Scenario

The Gift Box is growing business that sells gift products. Over the two years of operations, they have received commercial success and positive reception. They have an increasing number of suppliers of different products from all over the world. At the same time, they have been getting requests from customers for varied products to be included in their catalogues.

In the post COVID-19 world, where digital and e-commerce is a lifeline for consumers, retailers and employees, and core to retail’s survival, larger retail brands and chains have collapsed due to high overhead and staffing costs.

This has made room for smaller innovative brands to grow in the retail landscape.

However, to ensure their survival, even smaller businesses must fast-track digital transformation by investing in Omni-channel experiences (offering different methods of shopping e.g. online, in a physical shop, or by phone).

Here is an extract from the Gift Box Operational Plan 202X – 202Y.

Extract of The Gift Box Operational Plan 202X – 202Y Summary The Gift Box is a company based in Melbourne that sells unique and innovative gift products, which are sourced from all over the world, and brought to the customers at affordable prices. The company was established in 2018 by Mary Delaney, who is involved in the operation and management of the company. Mary has extensive experience in the retail industry. Values championed by The Gift Box At The Gift Box, we will always endeavour to: value and respect our customers care for and support our team uphold our commitment to the environment ensure innovation, integrity and excellence in all areas Goals The first goal is to reach new customers whom we may not have been able to serve earlier due to geographical or cost factors. The second goal is to reduce the costs passed on to customers, and increase the value offered to customers. Digital retail will enable this as aspects of the consumer experience, such as discovery, evaluation and support, are much more cost effective and faster online than in traditional retail mechanisms. The third goal is to capture market share by creating a unique customer experience that allows the customer to quickly: find the best solution for their needs make a purchase get information and answers to their questions Background The Gift Box Organisational Chart   The COVID-19 crisis affected the majority of businesses in the Australian retail sector, reducing demand for goods and services, and affecting sales and cash flow. At the start of COVID-19, many retail businesses reduced staff hours, or even laid off a significant percentage of their staff. The Gift Box also had drastically reduced sales during these times, but the company survived as the Australian Government’s Job Keeper payments scheme provided a lifeline, allowing employers to retain staff and bounce back from the COVID-19 crisis. In the post COVID-19 world, the retail sector will be faced with a very different customer. This new-world customer will be more comfortable with online transactions, have fewer real-life interactions, and be trained to constantly sanitise in public spaces. Eventually this may change, but some of these behaviours, habits, and trends will persist. The physical store will be forced to change into a supporting role in an online shopping and delivery system. Savvy mobile shoppers will expect faster, more convenient, and smarter transactions. Therefore, The Gift Box’s objectives for the next two years are to: add e-commerce capabilities to existing company website in the first year introduce a mobile app that customers can use to short list and make purchases, in the second year be known as an ethical company that promotes sustainability, by the end of year two establish an annual growth rate of approximately 20% in year two Operational Priorities for Quarter 1, FY202Y Key result area Key performance indicator Implement e-commerce capabilities to existing company website before Christmas 202X. E-commerce platform is fully (100%) functional by October 202X in time for the Christmas high season. In order to meet this goal of implementing the e-commerce model, the company will need specific human and other resources to handle digital marketing, product page design, shipping and handling, online customer service etiquette, price points, social outreach, ad campaigns, and much more. The current staff have general retail knowledge and experience, but that will not be sufficient to make them successful at e-commerce. The staff will need to be trained in e-commerce and all the tasks that need to be performed as part the e-commerce operations. The Gift Box will aim to reduce layoffs and redundancies as far as possible by providing training, and opportunities to take up the new challenges, to current team members. Training existing staff to perform roles in the new business model, will be cost effective, as these staff can have a seamless transition period, where they can continue to perform their existing roles, while supporting in setting up the new business model and at the same time, learning skills for their new work roles. Staff will need training in E-commerce activities, such as digital marketing, product page design, shipping and handling, online customer service etiquette, price points, social outreach, ad campaigns, etc.

The Gift Box has set up a new online store, and a new staff team dedicated to the online store. This team is made up of existing staff of the company, who are in two separate locations – the head office and the warehouse.

You are the new Online Store Manager at The Gift Box store. In addition to you, there are five members in the newly formed online store team. They include an accounts officer, a customer service representative, an inventory manager, on order processor, and an IT support officer.

The following is a description of staff in the online store team, including their roles and responsibilities.

Name	Job/Title	Highest level qualification attained	Position description	Workplace relationships	Location
You	Online Store Manager	Diploma of Retail Leadership	Ensure website content, user experience, inventory, product information, pricing and promotions, are up to date and reflect company policies. Implement and streamline internal systems for all aspects of online products, sales and customer engagement Plan and execute digital marketing campaigns	Collaboration with all members of the online team	Head office
Ming Wei	Accounts Officer	Diploma of Accounting	Bookkeeping Preparing and issuing client invoices Making journal entries Managing accounts receivable and payable	Online Store Manager Customer Service Representative Inventory Manager	Head office
Jenny Day	Customer Service Representative	Certificate IV in Retail Management	Manage website and social media customer interaction Promote products and services on social media Answer phone calls and queries via email and social media Respond to customer complaints and escalate issues to relevant personnel Work as a team with others to ensure customer orders and queries are fulfilled	Online Store Manager Accounts Officer Online Order Processor IT Support Officer	Head office
Samantha Davey	Inventory manager	Certificate IV in Warehousing Operations	Maintain receipts, records, and withdrawals of the stockroom Receive, unload, and shelve supplies Inspect deliveries for damage or discrepancies Confirm proper stock levels and maintain inventory control Coordinate the movement of equipment, and necessary minor repairs	Online Store Manager Accounts Officer Online Order Processor	Warehouse
Dylan Knight	Order Processor	Certificate II in Warehousing Operations	Receive and process orders Package orders for dispatch Receive, unload, and shelve supplies Assist store keeper in checking stock levels	Inventory Manager Customer Service Representative	Warehouse
Fawad Khan	IT Support Officer	Diploma of IT   Diploma of Website Development	Trouble shooting IT issues for team members Responsible for data storage, back up and security. Maintaining customer databases and records	Online Store Manager Customer Service Representative	Head office

Team meeting and reporting schedule:

According to organisational policy, the Online Store team will follow the meeting and reporting schedule given below.

Meeting/ report type	Purpose	Frequency	Attendees	Location
Sales and customer service briefing	Identify sales trends and targets, inventory supply, and website maintenance or update needs.	Weekly	Online Store Manager Customer Service Representative Inventory Manager IT Support Officer	Head office in-person/ online
Accounts meeting	Identify financial performance of department, accounts payable and receivable status, and financial targets.	Weekly	Online Store Manager Accounts Officer	Head office in-person/ online
Inventory and dispatch control meeting	Stock reports, and workflow and equipment check	Weekly	Inventory Manager Online Order Processor	Warehouse in-person
Order and customer complaint management reports	Report and address customer queries, complaints, track order completion rates, address website issues using an online ticket-based task management system	Daily	Online Store Manager Customer Service Representative Inventory Manager IT Support Officer Online Order Processor	Online ticket-based task management system
Troubleshooting or general meetings	Escalate issues, or plan special projects and promotions	As needed	Online Store Manager and all staff	Head office in-person / warehouse in-person / online

The Gift Box’s standards of performance

Apart from training and coaching to implement the e-commerce platform, the CEO wants all staff to be trained and their performance to be monitored for the following standards of performance:

• Adherence to procedures
• Completion of all documentation
• Cost minimisation
• Customer service standards
• Productivity
• Punctuality
• Team interaction

Code of conduct

The following are the basic requirements of the company’s code of conduct:

• Be punctual
• Meet WHS obligations
• Follow ethical practices
• Maintain confidentiality and privacy
• Comply with anti-discrimination legislation
• Use appropriate language
• Follow correct dress code.

The CEO has asked you to review and develop processes to enable effective workplace relationships in the online store team.

Part A – Develop consultation and conflict management processes

You are the new Online Store Manager at The Gift Box store. You have been given the task of developing consultation and conflict management processes for the new online store team, based on the collaboration and meeting requirements of the team.

You must:

1. Review the organisational information about team given in the scenario, and identify two examples each of the following types of collaboration:

• Synchronous collaboration – Telephone calls, messages
• Asynchronous collaboration – Email, management of document
• Cloud-collaboration – Data analysis, Saas (Software as a service).

 

2. Identify and briefly describe the following:
3. four organisational policies, procedures and codes that are applicable to effective workplace collaboration, and
4. two related legislative or regulatory requirements, standards and codes to the four selected policies procedures and codes
5. Develop a consultation process for the online team, so that employees can raise issues related to their work role. In your consultation process you must identify at least threestrategies to facilitate consultation with employees.

The consultation process must include:

• Purpose
• Methods of communication for consultation
• Team meetings and frequency
• Team leader responsibilities
• Team member responsibilities
• Situations when consultation may be required
• Methods for management to effectively consult employees
• Strategies for acknowledgement of employee feedback by management
• Strategies for monitoring the effectiveness of the consultation process
• Related legislation and policies

Use the points above as sub-headings for your process document.

4. Develop a dispute resolution which ensures that issues raised are resolved promptly or escalated referred to relevant personnel. Your process must include:

• Purpose
• Team leader responsibilities
• Team member responsibilities
• Dispute resolution procedure
• Escalation process
• Relevant legislation and policies

Use the points above as sub-headings for your process document.

Submission requirement

At the end of this task, you must submit the following to your assessor:

• Workplace Consultation Process
• Dispute Resolution Process

Solution

1)

Synchronous collaboration – Telephone calls, messages

Asynchronous collaboration – Email, management of document

Cloud-collaboration – Data analysis, Saas (Software as a service).

2)

1. Anti discrimination policy, harassment policy, Policy related to handling grievance, Policies related to the value of the company (Clarke & Peterson 2015).
2. Act related to healthy and safety at work, Act related to data protection of the company (Clarke & Peterson 2015).

3) Purpose

To discuss upon some criticism that may have not be taken into account by the management of the organization.

Or it can be done to invite the stakeholders for discussing the plans created by the organization (Madalina, 2016).

Methods of communication used for consultation

LAER method of communication can be used for consultation it includes listening, acknowledgement, explore, respond.

Or it can through video conferencing

Team meetings and frequency

Team meetings should be organized for discussing the situation at workplace environment to discuss some important aspects related to the organization usually done to maintain transparency between company and employee, for consulting on a particular matter or issue or can be done to sort out the conflicts of the employees (Madalina, 2016).

It should be done once in a week.

Responsibility of team leader

Provide coaching to team members

Resolve their conflict

Strengthen the team and improve their weakness.

Identify and evaluate goals for them.

Responsibility of team member

They should complete their tasks and assignment responsibly

They should actively participate in every activity

Should be a active listener (Wang & Wu 2020).

Situations when consultation is required

When you have to bring new rules and policies

When you are doing some changes in the organization

When you are launching any new product or services

When there is a need to solve any issues in the workplace (Wang & Wu 2020).

Methods to effectively consult with the employees

There are various methods used by the management to consult with the employees and they are as follows:

Directive counselling,

Non-directive counselling,

Participative counselling, etc.

Strategies that can be used are – by acknowledging the feedback of employee, by identifying their issues, goals and objectives, by discussing with them the policies and procedures of the organization, etc.

Strategies used to acknowledge the feedback of employee

Survey the performance of the employee

Check for any confidential complaints

By acknowledging their learning journal

By conducting face to face meetings

 

Strategies used for monitoring effectiveness of consultation process.

By evaluating the end process

By evaluating the performance of the person

By analysing the results and predicted outcomes of consultation.

Legislation and policy

Policy related to the transparency at workplace, Policy related to openness

Legislation regarding consultation process like, Fair work act

 

4) Dispute resolution

Purpose

It is used for addressing the issues of conflicts that can be used to avoid the escalation of the matter.

Responsibility of team leader

The responsibility of the team leader is to resolve the conflict at the moment it arise, according to the ground rules that are assigned by the company. Team leader should observe the workplace atmosphere and solve the conflict before it get escalated.

Responsibility of team member

Should actively listen to the circumstances

Team member should clearly mention the written procedure rather than airing the conflict.

Clear everything with the team leader or supervisor.

Procedure of dispute resolution

Step 1) having face to face discussion – When the employees fell that the policies are not been followed by the company then they can reach the supervisor for resolution.

Step 2) Setting up dispute resolving panel – In this process employees handle all the unresolved issues to the panel for reviewing.

Step 3) Arbitration – if the employee is not satisfied with the decision and thinks that there is some discrimination than he can call for arbitration hearing.

Escalation process

It involves the exchange of claims and responses that are followed by project managers by conducting a mandatory meeting or can be done by other representatives that have same authority to deal with the resolution of dispute.

Legislation and policies

Policy related to open line communication – with its help proper discussion on the conflict can be done.

Law related to workforce discrimination policy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part A – Delegate and confirm work responsibilities

Scenario

Primary research has indicated that the initial work activities for the online store team, as they set up the store, could be as follows:

• Review existing website to make sure the information is current
• Select an ecommerce platform
• Prepare product catalogues with descriptions and photographs
• Manage inventory and accounting
• Add product pages, FAQs.
• Add store policies to your checkout page
• Set up shipping settings
• Set up payment methods
• Set up a local and curb side pickup arrangements
• Set up order fulfilment – the steps involved in receiving, processing and delivering orders to end customers

You are to read the current workforce profile for members of your team by job title and prepare a Work Allocation Matrix to assign tasks for the online store.

Tasks

1. Delegate work:

1. Based on the work activities identified in the scenario, delegate or allocate work tasks to team members, ensuring that each team member is given at least three key tasks/ activities.  Make a note of this allocation in the Work Allocation Matrix Template given in Appendix A.

You must delegate that the work tasks according to the team member’s current skills, role and qualifications.

Tasks may be shared by more than one team member, or each team member may have one key task. However, each staff member must be allocated three tasks.

1. Based on the draft work allocation you have completed, draft a team work plan with any four of the work activities outlined for your staff, using the Team Work Plan Template given in Appendix B. One example has been given to you in the template.

The plan should include any four work activities and provide details for each activity to explain:

• How it will be measured (at least one KPI for each task)
• When should the activity be completed
• Who is assigned the responsibilities
• What resources are required (at least two for each task)

2. Distribute team work plan

Your team work plan needs to be shared with the team to ensure everyone on the team is clear about the plan and the work tasks allocated to them, comfortable with their roles, and in tune with exactly what has to be done to be successful.

You must assure team members of the organisation’s support for them in achieving the goals, by mentioning that support is available in the form of coaching/mentoring, shadowing, buddy on-on-one training, clarification of roles and responsibility, diversity support – schedule flexibility, reasonable adjustments, etc.

You also need to seek consultation and confirmation from the team members on the work allocation and support provided, so that the plan can be implemented.

Assuming that you are to send the team work plan by email to the team members, you are required to:

1. Prepare a covering email, which:

• briefly introduces the attached team work plan and how it serves the operational goals / objectives of the organisation
• summarises activities available to support team members in meeting expected performance outcomes
• invites feedback on the plan and suggestions for improvement

You should ensure the email is written effectively in clear and correct language suitable to business communication.

Use Appendix C: Work Plan Email Template to complete this task.

Submission requirements:

At the end of this task, you must submit the following to your assessor:

• Work allocation matrix
• Team work plan
• Covering email to staff introducing team work plan

9 – BSBLDR523 Appendix C – Work Plan Email Template.docx9 – BSBLDR523 Appendix B – Team Work Plan Template.docx9 – BSBLDR523 Appendix A – Work Allocation Matrix Template.docx

Please download Appendix A, B, C

and

Please upload your submissions as per the Task.

 

Employee name	Role/Position	Current work profile	Proposed revised work profile for current project (with at least three new tasks)
Ming Wei	Accounts and Payroll Officer	Bookkeeping Payroll processing Preparing and issuing client invoices Making journal entries	Watch compensation in taxation.   Prepare tax reports   Set some methods of payment
Jenny Day	Customer service representative	Manage website and social media customer interaction Promote products and services on social media Answer phone calls and queries via email and social media Respond to customer complaints and escalate issues to relevant personnel Work as a team with others to ensure customer orders and queries are fulfilled	Daily review the website and check whether the updated information is correct   deliver information related to the offerings of the company   Collect essential feedbacks from customers.

 

 

Samantha Davey	Inventory Manager	Maintain receipts, records, and withdrawals of the stockroom Receive, unload, and shelve supplies Inspect deliveries for damage or discrepancies Confirm proper stock levels and maintain inventory control Coordinate the movement of equipment, and necessary minor repairs	Manage the accounting related to inventory   Develop a schedule for the inventory staff   Resolve the inconsistencies related to inventory
Dylan Knight	Order Processor	Receive and process orders Package orders for dispatch Receive, unload, and shelve supplies Assist store keeper in checking stock levels	Set settings related to shipping Try to set up a curb or local arrangements for pickup. Maintain the orders of fulfilment.
Fawad Khan	IT Support Officer	Trouble shooting IT issues for team members Responsible for data storage, back up and security. Maintaining customer databases and records	Immediate respond to the breakdown Take the feedback of clients related to the nature or problem related to the website. Maintain records related to the licences of software

 

 

 

 

Team Work Plan
Project Title: E-commerce Project
Key Result Area:Implement e-commerce capabilities to existing company website before Christmas 202X
Outcome/s: E-commerce site is fully functional
Task/Activity	Key Performance Indicator (KPI)	Date of completion/ review	Team members	Resourcesneeded (any 2)
Review existing website to make sure the information is current	There are no errors in the website	A suitable date within a week of starting	Jenny Day   Dylan Knight	Team members Computers/Internet
Collect the feedback of clients related to the nature or problem related to the website.	To check whether the usage of website is easy	8/07/2022	Jenny day Dylan Knight	Survey forms Audience to interact
Maintain the account of overall budget and budget of inventory	For proper record of payments and stock	8/07/2022	Samantha day   Ming wei	Records of inventory   Records of payment
Check whether the new offerings are mentioned properly on the website or not.	For proper services provided by the company	Once in 2 days	Jenny day Dylan knight	Computer   Resource of updated information (can be in a form of soft copy)
Look for the storage of data and security backup	For proper functioning of website and security issues.	8/07/2022 and twice in a week	Fawad khan   Dylan knight	Resources having stored information of data Security backup software.

To: Online Store Staff

CC: CEO

From: Online Store Manager

Date: 7/07/2022

Subject:  Submitting the assigned work plan and activities to be performed by team members

Hello,

This mail is to inform you all about the work assigned to you all by the organization; you can go through your tasks that are provided in the Work plan template. We have divided you into small teams where you have to complete the work that is assigned to you all.

You have to perform tasks like Maintain the account of overall budget, Look for the storage of data, Collect the feedback of clients, etc.

These things will help the organization in maintain the online business that is assessed through website developed by The Gift Box.

It will help the organization to increase its efficiency in online market and will attract the customers from various places that will result into increase in amount of sales and in generating higher revenue.

You guys can go through it thoroughly and can provide your feedback related to the suggestions or improvements in the task assigned. Or you can contact me directly for any sort of enquiry.

Regards,

   James

 

Online Store Manager

 

 

Part B – Support team to perform work tasks

Scenario

Assume that your team members have received the team work plan sent via email. In response to your invitation to provide feedback, two team members have come back to you with feedback about their allocated work tasks.

The summary of their feedback and concerns is as given below:

Team member 1 Jenny Day who is usually based in the Head Office, has been assigned the task of taking product photographs for the catalogues, for which she will have to travel to the warehouse. Jenny uses a wheelchair, so it will be difficult for her manage travelling to this new location. Moreover, she thinks it will be difficult for her to use a tripod to take good photos. She would like to know how these issues can be resolved.

 

Team member 2 Ming Wei is a relatively new migrant in Australia. He has many years of experience in his native country in accounting roles and is good at his job. However, he is used to working with numbers and thinks this role of setting up the online store is a little out of his comfort zone. He is feeling a little overwhelmed at the prospect of learning these new skills and is worried that if he is not able to perform well he could lose his job

 

Task

1. Identify the issue/s raised by each team member and plan a suitable response explaining the support that will be extended to the team member to perform work tasks successfully.

Use the format below for both your analyses.

Team member 1

Name of the team member –

Issue raised /support requested –

Possible solution/s / support to perform work tasks –

Two workplace policies relevant to the request/ issue –

 

Team member 2

Name of the team member –

Issue raised /support requested –

Possible solution/s / support to perform work tasks –

Two workplace policies relevant to the request/ issue –

2. Prepare two emails, one to each team member who raised an issue, detailing your response to their respective work issue/ request.

Each email should include:

• an acknowledgement of the team member’s request/issue
• suitable solution/s to address the request or issue
• a reference to relevant organisational policies and procedures that are applicable to this solution
• next steps the organisation and team member need to take
• a suitable complimentary closure

The tone of your emails and the language used should reflect the organisation’s commitment to fostering positive working relationships, and to support others.

Your emails should incorporate language and grammar suitable to business communication.

Use Appendix D: Work Issues Email Template to draft emails.

Submission requirements

At the end of this part, you must submit the following to your assessor:

• Analyses of each of the work issues, in the specified format
• Email responses to each team member who raised work issues, in the specified format

Appendix D – Work Issues Email Template.docx

Please download Appendix D

and

Please upload your submissions as per the Task.

Use the format below for both your analyses.

1)

Team member 1

Name of the team member – Jenny day

Issue raised /support requested – She uses a wheel chair and cannot travel to the ware house plus it would be difficult for her to handle tripod for taking pictures (Nilsson et al., 2012).

Possible solution/s / support to perform work tasks – Okay we will remove you from this task and assign you another in which you will be able to perform and that will be related with the handling of website (Fachrunnisa & Adhiatma 2014).

Two workplace policies relevant to the request/ issue – Work health and safety policy,  Code of conduct.

 

Team member 2

Name of the team member – Ming wei

Issue raised /support requested – He do not have any experience related to the setting of the online store and he is afraid of losing his job (Nilsson et al., 2012).

Possible solution/s / support to perform work tasks – We should always try to learn something new and we should try to move forward by making enhancement in our knowledge , so we will provide you with all the essential trainings that you will need while performing the task (Fachrunnisa & Adhiatma 2014).

Two workplace policies relevant to the request/ issue – Work health and safety policy, Code of conduct.

 

 

 

2) Email

1.

To: Jenny day

From: Online Store Manager

Date: 8/07/2022

Subject:  Response to the issue raised by you.

Hello,

Jenny we have analysed your feedback related to the task assigned to you and I think that your point of view I correct and this task does not seems to be possible.

So, we have decided to remove or replace you from this task and assign you for another task in which you will have to perform task related with the handling of website

As we all know that as per the policy of WHS it is the responsibility of the company to take care of the issues related with health of the employee related to the task at workplace and our company strictly follow such rules, so we will assign you the task in which you can give your valuable contribution.

If you have any doubt then you can contact me or the management team.

I hope that now you are satisfied with the task that is assigned to you. And I will be looking forward for your response.

 

Regards,

   James

 

Online Store Manager

 

 

2.

To:  Ming Wei

From: Online Store Manager

Date: 8/07/2022

Subject:  Response to the issue raised by you.

Hello,

Ming Wei we have analysed your feedback related to the task assigned to you and I think that you should not take stress related to this matter, we know that you are very good at handling numbers and do not have any knowledge regarding setting up a online store.

But, we should always try to learn something new and we should try to move forward by making enhancement in our knowledge.

So we will provide you with all the essential trainings that you will need while performing the task.

Organization is ready to give you time in which you will be able to prepare yourself for the assigned task.

As we all know that as per the policy of WHS it is the responsibility of the company to take care of the issues related with employee and should provide them necessary trainings for improving their knowledge.

If you have any doubt then you can contact me or the management team.

I hope that now you are satisfied with decision made by the organization. And I will be looking forward for your response.

 

Regards,

   James

 

Online Store Manager

 

 

Part C – Case study: Resolve team member conflict

Scenario

Fawad Khan, one of the team members who has been assigned the task of taking product photographs and preparing descriptions for the product catalogues in place of Jenny Day, has approached you with a problem.

He indicates that his team mate Dylan has been taking credit for the good work he is doing with the product photographs and descriptions. When team mates praise their work, he claims it’s his work.

When Fawad has confronted him on a few occasions, Dylan has always made light of it, claiming nobody will believe that Fawad’s has done this work. Dylan also regularly teases Fawad by a name that is offensive.

Fawad says he does not want to make a formal complaint, as Dylan might strongly deny this, but this behaviour is making him very uncomfortable and stressed.

Dylan, on the other hand, claims that Fawad is very slow and needs handholding for taking all the photographs. He also claims that the product descriptions Fawad writes need to be proof read, edited or rewritten by Dylan, before being finalised. Therefore, he feels justified in claiming some of the credit.

Dylan does admit to teasing Fawad, but says he is only doing it out of familiarity or “mateship”.

This is your first managerial position, and the first time you are encountering a problem of this sort.

You have decided to escalate the resolution of this conflict to the CEO of the company, and involve the HR Manager in the process too.

Task

Develop a conflict resolution plan for dealing with the situation, based on the decision you have made.

Your plan will have two parts.

1. Overview:

In the first part of the plan write an overview of the situation (200-300 words), which includes:

• details of the conflict, including parties involved and ethical issues raised by conflict
• an assessment of the possible causes of the workplace conflict
• your assessment of the impact of the conflict situation on these two team members and others
• identification of at least two organisational policies that this conflict may be in breach of
• your assessment of the impact of the conflict escalation on the business reputation and legal liability

2. Conflict resolution strategy:

In the second part of the plan (100 – 200 words), you must:

• identify six steps involved in resolving the conflict
• identify two techniques that could be used to resolve the conflict between Fawad and Dylan
• identify one organisational processes that must be followed in resolving this conflict
• identify one internal source of assistance who can help with resolving this conflict, or to whom the conflict can be escalated
• research and identify one external source of assistance (e.g. internet resource or external consultant) who can be of help in resolving this conflict

Submission requirements

At the end of this part, submit your conflict resolution plan to your assessor.

1)

Details of conflict:

The conflict was brought by on e of the employee named as Fawad khan who is appointed in taking photos of the products and according to it was responsible in preparing its description. He is doing it with another employee whose name is Dylan.

The allegation of Fawad is that Dylan takes all the credits of his work and claims that the work assigned to Fawad is also done by him, Fawad said that Dylan regularly teases him by calling him with offensive names and when he try to stop him then Dylan ignore it completely

Behaviour of Dylan makes Fawad very uncomfortable.

When we asked Dylan about it then he said that Fawad is very slow with his task and sometimes makes error while writing the description, which is then corrected by Dylan. So, in this sense he claims that he can take his credit.

And when we asked him about teasing Fawad he replied that it in familiarity.

Possible assessment:

It might be possible that Fawad make such mistakes but the matter of taking all the credit and making fun of him is also not good plus if anybody is getting offended by the way of his teasing then Dylan should stop it immediately, otherwise we will have to take strict action against it.

My Assessment:

For now I cannot reach the possible conclusion that is related to the work because first I will have to inspect it carefully. But when it comes to offensive teasing then I will have to take essential actions related to this matter.

Two organizational policies that can be used:

Work health and safety policy, Conflict resolution policy (Gilin Oore, et al., 2015).

Impact of conflict on business:

If this conflict gets escalated then it might turn into a reason of intercultural conflict in the organization, and will badly influence the image of the company, so there is a need to sort out this matter as fast as possible and remove all the misunderstanding (Robbins & Judge 2012).

 

Strategy related to conflict resolution:

Steps involved in resolving conflicts are as follows:

Step 1: Determine the sources of conflicts

Step 2: Try to look from a different approach without being biased (Baron, 2013).

Step 3: Research and identify external sources.

Step 4: Identify solutions with discussing with other team members.

Step 5: Identify the solutions that the disputants support.

Step 6: Make agreement between both the parties that are involved in the conflict (Katz & Flynn 2013).

Techniques that can be used to resolve the conflicts:

1. Collaboration – we can collaborate them both and remove all the misunderstanding.
2. Smoothing method can also be used to resolve the matter (Katz & Flynn 2013).

Organizational process:

The process that the organization could follow is that they can solve the problem by mutual agreement, which can be done by the recognition of both the parties that are involved in the conflict (Gilin Oore, et al., 2015).

Internal source of assistance:

For identification of the actual scenario we will have to identify the internal source that will help us in visualizing the real problem it can be a person from security staff or the helping staff of the inventory (Robbins & Judge 2012).

External source:

For the external assistance we can take help of computer and ask Fawad to do his task in front of members and to solve the purpose of teasing we can take the help of camera to watch whether Dylan teases him offensively or not, and if the answer is yes then we will take strict actions against him. Or if there would be a scope of sorting out this mater smoothly then we will try that first (Baron, 2013).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part D – Plan a strategy to resolve work difficulties

Scenario

Samantha Davey is the new inventory manager at The Gift Box. She was recently promoted as manager after being with the company for just a year in the role of an inventory assistant, as the management considered her as a valuable employee. However, as a newly appointed manager, she is still settling down in the role.

Samantha has called you to report a situation she is facing with one of the members in her team.

According to Samantha, Dylan Knit, the order processor in the online store team, has been overstepping boundaries. He often puts others in awkward positions by asking them overly personal questions or reading confidential paperwork. On a couple of occasions, he has challenged Samantha’s authority, saying she doesn’t know any better as she’s new to the role.

Dylan’s behaviour has started affecting the morale of other staff in the warehouse, and undermining Samantha’s position. If this behaviour is not immediately addressed, it will surely impact on the online store team’s performance.

Samantha does not feel confident of handling this situation on her own. She is very upset and is seeking your guidance on handling the situation. She has asked you for a meeting to discuss this issue.

Task

1. Reflect on the situation Samantha has reported and consider the skills she should acquire to manage her team better and resolve such conflicts. Also identify suitable training or activities required to develop these skills.
2. Document your plan to address this work difficulty

Your plan must have two parts:

1. Conflict resolution

• Identify at least four strategies that Samantha can use to handle the situation with the order packer

1. Training

• Identify three skills Samantha should acquire to manage her team better and resolve such conflicts more effectively in the future
• Identify suitable training or activities required to develop these skills

Your plan should be no longer than 250 words in total.

Submission requirements

At the end of this part, submit your plan to your assessor.

Leadership skills are important for the management of the staff and these skills are also reflected in the behaviour of the person. As Samantha is facing problems in the management of the team of the online store warehouse. One of the employees is disrespecting her position as she possesses good skills of the work there is a lack of management skills which is needed as the manager of the store, as she doesn’t have enough experience of leading the team so she needs some skills of management and also leadership(Kesting, et al.,2015).

The skills acquired are proper leadership skills with the proper management of the team. The skills need to be proper communication with the team and this communication will lead to proper understanding among the team members which help her to manage the team members. For this, there should be personal interview taken by her so that she understands the behaviour of each member and also come to know what they want from her and ask for feedback from the team members and improve her skills in communication this help in gaining the trust of the team members and trust will help in building the good interpersonal skills of leadership(Kesting, et al.,2015).

2.

PLAN

The order packers of the online packers have conflicts with the manager as Samantha was promoted andhaslacked in leadership skills which must influence others and this leads to the conflicts. For the resolutionof these conflicts, she uses the proper strategies for resolution of conflicts so that she hasa better impact on the employees(Labrague, et al.,2018). The four strategies are

1. Always welcome the disagreement with a positive attitude so that there will always positive response in the situation of the conflict.
2. Always respect the team members while solving conflicts.
3. there must be the resolution of emotions first and then focus on the disputes and conflicts
4. never ignore any kind of conflict and try to solve the conflicts when they arise with a positive response.

The three skills which should be needed for conflict resolution that must be developed by Samantha are necessary for leadership skills and also for the management skills of the team members(Labrague, et al.,2018).

1. she should develop the nature of the positive behaviour and response.
2. she should use effective and open communication so that this will help in building trust among the team member.
3. always keep patient this is an important skill in the resolution of conflicts which means that there is always patience so that conflict can be resolved in a more supportive and active way.

For the development of skills, there is a need for proper training and need of development of leadership behaviour and also there should be regular meetings with the team members asking for feedback.

 

 

 

Part F – Finalise action plan to resolve work difficulties

Following the meeting with Samantha Davey, you must create an Action Plan, based on your discussions with Samantha in Part E.

Use the Work Difficulties Action Plan Template in Appendix E, and complete the plan with at least three relevant activities such as:

• Coaching
• resolution/ mediation meeting
• team building session
• follow-up meeting and the descriptions of skills that will be developed in these sessions, etc.

You must also indicate a logical timeframe, responsibilities, details of action, resources.

Submission requirements

At the end of this part, submit your plan to your assessor.

Appendix E – Action Plan Template.docx

Please download Appendix E

and

Please upload your submissions as per the Task.

 

 

 

Action/activity	Timeframe	Person/s responsible	Details of action/skills to be developed	Resources, if required
Mentoring	Weekly	Manager	The mentoring of the team will help in conflict resolution and also the mentoring will help in making communication in better ways.	Journal
Resolution meeting	Weekly	Manager	A resolution meeting will need to be conducted so that common issues can be identified and will be resolved in the proper ways.	Meeting hall and presentation
Team building sessions	Monthly	Manager	These team-building sessions will help in building the trust among the team members and these sessions will help in the proper communication with the team members.	Nil
Follow-up meetings	Monthly	Manager	The follow-up meeting will help in the proper management of the conflicts and taking feedback will help in the improvement.	Nil

 

 

Assessment 4: Project 3 – Review relationship management processes

Part A – Seek feedback on management of workplace relationships

Develop a questionnaire to collect feedback from your team members and colleagues about your performance and abilities in the following areas:

• Leadership skills
• Ability to resolve workplace issues
• Conflict resolution skills
• Communication skills
• People skills
• Personal characteristics

This questionnaire will be distributed to the members of the online store team, as well as to your colleagues in other departments of The Gift Box.

The purpose of this questionnaire is to help you identify ways to improve your leadership.

Your questionnaire should include:

• a mix of different types of questions such as multiple choice, rating scales and open-ended questions.
• at least twelve questions (at least two questions in each area given above)
• use digital technology/ word processed documents to organise and present the information in a suitable questionnaire format

Submission requirements

At the end of this part, submit your questionnaire to your assessor.

Part A

Question 1-  Did you ever feel that a manager treats you unequally?

1. Yes
2. No

Question 2- did the manager is democratic or not?

1. Yes
2. No

Question 3 – did the manager motivate team members?

1. yes
2. No

Question 4 – did your manager ask for the feedback of the customer?

1. Appropriate
2. inappropriate

Question 5 – did the manager support the task of team members?

1. Yes
2. No

Question 6 –did the manager understand the difference between personal life and professional life?

1. personal life
2. Professional Life

Question 7 – did the manager have good listing skills?

1. Satisfactory
2. Unsatisfactory

Question 8 –  did team members have trust in the manager?

1. Extremely
2. Less
3. Very Less

Question 9 – communication among the manager and team members.

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5

Question 10- did the manager have interpersonal skills of communication with team members?

1. very Much
2. few
3. very Few

Question 11- did the manager possess good listening ability with the team members?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Not sure

Question 12- rate the communication meeting of the manager.

1. 5
2. 4
3. 3
4. 2
5. 1

 

Part B – Evaluate feedback for improvements to leadership style

Scenario

You have received the results for your team and peer survey. A summary of survey results is given below.

Team survey results 5 team members said they felt they were treated fairly and equitably by their direct manager 3 team members felt their direct manager was too democratic and would have preferred some more control and direction 5 team members said their direct manager recognises the importance of their personal and family life 5 team members said their manager identified and organised relevant support to resolve work difficulties 4 team members said their direct manager motivates them to do their best at work 3 team members said they regularly receive meaningful feedback on their work from their direct manager

 

Peer survey results – Recommendations for improvement Interpersonal skills Could demonstrate more of a team focus by guiding others achieve tasks to complete the overall project Needs to organise team building activities or bonding exercises Communication skills Needs to work on skill to provide feedback to team There is room for development of listening skills particularly in team meetings when different viewpoints are being expressed. Leadership skills Needs to use a less democratic leadership approach and exercise a fair amount of control to help ensure projects tasks are completed on schedule Allows employees room for excuses, instead of taking a hardline approach if they are not performing Needs to remember it’s ok to take tough decisions if it is in the interests of the organisation

Task

Read and reflect on the feedback you have received.

Then, prepare a reflective report documenting the following for future leadership development:

• Three aspects of your leadership skills and attributes that have been appreciated
• Three areas of behaviours, skills or processes which you need to improve, on the basis of the feedback
• At least one development opportunity to improve each of the skills in which you need improvement (opportunities may include processes such as coaching, mentoring, shadowing, behavioural modification, etc.)

Your report should be no longer than 300 words.

Submission requirements

At the end of this part, submit your reflective report to your assessor.

Part B

Leadership is the ability of the person by which he/she manages a team in a good and professional manner. For leadership, some skills need to possess by the person so that he will develop the capability of leadership. A good leader will always have good communication with the team.

The aspects which are appreciated by the team members are there is a fair skill and equal treatment to the team members this will help in making trust among the team members and also the respect for a leader is good in the mind of the team members. The behavior of the leader is good and understanding the personal life of the team members as gives importance to family life also. The supportive behavior of the manager toward the team members if they found any difficulties in their task and if problems are faced then the manager will help in providing the required resources for the task(Othman, et al.,2017).

According to the feedback, there are some areas in which there need to be some improvements, such as the interpersonal skills of demonstrating more on the focus of the team which is required by the team. Need to organize more activities that help in building the team’s integrity so that trust can be maintained. There should be feedback given to each member for their task and use of the room which is used to develop listening skills so that my meeting can be conducted properly There is also a need fora less democratic approach to leadership and exercising fair control for the help of the task.

For improvement, there is a need forbehavioral modification because the behavior of the leader will determine the team members’ planning and communication among the team members(Solaja, et al.,2016). Behavior management is required by the team members and there should be professional behavior so that team members can build trust in the manager.

 

 

References

 

Baron, R. A. (2013). Conflict in organizations. In Psychology in organizations (pp. 209-228). Psychology Press.

Clarke, T., & Peterson, T. R. (2015). Environmental conflict management. Sage Publications.

Fachrunnisa, O., & Adhiatma, A. (2014). The role of work place spirituality and employee engagement to enhance job satisfaction and performance. International Journal of Organizational Innovation (Online), 7(1), 15.

Gilin Oore, D., Leiter, M. P., & LeBlanc, D. E. (2015). Individual and organizational factors promoting successful responses to workplace conflict. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 56(3), 301.

Katz, N. H., & Flynn, L. T. (2013). Understanding conflict management systems and strategies in the workplace: A pilot study. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 30(4), 393-410.

Kesting, P., Ulhøi, J. P., Song, L. J., &Niu, H. (2015). The impact of leadership styles on innovation-a review. Journal of Innovation Management, 3(4), 22-41.

Labrague, L. J., Al Hamdan, Z., & McEnroe‐Petitte, D. M. (2018). An integrative review on conflict management styles among nursing professionals: implications for nursing management. Journal of nursing management, 26(8), 902-917.

Madalina, O. (2016). Conflict management, a new challenge. Procedia Economics and Finance, 39, 807-814.

Nilsson, P., Andersson, I. H., Ejlertsson, G., & Troein, M. (2012). Workplace health resources based on sense of coherence theory. International Journal of Workplace Health Management.

Othman, A. K., Hamzah, M. I., Abas, M. K., &Zakuan, N. M. (2017). The influence of leadership styles on employee engagement: The moderating effect of communication styles. International Journal of Advanced and applied scienceS, 4(3), 107-116.

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. (2012). Essentials of organizational behavior.

Solaja, M. O., Idowu, E. F., & James, E. A. (2016). Exploring the relationship between leadership communication style, personality trait and organizational productivity. Serbian Journal of Management, 11(1), 99-117.

Wang, N., & Wu, G. (2020). A Systematic Approach to Effective Conflict Management for Program. Sage Open, 10(1), 2158244019899055.