BSBWOR203 Work effectively with others

Question:

Assessment Task 1: Prepare a questionnaire and guidance document

Overview

In this task you are required to develop a questionnaire to identify the reasons causing issues, problems and conflicts in the kitchen and to seek suggestions on how to address these. You are then to prepare a brief summary for staff on conflict resolution techniques. Finally, you will prepare an email and send the information to kitchen staff members (assessor).

Scenario

You are a cook working at the Joan Lawman College restaurant. The restaurant has 20 tables, kitchen, staff room, storage facilities and storage/ disposal areas, employs 6 waiting staff and 4 cooks. Cooks undertake cooking, kitchen cleaning, food storage and waste disposal tasks.

Two of the cooks have worked in the restaurant for over seven years and two cooks have worked there for one year. All the cooks are from different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities.

The older and newer cooks have different personal values, beliefs and approaches to performance of work roles and kitchen operations. The atmosphere during service delivery if often tense due to arguments and conflicts over roles, standards and service delivery.  Subsequently this impacts individual and team performance of job roles/ duties and ultimately the kitchen’s ability to achieve team goals.

Kitchen team goals

• Consistently provide high quality and nutritious dishes within deadlines.
• Safely prepare and present food in accordance with customer, menu and organisation requirements.
• Ensure all food and beverages are safely received, stored and prepared in accordance with organisation requirements.
• Work cooperatively as a kitchen team and with front of house staff to deliver high quality service standards.
• Maintain a clean and safe working environment.
• Continually improve service standards by monitoring individual and team performance to identify areas for improvement.
• Maintain compliance with legislative requirements by consistently performing all roles and responsibilities in accordance with Joan Lawman College policies and procedures.

The manager wishes to achieve the kitchen goals by improving the kitchen staff team and individual members’ performance when completing their roles and responsibilities.  The manager also wishes to address the issues, problems and conflicts and subsequently create a more harmonious working environment in the kitchen.

The manager has asked you to contribute to improving the situation by undertaking the tasks outlined below. 

Task instructions

You are to develop a questionnaire to identify what staff think are the causes for the issues and conflicts outlined above, and to seek suggestions on how to address these. You are then to prepare a brief summary for staff on conflict resolution techniques. Finally, you are to prepare an email and send the information to kitchen staff members (assessor) seeking their feedback.

1. Review the task scenario and instructions and then verbally confirm/ clarify your understanding of requirements with the manager (assessor).
2. Develop a questionnaire to identify the following information from kitchen and waiting staff team members.  The questionnaire is to include between six and ten questions.

Any issues, problems and conflicts encountered when performing your job role duties. These are to relate to:

• policies and procedures and systems for completing tasks
• time constraints/ durations to complete tasks
• quantities of equipment and resources to complete tasks and their condition
• communication and collaboration between members of the kitchen staff team
• coordination and organisation of the staff team and resources during service delivery

The underlying reasons that have caused the identified issues, problems or conflict.

Relevant contributing factors or considerations for each issue, problems or conflict.

Suggested actions to address each issue, problem or conflict.

Any other suggestions that could lead to an improved working environment and/ or the kitchen team achieving their goals.  

3. Prepare a brief guidance document for staff members on appropriate techniques for resolving conflicts in the workplace. This is to include a summary of:

• steps in the conflict resolution process
• three considerations when resolving conflicts
• three steps in two different kitchen policies and procedures that apply to areas of operations where any problems/ conflicts could arise or have arisen in the past.
• how a cook can contribute to team goals by working cooperatively with other team members when completing two aspects of their job role tasks. The job role tasks must relate to the steps in the policies and procedures identified in your response to the part above.

4. Write an email to staff team members (assessor) and attach the questionnaire and guidance document. The body of the email is to:

• outline two reasons why you are sending the email/ seeking staff feedback
• request staff to complete the questionnaire and read the guidance document
• demonstrate your understanding of how the issues affect staff by outlining the impact two issues, problems or conflicts can have on them.  
• encourage effective participation and feedback
• outline how staff contributions and beliefs will be valued and respected
• outline how staff cooperation and effective contributions could benefit individuals and the team.  A different benefit must be provided for each.

5. The questionnaire, guidance document and email are to:

• use appropriate language for staff from a variety of cultural backgrounds
• use simple and clear terminology relevant to the task context
• use appropriately spelling, grammar and punctuation

Assessment Task 2: Discuss and address kitchen issues, problems and conflicts

Overview

In this task you are required to meet with other staff to discuss and address kitchen issues, problems and conflicts. You are to apply effective communication and conflict resolution skills during this task.

Scenario

You are a cook working at the Joan Lawman College restaurant. The restaurant has 20 tables, kitchen, staff room, storage facilities and storage/ disposal areas, employs 6 waiting staff and 4 cooks. Cooks undertake cooking, kitchen cleaning, food storage and waste disposal tasks.

Two of the cooks have worked in the restaurant for over seven years and two cooks have worked there for one year. All the cooks are from different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities.

The older and newer cooks have different personal values, beliefs and approaches to performance of work roles and kitchen operations. The atmosphere during service delivery if often tense due to arguments and conflicts over roles, standards and service delivery.  Subsequently this impacts individual and team performance of job roles/ duties and ultimately the kitchen’s ability to achieve team goals.

Kitchen team goals

• Consistently provide high quality and nutritious dishes within deadlines.
• Safely prepare and present food in accordance with customer, menu and organisation requirements.
• Ensure all food and beverages are safely received, stored and prepared in accordance with organisation requirements.
• Work cooperatively as a kitchen team and with front of house staff to deliver high quality service standards.
• Maintain a clean and safe working environment.
• Continually improve service standards by monitoring individual and team performance to identify areas for improvement.
• Maintain compliance with legislative requirements by consistently performing all roles and responsibilities in accordance with Joan Lawman College policies and procedures.

The manager wishes to improve kitchen staff team and individual members performance of their roles and responsibilities to facilitate the achievement of kitchen goals.  The manager also wishes to address the issues, problems and conflicts and subsequently create a more harmonious working environment in the kitchen.

You have previously contributed to addressing the above issues, problems and conflicts by preparing a questionnaire to receive staff feedback in assessment task one of this unit.  You are to consider this feedback when attempting this task.

The manager has asked you to contribute to addressing the issues, problems and conflicts by undertaking the tasks outlined below.  The issues, problems and conflicts relate to:

• policies and procedures and systems for completing tasks
• time constraints/ durations to complete tasks
• quantities of equipment and resources to complete tasks and their condition
• communication and collaboration between members of the kitchen staff team
• coordination and organisation of the staff team and resources during service delivery

Task instructions

1. Review the feedback received from the staff team in AT1 questionnaires. Review the task instructions and then verbally confirm/ clarify your understanding of requirements with the manager (assessor).
2. In this task you are to participate in a meeting with three other cooks for approximately 30 minutes.

The purpose of the meeting is to identify the current workplace issues, problems, conflicts and then negotiate and agree on solutions to address these.

3. To prepare for the meeting you are to familiarise yourself with the questionnaire feedback received from the staff team and the conflict resolution guidance document you prepared for assessment task one of this unit.

You are then to think about your opinions and points of view in relation to current workplace issues, problems and conflicts and possible actions/ ideas on how to address these.

4. Contribute to discussions by putting forward their opinions/ points of view on issues, problems, conflicts and causes, and respond to other people’s opinions/ points of view/ ideas.
5. Contribute to negotiating and agreeing actions/ methods to address issues, problems and resolve conflicts in accordance with kitchen standards and policy and procedure requirements.  Outline how your ideas could help achieve kitchen goals for completion of tasks and/ or satisfactorily address issues, problems and conflicts.
6. You are to regularly contribute to discussions throughout the meeting.  
7. Apply conflict resolution techniques during the meeting
8. Refer issues, problems to the manager (assessor) if agreement on actions to address issues, problems conflicts cannot be reached.
9. During the meeting you are to communicate effectively by:

• Using language/ terminology relevant to the meeting context and colleagues in attendance
• Using open and welcoming body language
• Speaking clearly and concisely
• Listening and respectfully responding to other people’s opinions/ points of view/ ideas
• Listening to any questions and providing responses that relate to questions asked
• Asking questions to confirm or clarify understanding of other people’s opinions/ ideas
• Expressing your own opinions/ ideas
• Taking turns throughout the discussion
• adopting cooperative approach to addressing issues/ solving problems