2. YOUR TEAM AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE RETAIL ORGANISATION

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1 . YOUR TEAM AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE RETAIL ORGANISATION Because this will be your assessor s second visit, they will expect you to have some knowledge about the retail organisation you work for and what your job role and responsibilities are. If possible, you should complete the first activity before the assessor s first visit because it will show that you are aware of who you work with and how your job role fits into the overall organisation. KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING Good teamwork is essential for the smooth running of the retail outlet because it creates a healthy and happy working environment. For a team to work effectively it is important that each team member understands their role within the team and how this role contributes to the success of the retail organisation. Teamwork BTEC Unit 3: 4.1 WorkSkills Unit 6:. Task 1a Obtain a copy of your job description. Identify what your main activities will be and any other activities you may be asked to do. Then answer the questions below. 1 What is the title of your job?. What is the purpose of a job description? 3. What are your main job activities? 4. What other things can you be asked to do and how does this affect the service you provide? 5. If you had to write a title for your job what would it be? 6. How does your job link to other jobs in the sector in which you work? Original text and illustrations Pearson Education Limited, 01 35

2 Every retail organisation has a group of employees as well as those who own and manage it. Here is an organisational chart of a small newsagent showing who the owners and managers are and the staff who work there. Mr and Mrs Smith Owners and Managers John Smith Full time Sales and Service Kerri Jones Part-time Delivery and media distribution Chantei Mann Part-time Sales and Service Organisational chart of a small retail business BTEC Unit 3: 4.1 PLTS IE4 Task 1b In the space below, draw the organisational chart of the retail store where you work, or the team with which you work, and show who is responsible for whom and who does what. Retail Store Organisational Chart 36 Original text and illustrations Pearson Education Limited, 01

3 Different size retail outlets have different size teams. A small store may have only six people who form one team, whereas a large supermarket can have up to 0 teams. How many teams are there in the retail store where you work? BTEC Unit 3:.1 Task 1c Some teams perform better than others. In the box below, explain why you think this happens. BTEC Unit 3:. Task 1d Irrespective of its size, there are several benefits of working in a team. Use the spider diagram to list six benefits of working as part of a team. Benefits of working as a team Original text and illustrations Pearson Education Limited, 01 37

4 BTEC Unit 3: 4. Task 1e Who is in your team? In the chart below, fill in their names and the details of what they do. Team leader Team member 1 Team member Team member 3 Team member 4 BTEC Unit 3:.3 Task 1f Everyone in your team has different skills and knowledge, but when you all work together everything should work like clockwork because you are all like cogs that rely on each other. Using the diagram below, identify three members of your team and insert two skills or qualities they have that contribute positively to the team s performance. 38 Original text and illustrations Pearson Education Limited, 01

5 BTEC Unit 3:.3 NVQ Unit 79:.1 Task 1g Not every team member is good at everything. Sometimes team members have to ask each other for help and information. Who in your team do you ask for help and information when you need it? Make a list of six things you might need help or information about and identify who you would ask. Help needed Who to ask BTEC Unit 3: 6. Task 1h A team s goals, in other words what you are working towards, will have an impact on the roles and responsibilities of the individuals within the team. Using the space below, identify the goals of your team and explain how these affect the roles and responsibilities of the individuals within your team. Team goals Impact on individuals Original text and illustrations Pearson Education Limited, 01 39

6 Team communication Good communication is vital to the success of a team. BTEC Unit 3: 3.1 Task a Why is it important that everyone in the team understands each other? Present your answer in the space below. Importance of team understanding BTEC Unit 3: 3.1, 3.3 Task b In the space below say what would happen if there was poor communication within the team. BTEC Unit 3: 3. Task c Communicating effectively is the key to a successful team. All members of a team have to know what to do. Describe below six methods of communication you use in your team and explain how each method contributes to the success of the team. 40 Original text and illustrations Pearson Education Limited, 01

7 1, Communication method How it contributes to the success of the team, 3, 4, 5, 6, Building team relationships For a team to succeed, its members need to be willing, enthusiastic and keen to help the team perform well and to the standards expected by the company. In an effective team, the members are friendly and helpful and show respect to colleagues. They are willing to help other members to learn the skills and tasks that are needed for the team to perform successfully. Sometimes you are unable to carry out a task that a colleague has asked you to complete or assist with. If you cannot do what they ask, you must explain the reasons why, clearly and politely, so as not to offend them. They need to understand why you are unable to assist them on this occasion so that there are no misunderstandings. There is never a good time to refuse to help. You should offer help to colleagues and respond positively to requests for help, whenever possible. However, when the store gets very busy and you are fully occupied it is difficult to help when a colleague needs it. Original text and illustrations Pearson Education Limited, 01 41

8 The successful performance of a retail team depends on the members working together in a friendly and helpful manner. NVQ Unit 3: 4.4 Unit71: 1.1 Unit 79:.3,.4,.6 WorkSkills Unit 8:.1,.,.3 Task 3a Consider the following teamwork case studies. i) It is a busy Saturday morning and you are trying to serve two customers at the same time as well as get stock out on the shelves. Your colleague, who is struggling to change the till roll as it has run out and there is a queue building up at the pay point, asks you to help. You realise you are unable to leave boxes of stock on the sales floor. 4 Original text and illustrations Pearson Education Limited, 01

9 How would you handle this situation? Write your answer below. ii) Occasionally, situations develop at work that lead to misunderstandings and personal differences. These difficulties may be work related or result from a clash of personalities. Certain behaviour is not acceptable within the store and effective communication between team members is vital to avoid clashes and keep the team working efficiently. You always make an effort to arrive at work early so that you can deal with the till float and are on the sales floor when the store opens. One of your colleagues is always 15 minutes late and comes in looking a mess. You have mentioned this before to your colleague and today you mention it again. This time they respond by shouting and accusing you of harassing them in front of the duty manager. How would you handle the situation with the team colleague? Write your answer below. NVQ Unit 79: 1.1 Task 3b No matter how hard you work sometimes you feel that one team member in particular is always on your case and keeps on at you. This is known as harassment, but what, exactly, is harassment in terms of the law and the retailer you work for? Write your answer in the box below. Original text and illustrations Pearson Education Limited, 01 43

10 PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE This activity will enable your assessor to examine your competence by observing you working as part of a retail outlet team. This might include asking related questions to test your underpinning knowledge. NVQ Unit 79:.1,.,.3 WorkSkills Unit 8: 1.1, 1.,.1 PLTS: EP1, EP, EP3, TW1, TW CT1, CT NVQ Unit 79:.,.4 WorkSkills Unit 8:.1,. PLTS: EP1, EP, EP3, TW1, TW, CT1, CT a) Meeting and working with colleagues For this observation your assessor will expect you to show respect for other team members when you meet and work with them. You will need to show that you use effective communication skills when speaking to your colleagues and discussing tasks to be performed. You should also show that you are listening to your colleagues and responding in a positive way. The assessor will expect you to know what you are supposed to be doing in relation to your job description. They will also expect you to ask for assistance if you are unable to perform a task and help colleagues when it is busy so that they can assess you balancing the demands of the retail organisation with those of your colleagues. b) Responding to a colleague s request to locate information for a customer The assessor will observe you working in a team with a particular focus on how you respond willingly and promptly to colleagues requests for assistance with a customer who requires information. The assessor will be observing how you respond to the request, in particular your body language, listening skills and how you speak to your colleagues. They will be observing the speed with which you respond and how you cope with your own tasks. This observation will also focus on how you find information on one of the products or services the retail outlet offers and how you give the information to a colleague who has asked for it. The assessor will observe how you confirm with your colleague the information they need and how you identify the correct source. They will then observe how you communicate the information to your colleague and how you deal with any further questions relating to the information. 44 Original text and illustrations Pearson Education Limited, 01

11 BTEC Unit 3: 6.1, 6.3 NVQ Unit 79: 1.,.5 WorkSkills Unit 1:.1,. PROFESSIONAL DISCUSSION Your assessor will conduct a professional discussion with you which will capture evidence necessary to prove your level of knowledge and understanding of topic areas. Below are some topic areas you will need to consider when preparing for the professional discussion with your assessor. How you and the team agree as to what you are hoping to achieve when discussing what the team has to do. The different ways of working that will benefit the retail business. How you politely and positively discuss and sort out difficulties in working together. The appropriate times to ask a suitable person for advice about any problems you can t resolve yourself when working in a team. The importance of meeting deadlines when working as part of a team. The procedure your retail employer uses for dealing with discrimination, bullying and harassment. The importance of being organised. Your assessor will plan the content of your professional discussion and will advise you to help you to prepare beforehand. The professional discussion may cover more than this section of your Assessment Workbook. Discussion process The discussion process will offer you the opportunity to show how you record your development of the retail skills and knowledge needed to work. To prepare for your professional discussion, you should think about how you could answer questions such as the following. What factors do you consider when agreeing with team members about tasks and objectives to be completed? Why is it important to put the retail organisation first and foremost? How flexible do you have to be when working as part of a team? Why is it important to sort out any team misunderstandings? How do you keep track of how much work you all have to do and how long it is likely to take? Why is it necessary to be prepared? Why should there be sufficient resources? Original text and illustrations Pearson Education Limited, 01 45