Journal Entry Assignment
At the end of units you need to complete a Journal Entry (500 words) in response to the questions in the EFP case study from each set of units. Please consult each unit's case study for further information with regards to the below activities.
Case Study:
EFP (Environmentally Friendly Products) is a call centre in the heart of Liverpool which has recently received authorisation to promote and sell energy saving products as part of the Government's Energy Saving Scheme, Green Deal. EFP is primarily a telemarketing company in which these products are to be sold to the UK public (products such as insulation, heating, solar panels and double glazing), in a bid to reduce energy costs across the nation.
Upon EFP winning authorisation to promote and sell the energy saving products, a much needed organisational restructure was put in place to accommodate the new venture, to ensure that the company had the correct quantity and type of resources available to effectively and successfully operate due to the proposed increase in the volume of business.
Within this restructure, you successfully gained the position of Team Leader of the Outbound Sales Department (OSD), in which you have responsibility of a team of 10 Call Agents. 5 Call Agents within your team were previously your colleagues on the same pay and responsibility scale as you, and 5 Call Agents have been transferred across from other internal EFP departments.
0As the new OSD Team Leader, your duties and responsibilities can be found in the Job Specification below:
Download the EFP Team Leader Job Specification
Within your new role you are tasked with not only ensuring that you and your team are meeting the organisation's goals and objectives, but also with developing yourself and your key leadership and managerial skills, such as understanding how to develop:
an effective working team
trust within your team
your leadership and managerial qualities
your conflict management skills
an effective communication process
your delegation skills
your feedback skills
performance management skills
your motivation skills
rewarding skills
Unit 1: Let the games begin
The transfer employees have arrived and have been allocated their desks which have been added to the pod of five that were already in place. The five OSD Call Agents that have joined the OSD team have not been integrated into the team effectively - leaving these five Call Agents almost out on a limb.
You have called a team meeting to act as a bit of an ice breaker, and to establish your rules for the team from the word go. As the majority of the team already know you (as you were a part of the same team prior to gaining your new position), they have already developed a working relationship with you; however, they are now your subordinates - so you need to establish a new healthy working relationship with them. On the other hand, there are new members of your team who are unaware of who you are and how you work, so you also need to develop working relationships with these new team members.
Looking into Lewin's (1939) leadership styles: Autocratic, Democratic and Laissez-Faire;
What do you think the impact of each style would have on your leadership and the building of a professional relationship with your team?
Is one leadership style better than the other?
Do all leadership styles have a place in the working environment?
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.
References
Wellington, P. (2011) Effective People Management. London: Kogan Page.
Dopson, S., Risk, A. & Stewart, R. (1992) The Changing Role of the Middle Manager in the United Kingdom. International Studies of Management & Organization, 22 (1): 40-53. Online at EBSCO via the Essex Online Library [Accessed 10 November 2017]
Forbes (2012) Are Leaders Born or Made? Online at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2012/11/21/are-leaders-born-or-made/ [Accessed 10 November 2017]
Thompson, T., Purdy, J. & Summers, D. B. (2008) A Five Factor Framework for Coaching Middle Managers. Organization Development Journal, 36 (3): 63-71. Online at EBSCO via the Essex Online Library