Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to be an effective and pro active member of an innovative team.

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement.

Application of the unit 

This unit applies individuals who play a pro active role in demonstrating, encouraging or supporting innovation in a team environment. The individual may be a team participant or a team leader.

The team may 'make itself' or be constructed by others. It may have core members and members who participate at certain times or for particular purposes. It may be permanent or temporary, or come together at different times to work on specific projects.

The team could consist of a team of contractors/freelancers, permanent staff, clients and service providers, or any combination of these groups. It may operate within an organisation or across several organisations - or simply across a group of individuals.

The key focus of the unit is on what makes for an innovative team, what keeps it working well, how the structure of work can make a difference and what skills and knowledge are needed to maximise opportunities for innovation. Where a greater focus on team leadership is required this unit should be combined with units such as BSBLED401A Develop teams and individuals.

Prerequisite units 

Employability skills 

This unit contains employability skills.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Create opportunities to maximise innovation within the team

1.1. Evaluate and reflect on what the team needs and wants to achieve 

1.2. Check out information about current or potential team members' work  in the context of developing a more innovative team

1.3. Bring people into the team or make suggestions for team members based on what needs to be achieved and the potential for cross-fertilising ideas

1.4. Acknowledge, respect and discuss the different ways that different people may contribute  to building or enhancing the team

2. Organise and agree effective ways of working

2.1. Jointly establish ground rules  for how the team will operate

2.2. Agree and communicate responsibilities in ways that encourage and reinforce team -based innovation 

2.3. Agree and share tasks and activities to ensure the best use of skills and abilities within the team

2.4. Plan and schedule activities to allow time for thinking, challenging and collaboration

2.5. Establish personal reward and stimulation as an integral part of the team's way of working

3. Support and guide colleagues

3.1. Model behaviour that supports innovation 

3.2. Seek external stimuli and ideas  to feed into team activities

3.3. Pro-actively share information, knowledge and experiences with other team members

3.4. Challenge and test ideas within the team in a positive and collaborative way

3.5. Pro-actively discuss and explore ideas with other team members on an ongoing basis

4. Reflect on how the team is working

4.1. De-brief and reflect on activities and on opportunities for improvement and innovation

4.2. Gather and use feedback from within and outside the team to generate discussion and debate

4.3. Discuss the challenges of being innovative  in a constructive and open way

4.4. Take ideas for improvement, build them into future activities and communicate key issues to relevant colleagues

4.5. Identify, promote and celebrate successes and examples of successful innovation

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

Required skills 

• communication skills to work collaboratively as part of a team, to provide guidance and support to others, and to participate in open and constructive discussions
• creative thinking skills to generate, explore, test and challenge ideas
• learning skills to stretch boundaries of own knowledge and skills
• literacy skills to analyse a wide range of information from varied sources
• planning and organisational skills to participate in the effective allocation of work in a team context
• problem-solving skills to work constructively to overcome issues and challenges of both a practical and conceptual nature and to make ideas become realities
• self-management skills to take a pro-active team role and to reflect on own performance in modelling and encouraging behaviour that supports innovation.

Required knowledge 

• barriers to innovation that can occur within a team and broader barriers that sometimes hinder innovation
• broad concepts of innovation including what innovation is, different types of innovation and the benefits of innovation
• characteristics of teams that are more likely to be innovative and characteristics of broader environments that support and encourage innovation
• different roles that people may play within a team, how this impacts on the way a team works and what it might achieve
• group dynamics in a team.

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment 

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit 

Evidence of the following is essential:

• active participation in a team where the team takes a pro-active and considered approach to innovation and innovative practice
• collaborative and open communication within the team
• knowledge and understanding of the internal and external factors that contribute to a team becoming and remaining innovative.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Assessment must ensure:

• demonstration of skills as part of a team.

Method of assessment 

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

• direct questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence and third party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate
• direct observation of team interactions
• evaluation of reports by the candidate or the team (could be oral or written) discussing the ideas, challenges and opportunities associated with teams, and how they can be more innovative
• evaluation of feedback from other people in the team about the candidate's communication approaches and abilities
• oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of the characteristics of innovative teams, innovation concepts more broadly and they ways in which innovation can be encouraged
• review of jointly established 'groundrules' for how the team will operate.

Guidance information for assessment 

Innovation does not occur in isolation. Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is highly recommended.

RANGE STATEMENT 

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

What the team needs and wants to achieve  may relate to:

• addressing particular customer feedback
• conceiving and implementing a particular project
• developing new services or products
• generating ongoing ideas within the work unit
• improving budgetary performance
• improving or changing work conditions
• new ideas that impact beyond the workplace (e.g. that have a broader social or community impact)

Information about current or potential team members' work  may relate to:

• interests
• lifestyle preferences
• past jobs
• technical strengths
• work preferences
• working styles

Different ways that different people may contribute  may relate to individual strengths around:

• creating positive energy within the team
• fundamental literacy strengths (e.g. particularly strong in visual literacy, written or spoken communication)
• generating ideas
• networks or spheres of influence
• particular ways of thinking
• powers of persuasion
• problem-solving capacities
• specific technical skills or knowledge

Ground rules  may relate to:

• boundaries or lack of boundaries for team activities and ideas
• confidentiality
• copyright, moral rights or intellectual property
• regularity of communication
• key roles and responsibilities
• time lines
• ways of communicating

Team -based innovation  may be encouraged through:

• accessing training and learning opportunities
• enough but not too much guidance and structure
• equitable sharing of workload
• follow-through with ideas
• supportive communication

Behaviour that supports innovation  may include being:

• collaborative
• equitable
• fair
• fun
• hardworking
• reflective
• responsible
• sympathetic

External stimuli and ideas  might be from:

• Australia or overseas
• colleagues outside of the team
• family and friends
• internet
• journals
• networks or technical experts
• other organisations

Challenges of being innovative  may relate to:

• budgetary or other resource constraints
• competing priorities
• organisational culture
• problems with breaking old patterns of behaviour or thinking
• time pressures

Unit sector 

Competency field 

Creativity and Innovation - Innovation

Co-requisite units