You will gain an understanding of the characteristics needed to become an effective leader and the benefits to an organisation of having effective leadership. You will understand the different leadership styles and how the impact that each style has on team members

Teamwork is important in many organisations and the success of an organisation is often reliant on the effectiveness and efficiency of its teams. Teams can be utilised for a range of purposes and will often go through different stages before they are a united group focusing on the same objectives. In this unit you will gain an understanding of the purpose of different teams and the stages of team development

Teams work in different ways and the team leader needs to understand the best ways to support individual team members fairly and consistently through difficult times and periods of change, and how to resolve conflict within the team. Understanding these principles will help those who are planning on entering a team-leading or management role. You will cover the importance of communication in the workplace, including written and verbal methods. You will also learn about the important roles of mentoring and coaching in developing a team. An important part of managing is knowing what motivates the team, and this is explored including the techniques used to motivate

An important element of the management role is to efficiently organise, plan, review and monitor the use of all available resources so that the organisational objectives can be achieved. You will gain an understanding of the importance for an organisation to manage their finances efficiently and the consequences of any mismanagement of financial resources. You will be introduced to the documents and procedures that are used to report and analyse organisational finances and the unit will provide an introduction to budgeting and the process involved in managing a budget.

As a team leader or manager, it is important to not just understand how to minimise risks to your team, but also how to improve the processes in relation to managing risks. You will learn about the health and safety legislation that organisations have to apply. It is the organisation’s responsibility to maintain a healthy and safe working environment and knowing how to do this is vital, but all members of an organisation have roles to play in keeping a workplace safe. You will learn about areas of responsibility for employers and employees

You should be aware of and know the rules, principles and regulations governing employment rights and responsibilities to ensure they understand the importance of how these conditions apply to their working environment. You will be shown and have the opportunity to discuss various employment documentation, such as contracts of employment, payslips, terms and conditions of employment so that they will be able to recognise and understand the importance of each one. This understanding protects both the employee and the employer, ensuring that work practice is undertaken in a mutually respectful and safe environment.