1 Executive Summary.

The Leadership assignment has given the opportunity to review policy of the role of team leader. This report concentrates on two production lines within the Sherburn plant raising the question are there similarities within the site, divisionally and other divisions within the Group. This assignment indicates a more Strategic plan should be considered, reviewing the level of support or currently available to the team leaders and to promote optimum performance from themselves and the followers they lead.

Team leaders seemingly have been selected for their expertise, currently there are few, if any followers emerging as potential team leaders, therefore companies reliance on the pool of people available in previous years if far less certain.

Has the strategy in previous years been successful? Or was there an element of good luck, rather than good management. The company should consider succession planning growing our own staff and managers and leaders in house. This will require investment and training at the grass root level while also allowing further consideration on recruitment policy for new employees entering the company at shop floor level.

As a result of a strategic review, the role of the team leader may emerge over the next few years as more of a coaching and mentoring role, exploiting their knowledge and experience to others in the workplace.

2 Introduction.

The aim of this leadership assignment is to reflect on the current leadership styles of team leaders, focusing specifically on the two Composite panel production lines at the Sherburn facility. The company historically has relied on promotion from within when it has needed to fill team leader vacancies. There is concern however in the senior management team that there will not be suitable candidates available in the current cohort should an increase in shifts arise. In recent years, there has been an embargo on employing staff on a permanent basis, instead relying heavily on agency staff.

Until the recent economic downturn the company had enjoyed growth over the last 10 years. However it has still not implemented a clear policy for recruitment to the shop floor from external candidates. This has created advantages for promotion for existing permanent shop floor workers, however a recent high turnover of staff due to transfers and redundancies may now have left a void of suitable personnel.

This assignment will examine the company’s strategy regarding team leaders highlighting current good practice, for example loyalty and experience, whilst also suggesting a strategy to build on their leadership responsibilities. Also specifically looking at their role within the workforce and how this can be developed to enhance the production team.

A production shift consists of 12 operatives inclusive of the team leader. Production increased during 2007, and it was necessary to have seven separate 12 hour shifts in operation. This was based on a permanent workforce of four shifts, whilst the extra personnel were sourced from local agencies. At present the lines are operating with a core workforce of three shifts, but this has recently been augmented to five shifts. Again the balance of the work force has come from utilising a local employment agency. The current lean structure has emerged as a result of internal cost reduction, as well as a transfer of key staff into new company ventures. In 2004 a more strategic move was made to bring the site into the Panels Division, and by the end of 2009 the plant had emerged more streamlined, with all areas of business reporting into the Divisional Operations Director.