Assessment Task 2: Innovation promotion project
Task summary
Students are required to suggest, evaluate, and make changes to a case study organisation’s policy and procedures. They will then conduct a brainstorming session with colleagues to establish innovative approaches to improve their work life balance.
This assessment is to be completed in the simulated work environment in the RTO.
Required
• Access to textbooks and other learning materials
• Computer with Microsoft Office and internet access
• Whiteboard
• Briefing Report Template
• Company Services
• Meeting Policy and Procedures
• Strategic Plan
Timing
Your assessor will advise you of the due date of these submissions.
Submit
• Email with Revised Meeting Policy and Procedures attached
• Email with Updated Meeting Policy and Procedures attached
• Email with Briefing Report attached.
• Email with Briefing Report attached.
Assessment criteria
For your performance to be deemed satisfactory in this assessment task, you must satisfactorily address all of the assessment criteria. If part of this task is not satisfactorily completed, you will be asked to complete further assessment to demonstrate competence.
Re-submission opportunities
You will be provided feedback on their performance by the Assessor. The feedback will indicate if you have satisfactorily addressed the requirements of each part of this task.
If any parts of the task are not satisfactorily completed, the assessor will explain why, and provide you written feedback along with guidance on what you must undertake to demonstrate satisfactory performance. Re-assessment attempt(s) will be arranged at a later time and date.
You have the right to appeal the outcome of assessment decisions if you feel that you have been dealt with unfairly or have other appropriate grounds for an appeal.
You are encouraged to consult with the assessor prior to attempting this task if you do not understand any part of this task or if you have any learning issues or needs that may hinder you when attempting any part of the assessment.
Assessment Task 2 Instructions
Carefully read the following:
You are the Operations Manager for Grow Management Consultants, a small consultancy company specialising in leadership development services. These include training for members of companies’ management teams and providing networking opportunities to managers from a wide variety of companies. More detailed information is provided in Grow Management Consultants’ Company Services and their Strategic Plan.
Following a recent short course on workplace innovation, you spoke to the company’s CEO about encouraging innovation in Grow Management Consultants. They have given their full support to your efforts. The CEO suggested that you begin by making some changes to the company’s Meeting Policy and Procedures, as this is an integral part of the company’s leadership and management activities. Any changes to any of the company’s Policies and Procedures must be authorised by the CEO before they can take effect. The CEO also suggested that you ask the company’s staff for their input.
A second step would be to encourage staff to find ways to improve their work/life balance.
Complete the following activities:
1. Revise policies and procedures to support innovation.
Review the Grow Management Consultants’ Meeting Policy and Procedures.
Do some research in the internet into how meetings can be conducted to better support innovative ideas.
Make additions or changes to the Meeting Policy and Procedures that will encourage innovation during company meetings.
Save this document as Revised Meeting Policy and Procedures.
2. Send an email to all staff (your assessor).
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment and seek their feedback.
Attach your Revised Meeting Policy and Procedures to the email.
3. Update policies and procedures.
When you have received a reply from staff, use the feedback to do some more work on the Meeting Policy and Procedures.
Make additions or changes to the document that will encourage innovation during company meetings.
Save this document as Updated Meeting Policy and Procedures.
4. Send an email to the CEO (your assessor).
According to the company’s Document Policy and Procedures, any changes to the company’s Policies and Procedures must be authorised by the CEO before they can take effect. This email should clearly suggest how the changes that have been made to the document will encourage innovation at the company.
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment and seek their authorisation of the new version of the company’s Meeting Policy and Procedures.
Attach your Updated Meeting Policy and Procedures to the email.
5. Prepare for a meeting with staff
The CEO was pleased with your work on the Meeting Policy and Procedures, and you have been directed to open up a discussion with staff about innovative ways to improve their work life balance.
Research how companies such as Grow Management Consultants can improve the conditions that staff work under.
Look also at how to conduct a brainstorming session. Take notes on how you can conduct the meeting so that participants are encouraged to be innovative.
The brainstorming procedure itself should foster innovation in the participants.
You will have a whiteboard and markers to support you during the meeting, so you may want to practice using these prior to the meeting.
6. Conduct a brainstorming session to encourage work practices innovation.
The meeting will last for a maximum of 15 minutes.
The objective of the meeting is for you, as the company’s Operations Manager, to promote and reinforce the value of innovation in Grow Management Consultants in a way that supports its vision and objectives
Another objective is to collect a number of ideas how working conditions at Grow Management Consultants reflect and encourage innovative practice.
You are also to conduct the meeting in a manner that establishes and maintains a relationship with each participant that is based on mutual respect and trust.
Ensure that the meeting provides opportunities for yourself and the other participants to help develop the skills needed for innovation and in which individuals can learn from the experience of others.
During the meeting, you should acknowledge all suggestions, improvements and innovations that are offered by the participants.
You should also be prepared to provide constructive advice to the meeting participants when appropriate.
Use the whiteboard to record the contributions from all of the meeting’s participants.
When the meeting has concluded, take a photo of what is on the whiteboard to use in the next activity.
During the meeting, you are required to demonstrate effective communication skills including:
• Speaking clearly and concisely
• Using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding
• Asking questions to identify required information
• Responding to questions as required
• Using active listening techniques to confirm understanding
7. Write a briefing report.
Following the brainstorming session, write a short (between 1 and 2 pages) report on the options that the company has for improving the staff’s work practices.
Prior to writing the report, do some research in the internet into the suggestions that you received during the meeting. See how other companies have integrated these ideas into their work culture and how it has benefitted the company.
Your report should include:
• A summary of relevant legislation. As all employees’ working conditions are covered by legislation, it will be necessary to begin the report on the legislative framework that covers the IT Biz Solutions workplace.
• The innovative suggestions that you received during the meeting, as well as what you found during your research.
• A summary of any risks involved with carrying out your suggestions. You should document at least two risks and how their effects could be mitigated.
• A short evaluation of your own approaches to work practices changes, and whether they are consistent with how a company like Grow Management Consultants would probably approach them.
Use the Briefing Report Template to guide your work.
8. Send an email to the CEO (your assessor).
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment and seek their feedback and authorisation.
Attach your Briefing Report to the email.
9. Send an email to all staff (your assessor).
When you have received the CEO’s approval for your report, circulate it among the staff for their feedback.
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment and seek their feedback.
Attach your Briefing Report to the email.
Assessment Task 2 Checklist
Student’s name:
Did the student: Completed successfully Comments
Yes No
Make innovation an integral part of It Biz Solutions’ leadership and management activities?
Consult on, and establish, new working conditions that reflect and encourage innovative practice?
Introduce and maintain workplace policies and procedures that foster innovation?
During the meeting, demonstrate a positive reception of ideas from others and provide constructive advice when appropriate?
Establish and maintain relationships with the meeting participants based on mutual respect and trust?
Facilitate and participate in collaborative work arrangements to foster innovation at the company?
Build and lead teams in ways that maximise the opportunities for innovation?
During the meeting, acknowledge all participants’ suggestions, improvements and innovations?
During the meeting, promote and reinforce the value of innovation according to the vision and objectives of IT Biz Solutions?
Create opportunities in which individuals can learn from the experience of others?
Pro actively share relevant information, knowledge and skills with colleagues?
During the meeting, demonstrate effective communication skills including:
• Speaking clearly and concisely
• Using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding
• Asking questions to identify required information
• Responding to questions as required
• Using active listening techniques to confirm understanding
Task Outcome: Satisfactory • Not Satisfactory •
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