes to ensuring the team leader is able to communicate effectively with the members to build a collaborative environment within the team.

Who can pursue this unit?

As suggested, the unit is effective for the training of team and cell leaders. These are groups of individuals assigned the duties and responsibilities to oversee small groups of people with specific tasks. In the modern world, teamwork is a critical people practice, and team leaders should be developed to ensure that they make contributions to the overall goals and objectives of the organisation. The unit helps to prepare such leaders for current and future responsibilities within their organisation. The unit further helps the team and cell leaders to understand the patterns in team management that are critical in improving their performance within the team.

The unit is conducive for both practicing and potential leaders, implying that even employees within organisations who have not been assigned the responsibilities of overseeing a team can pursue the unit in preparation for future engagements. Supervisors and line managers are also suited to this unit which prepares them to play their duties and responsibilities related to coordinating and managing more than one team. The knowledge in the unit will help them to effectively pass information to teams with an understanding of the specific strengths and weaknesses and other factors associated with the process of teamwork.

Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes focus on ensuring the learner builds understanding in two key areas. The first area used to assess the outcomes is the nature of teams, and the second is the process of team working. Upon completion of the unit, the learner should be able to:

• Show understanding of the differences between a team and a group within the workplace, helping them to build knowledge on forming and managing teams

• Understand the specific behavioural characteristics that should be portrayed by an effective team

• Outline and implement the different stages of team development that are supported by existing and recognised theoretical models.

• Identify and assign responsibilities of team members within a working team

• Know the pros and cons of working within a team

• Put up strategies that cover the weaknesses of working in teams hence ensure there is effective performance within their teams.

Key Learning Areas

This unit has the purpose of preparing the leaders for handling teams. As such, the learners are put through the prices of learning that facilitates the acquisition of these specific pieces of knowledge. The key areas of learning targeted by the unit include:

Understanding Team working

This area helps the learners to acquire the theoretical and practical information surrounding creating and working with teams. It helps them to identify the actual meaning of teams within the workplace and create a distinction between a team and a group within the workplace. The learners should also be able to understand the team structures that exist and the benefits and disadvantages that each structure has in achieving the assigned duties and responsibilities.

There are different theoretical frameworks that exist for the formation and development of teams. Tuckman’s model of team development is an example of the theoretical frameworks that guide team leaders in developing teams. 8000-253 Developing the Work Team helps the learners to understand these processes and frameworks hence preparing an all-rounded team leader able to facilitate the accomplishment of organisational goals within the teams.

Managing Teams

After forming teams, the learners should be able to lead the teams effectively. This involves outlining the roles and responsibilities of the team members. Belbin’s model is an example of models that facilitate this process. The unit further helps the team leaders to build an understanding of strategies that can be used to effectively communicate with the team members hence implementing strategies and practices such as change management, training needs analysis and job instruction techniques, which are important in managing a working team.

Evaluation

8000-253 Developing the Work Team is an important unit in the process of training leaders and managers within the organisation. The unit makes a critical contribution to the knowledge and understanding of the team leaders, especially in alignment with organisational practices and goals. Upon completion of the unit, the learners are assessed through written assessment to determine their ability to use the information within a practical setting.