Independent Schools Victoria

Registered Training
Organisation
BSBWOR203A
Work Effectively with Others
Unit 11 of 12

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Contents
Teacher or Workplace Mapped Observation Checklist .......................................................... 1
Instructions ........................................................................................................................... 2
1. Working with Others .......................................................................................................... 3
2. Workgroups....................................................................................................................... 8
3. Strategies, Timelines and Resources .............................................................................. 13
4. Continuous Improvement ................................................................................................ 15
Submitting Work for this Unit ............................................................................................... 17

Independent Schools Victoria 2012

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Teacher or Workplace Mapped

Observation Checklist
Name of Student: ____________________________________________________
BSBWOR203A Work Effectively with Others
Element: PC
Question (please tick suitable response)
1.1, 1.3, 2.1 Is the student able to identify their own responsibilities and duties
working in teams, and promote cooperative relationships by
offering support, encouragement, acknowledgement and
constructive feedback?
1.2
Does the student take time and resource constraints into account
for themselves and team members?
2.2,2.3,
Does the student contribute constructively to, and share information
with, workgroups, to ensure organisational requirements and goals
are met?
2.4
Can the student identify/plan strategies/liaise to improve the
workgroup?
3.1,3.2,
Does the student respect individual linguistic and cultural
differences, personal beliefs and values, responding appropriately
to develop relationships?
3.3, 3.4
Can the student identify issues/problems/conflict in the workplace
and seek suitable assistance to suggest possible solutions or refer
them appropriately?

Yes

As this students teacher and supervisor, I agree that he/she has demonstrated the above
skills and knowledge during a work placement or in a simulated workplace. Where a No has
been indicated, the student will be given further training to achieve competency. My
responses give a true, valid and fair evaluation of the student.

C / NYC

Date:

If additional tasks were completed, please re-assess student.

C / NYC

Date:

Teacher/Supervisor: Name___________

___

Signature: ____________________

___ Contact if required: _______________

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________ Date:

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No

Instructions
To complete this unit, you will have to complete the following tasks. Have your teacher sign
page one when you have completed the work.

Task 1A
Task 1B
Task 1C
Task 1D
Task 2
Task 3
Task 4A
Task 4B

List examples of when you have worked with other people

Watch a link and deciding how you work
Look up the Tuckman model and answer questions about it
Scenario setting up a band
Describe how you would work as team-leader of a workgroup
Create an agenda for a workgroup meeting
Do a role play or group discussions
Additional teacher checklist

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1. Working with Others

In almost every workplace, people need to engage co-operatively and become part of a
team if tasks are to be completed successfully. There are occasional exceptions, such as
when people work as sole traders, or are travelling alone driving, but in general, businesses
need staff members to be able to work together to create a positive and creative workplace.
The theories behind teamwork and co-operation have been expressed and described by
many people, but the quote below describes the idea perfectly.

Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan

Alone

we

can

do

so

little;

together

we

can

do

so

much.

Helen

Keller

Helen Keller was born in the USA in 1880 and became blind and deaf after an illness before
the age of two years. Until she was six, she was described as uncontrollable because of her
disability as she could not relate to the world around her. She was given a twenty year-old
teacher called Annie Sullivan who changed her whole life.
Helen became the first woman in USA to receive a Bachelor of Arts, wrote many books on
her Braille typewriter, gave talks and lectures and had a very busy life, but because of Annie
who supported her until she died, she was a living testament to the fact that people can
achieve so much with support and through teamwork. Her story was made into a movie
called The Miracle Worker.
Here is a link to her biography if you are interested in knowing more about her or do a
search using her name if the link is inactive.
www.afb.org/section.asp?SectionID=1&TopicID=129

Task 1A
Think about your own life. Do you work or study co-operatively with anyone else? This
can include any aspect of your life including family. Families often give us our first
experiences of teamwork and school friends or social clubs the next experiences. Try
to think of at least four examples of when you have worked collaboratively with other
people.
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Watch this link. It describes some of the advantages of working collaboratively ( or search for
independent learner or collaboration).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFHcF1tAPeM&feature=related
The female figure in the video thinks she is an independent learner. Quite a lot of people like
to learn independently because their personal learning style may differ from those around
them, but even if this applies to you, you will probably need to work collaboratively in your
higher studies and a workplace. One of the ways to solve this is to make sure people are
responsible for an individual part of a task. The completed task is a collaborative
achievement into which everyone has had input.

Task 1B
Think about how you like to learn and study or work.
Are you an individual learner? For example, do you like finding things out alone by
reading and writing or researching on the internet before working to produce results?
Or do you like to work in a group, asking people questions, arguing a point and
creating something as your part of a task?
Answer: ___________________________________________________________

Task 1C
a) One well-known explanation for groups is known as the 1965 Tuckman model.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbrGCiQIyN4&feature=related
There are four parts to Tuckmans model. List them here.
i) __________________________________________________________
ii) __________________________________________________________
iii) __________________________________________________________
iv)__________________________________________________________
b) Then look at the Wikipedia links information on Tuckman or search under his full
name. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuckman's_stages_of_group_development
i) Which social group adapted Tuckmans model for its own use?
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ii) In 1977, Tuckman added a fifth stage to the four stages, which they called
adjourning. Who was his partner who devised this extra term?
_________________________________________________________________

iii) Name one of the other people who has since added other aspects to the new five
stage model of Tuckman.
_________________________________________________________________

Bruce Tuckman
Here is one representation of Tuckmans model, with the adjourning added in. Tuckman
and his partner realised his original model was lacking this aspect when it came to a group
finishing its function or completing whatever task it need to achieve. Or, in the case of social
groups, schooling and teams, the participants may have needed to advance to another
group.

Consider how badly the adjourning has gone in some music bands!

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Task 1D
Think about how this theory could fit into your own life.
Scenario: You want to start a new music band with other people of a similar age. You
could follow the same pattern as Tuckmans (above).
i) How would you go about Forming your group?
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ii) How would you go about Storming (selling) your band?
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iii) How would go about Norming (supporting your band members) the group?
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iv) How would you go about Performing (delegating or handing out jobs to the band)?
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v) Suggest two things you could do about Adjourning (breaking up successfully and
offering advice on careers) and making sure things ended amicably)?
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There are better terms than Tuckmans that you could use for the stages of a group
building, performing and breaking up, but the ideas behind the categories are useful to
keep in mind when you work with teams or groups at school or work situations.

vi) Remember how you asked customers for feedback in a previous unit? Giving and
taking feedback is part of any group activity. If someone offered you constructive
criticism on a job you completed, how would you react?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
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vii) Remember how you had lines of responsibility in another unit? Fill out your lines of
responsibility chart for your new band.

You

.....
.....

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2. Workgroups
When you work with others in a business setting, the group is often called a workgroup
rather than a team. Every person in the group has their own duties and responsibilities which
are outlined by the workgroup or team leader.

The same situation may occur at school or university where a workgroup forms to complete
a project or assignment. You may have already taken part in a workgroup, or project team.
Watch this funny little link to see how penguins work together as a team.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qzzYrCTKuk&NR=1

Task 2
Now try and picture yourself in the following scenario and answer the questions.
Scenario
You are one of five people creating a funny video which you will upload onto YouTube.
You need one person each to: write the script, direct the actors, use the video camera
and edit the end product and upload it. You are in charge of organising the workgroup
so your job is to be team-leader. Keep the ideas of Tuckman in mind so that you have
some direction (but you dont have to refer to him)
i) How do you work out the jobs?
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ii) How do you make sure everyone knows his or her role and responsibilities?
___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
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iii) Everyone knows how good it feels to get praise, rewards or encouraging comments
made when you achieve something. How are you going to deal with giving your group
support, encouragement and feedback to achieve work goals?
___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
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iv) What two media will you use update your team on changes to the project?
___________________________________________________________________
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v) If some of the group members come from different cultures or language-speaking

groups to your own, how will you ensure everyone is included and fully informed?
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vi) What do you do if someone in the team gets sick and cant continue in their role?
___________________________________________________________________
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vii) Conflict about different values develops between two team members. One says the
video does not have to accord with the code of conduct and the other disagrees. How
do you respect both attitudes and handle the situation?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Remember what Helen Keller said? Alone we can do so little;

together we can do so much.

viii) It has often been said that two heads are better than one at sorting out problems.
Do you think calling a meeting to deal with difficulties or to readjust timelines is a good
idea or not? Explain why group meetings do or dont help to get jobs done.
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ix) If your YouTube project or workgroup does not seem to be going well, name three
people you could consult about it, and list their role.

__________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________

x) As the team leader, name three ways you could coach or mentor your team.
__________________________________________________________________
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3. Strategies, Timelines and Resources

Part of working with others as a team includes planning not only how the team personnel will
function, but also:
how goals and timelines will be achieved
how resources and equipment will be purchased and used
how the group can identify opportunities for individual and group improvements.

Business teams usually have to operate around a designated budget and a specific date for
the project to be finalised. This means that purchasing and allocating resources are two of
the major factors in managing a workgroup, although these factors are not part of study
groups which may also function like a business team.
When business teams meet, they usually have a written agenda. Team-meetings dont
always stay on target but often stray into discussing the latest episode of a TV show, or what
your sporting teams have done recently. The agenda helps prevent this happening.
There are many different types of forms but the MSOffice link site has some a typical
meeting agenda forms.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/agenda-TC006207066.aspx

Scenario
You are still in the initial stages of planning your YouTube video. As the team leader, you
have a meeting with your group to discuss your goals, timelines and resources. You could
write out an agenda to keep the meeting effective (some people may have done this in the
Word Processing unit).
Finances: The project has to be done quite cheaply but the council has given you a $500
grant to buy a video camera, and you would like to save a few dollars to take everyone to a
caf for debrief at the end of the project both as a reward and also as part of your
adjourning stage.
Timelines: You need to have the YouTube clip uploaded before the Christmas holidays
begin and it is 1 September.

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Task 3
Here is a blank agenda form. Fill it out for your YouTube meeting, estimating the kinds
of things that might come up.
My YouTube Team Agenda
Time and date of meeting: ___________________________________
Location: _________________________________________________
Name of meeting organiser: _________________________________
Attendees: _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Finances:
Planned expenditure items: ________________________
________________________
Total expenditure:

$ _______________________

Topics for Discussion:

1. _____________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________
Timeline milestones to be achieved:
1. Camera purchased by _________________________
2. Script written by ______________________________
3. Video completed by ___________________________
4. Uploaded by ________________________________
5. Last meeting/Celebration date ____________________

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4. Continuous Improvement
During the course of a team project, the group needs to discuss and plan for ways to
improve the project, and to plan for future projects to be even more successful. In a
business, this often means increasing profits and gaining more work. With your councilfunded YouTube project, demonstrating that you ran a successful project with an effective
workteam, efficient financial management and meeting timelines would create an excellent
reputation and may lead to a larger grant.

This successful completion also fits in to the Continuous Improvement cycle from an earlier
unit.

Revision. Remember the Shewhart cycle?

Plan, Do, Check, Act

This cycle fits nicely beside the Tuckman model, especially when you take the time and
trouble to wind-up the project with an adjournment based around celebration, reward and
improvement.
Task 4A
i) Group Discussion or Role Play
With some members of your class, either discuss or role play what opportunities for
improvement you could cover when completing a project with others. Think of things
like milestones, goals, rewards and other strategies.
ii) Discuss how you could inform your workgroup about OH&S, privacy and antidiscrimination as they apply to the music or multimedia industry.
iii) Take notes to show your teacher

Teacher signature: ____________________________________

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Date: __________

15

Task 4B

Additional Teacher Checklist

I have observed this student completing the following tasks safely

Demonstrate how they would develop and support working with others in a school
situation, a simulated work environment or as s skill transferrable to work
situations

Show they are able to plan and work in a team, work or project group
Complete tasks to achieve goals within timelines, and understanding
encouragement and rewards

Show

respect for other cultures and people with different linguistic or special

needs

Demonstrate

a clear understanding of feedback, values, problem-solving and

personal values

Have

discussed organisational policies, OH&S, anti-discrimination, legislation,

team structures plus access and equity in this or other units

Teacher signature: ___________________________________ Date: ___________

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Submitting Work for this Unit

Some work is to be filled out in the booklet.

Your teacher may ask you to send some electronically. Ask for an email address to send
it to
If you have group work, you may choose to submit it using a USB stick, or burn onto a
CD.

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