Supporting team and individual learning in the workplace:

With the increasing availability of the internet through PCs, Laptops with wireless connectivity, PDAs, mobile phones and even gaming consoles such as Nintendo Wii there is a huge potential to utilise this technology more.

 Simple messages that need to be communicated to large groups would be ideally suited as it will stop the message getting lost in translation as it passed along.  Also, this would help overcome the tyranny of distance for individuals having to travel to either attend or deliver a brief or speech.

 For example, an induction program could be developed for new staff using vodcasts to illustrate and explain the structure of the organisation, reporting lines, NOW charter, KRA, OH&S responsibilities etc.  The list is endless.

 The only downsides that I see are:

• Potential to be very resource hungry.
• Content must be simple and easy to digest as the opportunity for raising questions for clarification is lost
• There is a need to have a means of ensuring that your audience has actually opened the file and acknowledges that it is their responsibility to watch it.

 Supporting the role of team leader:

The use of this technology could prove useful to me as a team leader in both receiving messages from my manager and the executive and also for me to disseminate info to my team.

 It would be useful to receive consistent messages from management to all team leaders rather than the piecemeal approach that is largely adopted.  Also, it will save the message be misconstrued.

 Similarly, all team members can be advised of something at one time regardless of whether they are on leave or in the field.  This also helps in portraying openness and trust in that all team members are then privy to the same information and as a result a better informed and more united team may develop.  As they podcast would form a permanent record it is something that can be revisited if the need arises.

Interview between Richard WHEATLEY (NOW) and Richard HICKS (DECCW), for Cert IV.

2 questions were asked:

1.  How useful is it to be aware of different leadership theories?  Do you believe that you can learn to be a leader or is leadership an attribute you either have or you don’t?

2.  What can frontline managers do to promote team effectiveness in geographically dispersed teams?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.1MB)

Interview between Richard WHEATLEY (Senior Licensing Officer) and Mark SMITH (Compliance Officer) for the purposes of Cert IV assessment Project 3.

Two questions were asked:

1.  In what way is leadership different in Public Sector Organisations?

2.  What can frontline managers do to promote team effectiveness in geographically dispersed teams?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.4MB)