Unit 510

Effective team performance can be identified by a few simple notions, what first comes to mind when we think about a team is that it is made up of several different people all working towards a common goal, I identify this as without it no matter how good the each member of the team was, it would lead to chaos with no end result. We follow on from this as the team must have a structure whereas things can be measured so people know how to meet the goal they are heading towards. The staff that make up the team must be able to do the job they have been assigned to achieve, and sister to this they must be more than a staff member they must be colleagues, I say this because they must be equally committed and such create an air of sharing and collaboration so they can all utilize each person's different skills and abilities. Hence this leads on to the support network that is created not just by the effective teamwork but also externally too, by the training and supervision they may receive, the recognition of doing a good job etc. The leader will have to manage the team, make sure that everyone is working towards the same goal by monitoring and acting to support all the notions above.

UNIT 510
Element 1
The staff team and staff members roles change as the team itself develops due to changes in policy, staff leaving/recruitment or changing demands of service users. However the basic roll a staff member plays within the team will not alter greatly. As identified by Dr Meredith Belbin there are eight basic roles which if present in a team will give it the best chance for success. In a recent staff meeting these roles were explored and staff identified themselves and their colleagues within these eight roles. Most staff members agreed with the basic role types and could see their strengths identified within these roles. A couple of staff members felt that they fitted into more than one role and some felt that the boundaries were not as clear cut as Dr Belbin had suggested. Overall the exercise was well received and encouraged staff members to realise their strengths and those of their colleagues. Some of the roles such as the shaper and finisher were not present in the team and the lack of skills in these areas leaves the team vulnerable to underachieving or not staying on task. It was discussed that designated staff members could take on these roles with the support of the manager to ensure the team had a balanced approach to tasks. This was agreed and is to be trialled.
The management of a team will have a great impact on its development and performance. A good manager will know their teams strengths and weaknesses . Managers must recognize that they play a central role in effective team building. However, to be successful, managers require a framework to guide their activities.
Coming together is a beginning.
Keeping together is progress.
Working together is success.
(Henry Ford)

510 Lead and Manage a Team
510 Lead and manage a team within a health and social care or children and young peeople settng
1.3 |
1.3 Identify the challenges experienced by established teams.
There are many challenges that established team can face, I took over as manager to an already established team and the challenges that I faced from day one were that staff felt anxious at me coming in and trying to change everything, which after observing them for a short while I was adamant that I was going to change quite a few aspects of their working practices, some members of the team appeared to feel threatened by me coming in and taking some of their responsibilities away from them and resented it when I allocating responsibility on a more fairer basis.
A strong culture was present in the team, due to certain members of the team having slightly stronger personalities, they were able to have everyone working to their beliefs and values, the communication was extremely poor as the stronger characters would out voice the quieter members of the team. There appeared no structure to any debates on how to support the residents and choices and decisions were being made for instead of with the people we support. Instead of the entire team working together for the benefit of the people we support and everyone inputting ideas and suggestions, decisions had already been made by certain staff members. Information that should of been clearly shared was sketchy and the quieter members of the team tended to follow by their example.
The other challenge I faced was the allocation of work, certain staff liked doing certain tasks and as the rota was being completed by a support worker the rota was done to ensure that these staff members could continue to work the way they wanted. One staff member I felt was extremely lazy and would sit with the residents and watch TV with them and would use the excuse he was socialising with the people we support, this then impacted on the entire team who had to complete his...