Application
This unit of competency covers the ability to develop and empower team members through motivating, mentoring, coaching and promoting team cohesion to achieve planned outcomes. It includes managing the team to improve its performance within agreed goals, contexts and constraints.
This unit of competency is applicable to senior technical officers and laboratory supervisors working in all industry sectors.
While no specific licensing or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication, laboratory operations are governed by relevant legislation, regulations and/or external accreditation requirements. Local requirements should be checked.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. | ||
1 | Promote team effectiveness | 1.1 | Clearly define and communicate team goals and roles |
1.2 | Promote respect for team members through coaching and by example | ||
1.3 | Achieve balanced participation in discussions and activities | ||
1.4 | Negotiate work roles to balance team goals, job requirements and team members' strengths, experience, work styles and career goals | ||
1.5 | Apply effective conflict resolution processes and implement them fairly | ||
1.6 | Provide effective links between senior management, other teams and the work team | ||
1.7 | Encourage networking to share experiences, expertise and resources | ||
2 | Identify and develop individual potential | 2.1 | Assess each team member's strengths and weaknesses against documented job performance requirements and identify training and development options in consultation with them |
2.2 | Provide opportunities to develop skills through allocation/rotation of work tasks and roles | ||
2.3 | Encourage the sharing of knowledge and skills through coaching, mentoring and shadowing | ||
3 | Monitor individual and team performances | 3.1 | Review each team member's performance on a regular basis with the individual |
3.2 | Recognise achievements and address problems with performance | ||
3.3 | Provide constructive feedback on the performance of the team and team members | ||
3.4 | Record information relating to individual and team performance following workplace/statutory procedures | ||
Evidence of Performance
Evidence of competence in this unit must satisfy all of the requirements of the elements and performance criteria, and include demonstration of:
planning and allocating work that balances achievement of team goals and job requirements with team members' strengths and preferences
measuring, monitoring and recording team and individual performance
developing and empowering team members through motivating, mentoring, coaching and promoting team cohesion to achieve planned outcomes
working effectively with team members who have diverse work styles, cultures and perspectives
using effective interpersonal and communication skills to gain cooperation and resolve conflicts.
Evidence of Knowledge
Must provide evidence that demonstrates knowledge of:
the organisational structure, layout of laboratory and workplace
business goals, expected performance outcomes and key indicators
operating budgets, available resources and plans for work area
key principles of performance management systems
workplace/statutory policies and procedures relating to access and equity, relevant sections of industrial awards and workplace bargaining agreements
key principles of team dynamics, leadership and management
interpersonal/communication strategies for a diverse workforce
conflict resolution strategies and processes
work health and safety (WHS) and environment requirements.
Assessment Conditions
Judgement of competence must be based on holistic assessment of the evidence. Assessment methods must confirm consistency of performance over time, rather than a single assessment event to enable the candidate to initiate and implement improvements.
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment. A simulated workplace environment must reflect realistic operational workplace conditions that cover all aspects of workplace performance, including the environment, task skills, task management skills, contingency management skills and job role environment skills.
Foundation skills are integral to competent performance of the unit and should not be assessed separately.
Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.
Knowledge evidence may be collected concurrently with performance evidence or through an independent process, such as workbooks, written assessments or interviews (provided a record is kept in each case).
This unit of competency may be assessed with:
MSL916003 Supervise laboratory operations in work or functional area.
Holistic assessment methods include:
review of the candidate’s records of individual and team outputs and performance
feedback from team members about the effectiveness of team planning, performance management processes and professional development opportunities
feedback from senior managers about performance of the candidate’s team
feedback from customers serviced by the candidate’s team
observation of the candidate during team meetings and contact with individual team members
interview questions with the candidate to assess required knowledge of team dynamics, leadership and management.
Access is required to instruments, equipment, materials, workplace documentation, procedures and specifications associated with this unit, including, but not limited to:
relevant WHS, equal opportunity, licensing, and registration policies and procedures
workplace procedures and standard operating procedures (SOPs)
industrial awards and workplace agreements.
Assessors must satisfy the assessor competency requirements that are in place at the time of the assessment as set by the VET regulator.
The assessor must demonstrate both technical competency and currency.
Technical competence can be demonstrated through:
relevant VET or other qualification/Statement of Attainment AND/OR
relevant workplace experience.
Currency can be demonstrated through:
performing the competency being assessed as part of current employment OR
having consulted with a laboratory about performing the competency being assessed within the last twelve months.
Foundation Skills
This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential to performance.
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.
Range Statement
This field allows for different work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. | |
Teams | Teams include one or more groups who: are internal or external and small, medium or large in size have ongoing responsibility for particular services or functions are project based have a mixture of full and part-time employees and/or contractors are separated by distance and work at sites outside the laboratory |
Goals, contexts and constraints | Team goals, contexts and constraints include: specific goals and objectives, responsibility and accountability requirements fixed outputs, timelines and resource limits |
Methods for promoting team cohesion | Methods for promoting team cohesion include, but are not limited to, one or more of: providing clear information and directions when devolving responsibility and accountability organising regular team meetings and involving the team in planning and allocation of tasks encouraging the team to openly propose, discuss and resolve issues dealing with conflict before it adversely affects team performance treating people openly and fairly recognising individual and cultural differences recognising and rewarding achievement |
Methods for improving team and individual performance | Methods for improving team and individual performance include, but are not limited to, one or more of: improving team planning processes and utilising individuals' strengths analysing barriers to team effectiveness and developing appropriate strategies to overcome them monitoring individuals' outputs and providing constructive feedback recording individual and team performance identifying individuals' training needs and providing development opportunities supporting the team to share knowledge and skills |
Monitoring team performance | Monitoring team performance includes, but is not limited to, one or more of: using workplace performance management systems to record, update and analyse the performance of team members discussing performance regularly with team members and the team keeping senior managers informed about results of individuals and team |
Identifying individual potential | Identifying individual potential includes: comparing outputs with work requirements assessing competency against standards or workplace requirements |
Communication issues within and between teams | Communication issues within and between teams include, but are not limited to, one or more of: unexpected changes to work priorities, schedules and rosters; and critical events on shift urgent or abnormal results that require attention problems with instruments, reagents, tests and sampling; and equipment and material shortages |
Documented job requirements | Documented job requirements include one or more of: job descriptions, job role statements and performance agreements workplace guidelines covering access and equity principles and practices, industrial awards and workplace bargaining agreements licensing/registration requirements workplace procedures covering work health and safety (WHS) and equal opportunity |
WHS and environmental management requirements | WHS and environmental management requirements include: · complying with WHS and environmental management requirements at all times, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation. These requirements must not be compromised at any time · applying standard precautions relating to the potentially hazardous nature of samples accessing and applying current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and State and Territory Departments of Health, where relevant |
Sectors
Competency Field
Communication/organisation