Contribute to Good Working Relationships

Understand how to agree working arrangements

1.1 Identify key roles and tasks in the production process


List all members of your company, and find out through talking to them, what are their roles and responsibilities in the work place. All members of the company will have a job description.

If it helps create a spider diagram to show the structure of the company.


1.2 Outline how to clarify, agree and revise working arrangements in away which promotes good working relationships


According to the literature, the establishment of effective working relationships depends on four key areas: clarifying roles and responsibilities

(e.g. by ensuring parity amongst partners, valuing diversity); securing commitment at all levels

(e.g. by having commitment at senior level, highlighting the benefits); engendering trust and mutual respect (e.g. through sharing skills and expertise, equal resource distribution); and fostering understanding between agencies

(e.g. through joint training and recognition of individual expertise).


Three areas were identified as important in developing effective multi-agency processes: ensuring effective communication and information sharing

(e.g. by having transparent lines of communication, creating opportunities for discussion), developing a shared purpose

(e.g. by agreeing joint aims, conducting a needs analysis) and effective planning and organisation (e.g. by developing shared protocols, having a clearly defined structure).


• It was considered important to secure the necessary resources for multiagency work and this involved securing adequate and sustained funding (e.g. through pooled budgets, written agreements around funding), ensuring continuity of staffing (e.g. by ensuring staff capacity, providing support for staff) and an adequate time allocation (e.g. by having realistic timescales, built in time for planning).


• Effective management and governance was particularly dependent on ensuring effective leadership (e.g. by identifying a key staff member, appointing leaders with specials attributes), although also dependent on effective governance and management arrangements (e.g. by developing appropriate accountability systems and having a transparent decision-making process) and an effective performance management system (e.g. through joint review and evaluation protocols and joint performance indicators).


• Overall, three aspects of good practice emerged throughout the literature as particularly important in that they were each identified as key to addressing a number of critical issues to the success of inter agency practice. These areas of good practice related to providing sufficient time for the development of multi-agency working, the provision of joint training and agreement of joint aims and objectives.

Understand how to communicate effectively with colleagues

2.1 Explain the importance of balancing the needs of tasks and people

Balancing needs of the Task, Team and Individuals

One of the central skills for enabling successful delivery is the ability to keep different perspectives in sight right through the project.

Things will look different when considering the team’s needs as a whole compared to addressing the needs of the specific individuals within the team. Focusing on the task alone, will give a different view again 

Improving team effectiveness

This is a deceptively simple model which helps teams work more effectively. Rollin and Christine Glaser (1992) identified these 5 factors as being key contributors to how well teams performed.

Do you have these in place for your team?

Team mission

The team need to be clear on what they are there to do and why. A strong sense of purpose brings the team together and motivates them to keep focused on the end goal.

Clear roles

The team should understand their own and other team members' roles, and how these link to achieving the team objective. This becomes even more important with teams based remotely and part-time working.

Operating processes

Think of these as 'ground rules' for the team to follow. How are issues going to be highlighted and escalated? How will decisions be made when there are disagreements? Agreeing these upfront, means tricky situations can be handled more smoothly and won't distract the team unnecessarily.

Team inter-personal skills

Encourage team members to talk to each other - share information, communicate openly, respect differences. This all helps to build trust and a better working atmosphere, so they can get on with their work and not be distracted. This applies even more to remote teams - informal communication should be encouraged too and there are plenty of technologies available these days to allow that.

Inter-team relations

With the complex, inter-connected environments that we work in, it's important for teams to be aware that what they deliver impacts other teams and vice versa. Regular communication flows between teams, help to keep up with changing situations and ensure the right thing is being delivered.

2.2 Explain the importance of sharing information with colleagues

It is important to share information and knowledge with your colleagues so that everyone is on the same page as to what is going on. If information is not shared, then some members of the company may provide wrong information to customers or others. Methods that can be used to share information include company meetings, conference calls, and confidential emails.

2.3 Identify ways of tactfully requesting others to change working arrangements to
improve own productivity

Clarify roles and contributions within the workplace

1. clarify and agree what you have to do, and who you report to

2. confirm the deadlines and standards you are expected to meet

3. check how to find out about any changes in your tasks within the workplace

4. discuss and agree your tasks and responsibilities in a way which promotes and maintains good working relationships

Work with colleagues to benefit productivity

5. balance the need for personal efficiency with the needs of others and the requirements of your work

6. share information promptly with others who need it

7. treat others courteously and in ways which acknowledge their contribution within the workplace

8. tactfully request others to modify or change working arrangements in order to improve your own productivity

9. explain your reasons and alternative solutions clearly and constructively, when it is impractical to agree to others' requests to change working arrangements

10. find workable solutions for any conflicts and dissatisfaction which reduce personal and team productivity.


2.4 Describe how to explain own decisions clearly and constructively

When you have an idea in a meeting or discussion there are ways of going about it to not look like you are shooing down anyone you are speaking to, again tactfully is the word you need to keep in mind. If you have come with a criticism or a flaw in someone's idea you can communicate it in a way that is better than "NO, YOUR WRONG THAT WONT WORK". You must approach these situations with consideration of who you are speaking to as often they will be someone you are working with on a day to day basis as well as giving clear and concise reasons as it wont work, otherwise you are offering criticism with no basis. Its more of a point of making sure that what you say isn't misinterpreted as you attacking the person directly but merely coming up with an alternative to their proposal. Often i find the best way to ensure that is to say things like "I understand you point, but have have we considered this..." its often a case of ensuring that you are wording yourself correctly and coming up with alternatives rather than creating bad blood by the constant shooting down of others.

2.5 Describe how to resolve conflict situations or dissatisfaction

Everyone hopes they can go through life without conflict, this unfortunately is not how things often pan out. So if the situation arises in the workplace where you find yourself in a conflict situation such as you have forgotten to post something important, or not finished uploading a file somewhere, rather than become insular and take whatever reprimand you will no doubt receive. Give active, helpful solutions of how you can begin to rectify the problem (if at all possible) or if not make sure you are telling the person of the measures and the steps you will implement to your work persona or workload to avoid another confrontation or dissatisfaction in the future.

2.6 Explain the importance of liaison with colleagues to productivity

Working as part of a team is essential in most media jobs, from an animation to a talent agency teams are reliant on each other to grow as a unit as well as individually. Liaising with your colleagues on a project can be a great way of cultivating your skills as well as using the strengths and skills of other professionals around your workplace to collaborate on a piece of work to ensure it is finished. With liaison you can delegate tasks, re negotiate certain parts of projects that could potentially not work as well as having people to bounce ideas for the future with. This as well as being able to learn from other peoples experience and by that method improve your own productivity. This can be done simply such as emailing your colleagues letting them know your thoughts on the project, giving them helpful tips. Holding meetings to see where you would like to go forward as a collective as well building the trust between yourselves that you are in contact with someone who will get back to you and is able to work with you on future productions.


Collaboration is key.

Be able to develop and maintain good working relationships during the production process

3.1 Clarify, agree and revise working arrangements, promoting good working relationships

Successful companies and organizations know that effective communication is essential to their success. Improve communication and you'll raise morale, promote creativity and increase productivity.

3.2 Communicate own decisions clearly and constructively

When it comes to making decisions yourself you must always be able to explain the reasons behind them, for example when asked why you you have taken all the files on a computer and saved them on a hard drive rather than shrugging and saying something like "oh, it will help" consider giving the actual benefits of this exercise "I put the files on there to ensure that if we were to lose this computer to an electrical fault we have a backup, as well as allowing us to transfer files over easier. I hope that is OK" things like this can only help your relationships at the workplace.

3.3 Resolve any conflict situations or dissatisfaction as necessary

Everyone hopes they can go through life without conflict, this unfortunately is not how things often pan out. So if the situation arises in the workplace where you find yourself in a conflict situation such as you have forgotten to post something important, or not finished uploading a file somewhere, rather than become insular and take whatever reprimand you will no doubt receive. Give active, helpful solutions of how you can begin to rectify the problem (if at all possible) or if not make sure you are telling the person of the measures and the steps you will implement to your work persona or workload to avoid another confrontation or dissatisfaction in the future.

3.4 Liaise with appropriate colleagues to ensure effective and productive working

1. What managers can do

Examples of ways in which you can do this by exhibiting good practice in your dealings with staff include:

promoting effective management practices including those covering induction and probationary processes, mentoring, staff review and development (appraisal), informal group and individual consultation, an ‘open-door’ policy on the part of line managers, good communication throughout the institution;

encouraging awareness of stress and its negative impact on staff health and satisfaction, performance and productivity;

ensuring that all staff have role descriptions that clearly set out their duties, responsibilities, reporting lines and accountabilities and are regularly reviewed;

ensuring that staff have access to staff development or training provision to develop skills, backed up by regular appraisals;

giving positive feedback when staff have done well, constructive criticism when things have not gone so well and actively listening to their responses;

letting staff use their skills and experience through practical work schedules, increasing their control at work, involving them in decision-making;

setting work targets and standards that are realistic but include an element of challenge;

being aware of, and managing, change processes impacting on staff, including the effects of computers on their work; during organisational change providing regular updates;

promoting and modelling the behaviours recommended in the University's Dignity at Work Policy; addressing work related conflict, knowing when to refer problems to external agencies;

guarding against and not tolerating bullying, harassment, or other behaviours that can affect health

helping staff balance work and personal/family commitments; helping staff accommodate disabilities;

training and supporting managers in carrying out risk assessments;

developing action plans to control problems identified by the risk assessment process.

2. What staff can do

Examples of ways in which you can do this include:

ensuring you are clear about your role and your manager's expectations;

ensuring you have clear job objectives that are regularly reviewed and monitored;

managing your time effectively;

ensuring there are areas of working life that you have control over;

cultivating a constructive relationship with your manager, addressing work related problems early and discussing any matters, issues or concerns with him/her;

co-operating with colleagues to promote good working relationships and support;

identifying and requesting support required to do your job;

being aware of University policies protecting staff well-being;

knowing how to access objective, confidential support when necessary e.g. Occupational Health, Human Resources, Counselling Service;

reviewing work/home balance regularly, engaging in activities/hobbies outside work and exercising regularly.