- TEAM.EWC

Preface
LIFT the COMpetence of
European Works Councils
The aim of this manual is to provide a seminar concept for trade unions for further training of European Works Councils (EWCs). The focus of the material is on intercultural
competence, team building and target setting and decision-making processes.
The manual was produced by the LIFT.COM project which is made up from trade unions,
social partner organisations, European Works Councils, and education and research institutes from six countries:
EMCEF (European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation)
IG BCE (Mining, Chemical, Energy Industrial Union)
FCE-CFDT (Fédération Chimie, Energie de la CFDT)
GMB
Kemianliitto
Odborov zväz Chémia SR, Slovak Chemical Workers’ Union
IPA (Involvement and Participation Association)
Bertelsmann Foundation
Degussa European Forum
BP Oil European Works Council
AstraZeneca Euro Consultation Committee
Kemira European Forum
ETUI (European Trade Union Institute)
Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen
EQT (Euregio Qualification and Technology Forum)
We would like to give special thanks to Uta Gröschel and the trainers from FNV-Formaat,
who contributed with their expertise towards developing the seminar material.
We would also like to thank ETUCO, the European trade union academy for their material on European Works Council training which has been integrated into some of the
modules of this manual.
The project was funded by the LEONARDO da VINCI programme of the European Commission.
This manual is available in English, German and French, and is distributed by EMCEF.
Please contact: http://www.emcef.org.
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2
Introduction
Background of the LIFT.COM project
Effective co-operation within EWCs is still a difficult task. Despite the progress since the
early nineties, experience shows that training and trade union support are vital ingredients for a successful EWC.
Knowledge about the EWC directive alone is not enough to enable the members of
EWCs to work together as a jointly acting body. They need to develop their intercultural
and social competencies to be able to define and carry through goals and aims for the
EWC.
The task for trade unions is to provide innovative education material to foster effective
co-operation in EWCs and thus support them in becoming effective transnational bodies
of worker representation.
Focus
This manual focuses on strengthening the social competencies of EWCs to enable them
to make better use of their capabilities.
This material centres on three key issues:
1.
2.
3.
Enhancing intercultural competence
Team building
Target setting and decision-making processes
Who is this manual for?
This manual has been written primarily for trade union officers advising and supporting
EWCs, and those responsible for training, especially with a transnational focus. It offers
a wide range of exercises and presentations to address the three key issues.
The material is presented in individual modules which can be used as a 5-day seminar or
individually as 2 hour sessions. Trainers can choose modules from all three topics or only
from one.
Although the contents are designed for training members in one EWC, parts of the manual are also useful for courses with participants from different EWCs, as are often run
by trade unions at national level.
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Content
Chapters 1 and 2 set out the methodological approach and the seminar concept, including examples of how a seminar could be put together.
Chapter 3 includes warm-up exercises and presentations for EWC members to analyse
their current circumstances.
Chapters 4-6 address the three main topics of intercultural communication, team building, and target setting and decision-making processes. Each chapter is organised in the
same fashion. First of all it sets out our approach to the subject, drawing on our experience from the pilot seminars. After this introduction the exercises and presentations are
set out, complete with trainer’s notes.
Chapter 7 includes a checklist to help trainers to prepare and organise an EWC seminar.
It also contains an evaluation sheet, to analyse seminars, with a view to further training.
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Content
Preface _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1
Introduction _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3
Content Page _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4
1. Methodological approach _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 7
1.1 What is specific about EWCs as a learning environment
1.2 Our approach to EWC training
2. Seminar concept _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 13
2.1 Content
2.2 Planning a seminar
2.3 Draft programme for 5-day and 1 1/2-day seminar
3. Assessing where the European Works Council (EWC) stands _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 23
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Trainer’s notes for exercises and presentations
3.3 List of literature
3.4 Exercises and presentations *
4. Enhancing intercultural competence _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 31
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Trainer’s notes for exercises and presentations
4.3 List of literature
4.4 Exercises and presentations *
5. Team building _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 41
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Trainer’s notes for exercises and presentations
5.3 List of literature
5.4 Exercises and presentations *
6. Target setting and decision-making processes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 49
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Trainer’s notes for exercises and presentations
6.3 List of literature
6.4 Exercises and presentations *
7. Preparation and evaluation _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 61
7.1 Checklist for preparing a seminar
7.2 Course evaluation and feedback
* These items are only available on the CD.
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6
Chapter 1
Methodological approach
This section sets out our methodological approach to the training of EWCs.
1.1 What is specific about EWCs as
a learning environment?
Communication barriers
The greatest difficulties which EWC members face is to overcome the communication barriers between each other. Communication in a transnational
body is a complex process. It encompasses not only language competence,
but also understanding social forms of interaction, people’s personal and
country specific background, and knowledge about the remit and workings
of the EWC.
Although most EWCs work with simultaneous interpretation during meetings, with sometimes over ten different languages present, once the EWC
members take their headphones off they are often unable to communicate
with each other at all. Further barriers between EWC members are the geographical distance and the limited opportunities to see each other over the
year.
Therefore one of the most important aims of any training activity is to stimulate and facilitate communication in the EWC. Both with regard to better
communication during meetings and to stimulate ongoing communication
between meetings.
Focus on practice
In general EWCs members expect training to improve the effectiveness of the
EWC. What goals should they set themselves and what strategies should they
use. A second issue is to develop co-operation between each other, including
the improvement of intercultural skills - a necessary prerequisite for a more
effective EWC.
Our emphasis for EWC training is to facilitate practical experience related to
knowledge input from the trainer. This is to say that often EWCs lack knowledge about for example rights of employee representatives in their respective countries, which can be addressed through presentations by the trainer.
The main point, however, is then how this knowledge can be translated into
actually improving the co-operation within the EWC. The main aim of a semi-
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Chapter 1
nar should be to enable this process, relating knowledge to practical experience, supporting the EWC in defining goals and strategies to improve the
effectiveness of the EWC.
Intercultural context
An EWC is by definition transnational, comprising different nationalities and
languages among its members. The background of EWC members can vary
greatly regarding formal education, experience with training, linguistic knowledge, and culturally shaped norms and values. Intercultural competence
and communication are therefore essential to the work in the EWC. How
does one communicate? What is each member’s experience as employee representative in their country and particular company?
The aim of a seminar should be to develop receptivity and sensitivity to crosscultural differences amongst EWC members. Becoming aware of why people
behave the way they do and also of how one’s own behaviour is perceived
by others can reduce frustrations and improve communication in the EWC.
1.2 Our approach to EWC training
Facilitating communication between
EWC members
The common denominator of all the methods used in the seminars is that
they should encourage and facilitate communication between EWC members.
While the seminar modules provide knowledge input they should primarily
be seen as a starting point to which people can relate their diverse experiences. Subsequently, discussions and exchange of experience among EWC
members have to be made possible so that they can build up trust with each
other and learn from each other.
Developing the EWC
The seminar concept is designed to make people aware of their own knowledge. The participants provide a huge wealth of knowledge and experience
from their daily work as workers representatives. The seminar should there-
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Chapter 1
fore aim to mobilise the intrinsic knowledge of the participants by encouraging the exchange of ideas and experiences as employee representatives in
order to formulate common goals and strategies for the EWC.
For that reason the methods are learner-oriented, explicitly including the experiences of the participants. The methods should also activate the participants and facilitate group experiences. Finally, they should be goal-oriented,
leading to concrete results, i.e. defining the next steps to be taken for the
EWC.
What these steps are going to be depends on the specific circumstances of
each EWC. As there is no one ‘best-practice’ model, each EWC has to define
its own way forward, taking into account the interests, ideas and resources
of it members and their respective trade union organisations.
Facilitating different learning experiences
Our approach is to use a wide variety of methods to accommodate the different backgrounds and expectations that each participant brings to the
seminar and facilitate a range of learning experiences.
People have different preferences for how they learn best. For some this
might be through listening while for others it might be through discussions
or experiencing a situation.
The methods used in the seminar include:
Work in small groups
Interactive co-operative exercises
Presentations by the trainer
Plenary discussions
Questionnaires to be answered individually
Where possible methods are used, such as drawing, acting, co-operative
exercises etc., that do only partly rely on verbal communication. The advantage is that language barriers can be minimised and that participants can
experience that in some situations communication is possible even without
interpreters.
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Chapter 1
Learning process
Since each individual and group starts from a different level of knowledge
and experience one cannot define a set learning path. It is the trainer who
has to adapt the seminar to the needs of the participants.
There are, however, certain learning processes to participants as general guidelines:
To become aware and acknowledge other people’s points of view and
experiences
To motivate people
To make EWC members realise that the EWC does not only depend on the
actions of others, e.g. management, but that it can also become proactive in its own right by defining its targets and effective working structures
To foster the development of an EU perspective
To build solidarity amongst EWC members
Role of the trainer
The trainer’s role requires a range of abilities, including observing, presenting, moderating and coaching.
Most important of all, the trainer has to be flexible. Each EWC is different.
People have different expectations and backgrounds. Exercises that have
worked in one EWC might not work in another. Unforeseen group dynamics
might occur which require immediate attention and a subsequent change of
the seminar programme. Thus, flexibility is one of the key qualities of a trainer.
As has been outlined before one of the main aims of the trainer is to facilitate communication amongst the EWC. This means asking questions and
gauging the opinions of the EWC members as well as structuring the discussion of the EWC by acting as a moderator.
The trainer should also act as a coach. Giving advice on what has worked in
other EWCs and how, and giving feedback to the group regarding their own
ideas for developing the EWC.
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Chapter 1
Good observing and listening qualities are also required of a trainer when
working with a transnational group. Some participants may find methods
other than straight forward presentations by the trainer unusual.
The trainer should therefore take time to explain each exercise in detail, making sure that although it might be unfamiliar to some, everyone has understood the process. Trainers should use straight forward language. They should
avoid using colloquial language or expressions which might be difficult to
translate into other languages.
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Chapter 1
12
Chapter 2
Seminar concept
This section sets out the main components of the seminar concept and some
practical advice for planning a seminar. Two examples for a 5-day programme and for a 1 1/2-day programme are included as guidance. However, there
is no set seminar programme and exercises can be tailored to fit each individual group.
The seminar concept is directed towards training the members of one EWCs
as a whole, or at least to train the select committee. However, individual
parts of the programme can also be used for other transnational groups or
in trade union courses for members from different EWCs.
The modules of the seminar concept are:
Enhancing intercultural competence
Team building
Target setting and decision-making processes
2.1 Content
The seminar programme includes the following elements:
1. Assessing the situation of the EWC and problem analysis
Joint reflection of participants. Where does the EWC stand, what has
been achieved since its establishment, what are the difficulties?
2. Joint definition of tasks and objectives for the EWC
Presentation of ‘best-practice’ examples from other EWCs
What are the tasks and issues for worker representatives at the national
/local level which should be handled by the EWC?
What possibilities are there for joint action?
3. Learning from each other: Intercultural communication
in the EWC
Overview of systems of interest representation in the EU
Effects of national labour relations on the EWC work
What is my idea of commitment, relationship with the employer,
relationship of workers among each other etc.?
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Chapter 2
4. Team development
What are the prerequisites for a good team?
Interactive exercises on team development
5. Development of a work plan
What objectives do the members of the EWC set for themselves short term, mid term, long term? Check resources and identification of
responsibilities
2.2 Planning a seminar
It is important that the trainer knows as much about the EWC as possible
before the seminar.
With members of the EWC, typically the select committee, the trainer should
draw up a profile of the EWC on issues such as where do they stand and
what competencies do they want to improve?
Such a profile forms the basis for designing a suitable seminar concept. For
a detailed list of questions, see chapter 7 preparation and evaluation.
Once again flexibility has to be stressed. Between the preparation and actual
execution of the seminar conditions might change, e.g. parts of the company
might have been sold. It could also be that important issues such as conflicts
within the EWC were not discussed during preparation but flare up during
the seminar and need to be addressed then.
Working with transnational groups is more demanding than with people
who share the same language. Language competence is an important factor
to be considered when planning a seminar programme. If people can communicate more or less without interpreters, the explaining of exercises will be
faster and group work usually easier. If there are many languages present the
trainer has to take into account that exercises and especially group work will
take longer and the ambitions for group work should not be too high.
The trainer’s notes set out a timeframe for each exercise and presentation.
These are approximate,timings based on experiences made in a seminars
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Chapter 2
with fifteen people. The aim is to provide a rough orientation for trainers,
keeping in mind that how long the length of time an exercise will take depends on many factors: language competence, and how well people know
each other already. It also depends on whether a crucial issue for the EWC is
discussed, how motivated or tired people might be etc. For the trainer it is
important for the trainer to be flexible. However, a few general rules apply:
Usually exercises tend to take longer than scheduled, especially if they
include group work phases and plenary discussions.
If you are working with metaplan cards, asking participants to name their
most important points, the trainer should be careful to limit the number
of cards to one per participant. Otherwise an exercise can get too long.
For example, when asking a group of fifteen participants to write down
individually what the most important issue is for them as employee representatives at national level the trainer should calculate 5 min. per person
to state and explain what they have written down. This means that with
one issue per person it will take approx. 75 min for people to explain their
point of view.
Some exercises, like ‘Comparing Industrial Relations’ often requires whispering translation (unless you have several rooms with interpreters’ booths) in
the different small working groups. This does not only require the active cooperation of the interpreters but also careful planning of the groups’ composition.
The trainer should keep an eye on group dynamics. Some people may find it
hard to sit down and listen to the trainer or to each other for too long,
because they might be more used to doing manual work and not used to
working in a seminar context.
It is useful to regularly vary methods used, e.g. small group work, discussion
with the whole group, exercises etc. A variety of methods can relieve the trainer and the group, particularly during a 5-day seminar.
If you are planning a 5-day seminar, the afternoon of the third day tends to
be the low point in terms of energy level of the participants. It is therefore
best to either finish a little earlier or to do something active, such as the tower building exercise.
If you are planning a 3 to 5-day seminar, the team building process also takes
place when people spend time together. To enhance this potential it is use-
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Chapter 2
ful that people have the opportunity to interact in social situations away
from the classroom. The participants of the four pilot-seminars, which took
place as part of the LIFT.COM project, have benefited greatly from joint social activities, such as cooking together or bowling, giving them the opportunity to see people’s other interests and qualities.
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Chapter 2
2.3 Draft programme for 5-day and
1 1/2-day seminar
Draft programme for 5-day seminar
Sunday
Arrival of the participants
Monday
Assessing where the EWC stands
Morning, 9.00 a.m.
Introduction to the training programme
Expectations of the participants
Starting exercise: How has the EWC developed?
10.30 - 11.00 a.m.
Coffee break
11.00 a.m.
Starting exercise: Smiling/sad faces questionnaire
12.30 - 2.00 p.m.
Lunch
Afternoon, 2.00 p.m.
Presentation by management representative: The significance of the
EWC from a management point of view
3.30 - 4.00 p.m.
Coffee break
4.00 p.m.
Presentation: EWC ‘best-practice’
5.00 - 5.30 p.m.
Conclusions of the first day, input for the work plan
7.00 p.m.
Dinner
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Chapter 2
Tuesday
Working cultures in the EWC
Morning, 9.00 a.m.
Work sheet exercise: What are the issues at national/local level, what are
the issues for the EWC?
10.30 - 11.00 a.m.
Coffee break
11.00 a.m.
Exercise: Iceberg model
11.30 a.m.
Presentation: Intercultural communication
12.30 - 2.00 p.m.
Lunch
Afternoon, 2.00 p.m.
Exercise: Working cultures in the EWC
3.30 - 4.00 p.m.
Coffee break
4.00 - 4.30 p.m.
Conclusions of the second day, input for the work plan
6.00 p.m.
Dinner
7.30 p.m.
Joint experience: Outdoor activity
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Chapter 2
Wednesday
Industrial relations systems
Morning; 9.00 a.m.
Presentation: Employee representation structures in Europe
10.00 - 10.30 a.m.
Coffee break
10.30 a.m.
Exercise: Comparing Industrial Relations
12.30 - 2.00 p.m.
Lunch
Afternoon, 2.00 p.m.
Exercise: Tower building
3.30 - 4.00 p.m.
Coffee break
4.00 - 4.30 p.m.
Presentation of prizes for tower building
Conclusions of the third day, input for the work plan
7.00 p.m.
Dinner
Thursday
Working together in the EWC
9.00 a.m.
Presentation: Team development
9.30 a.m.
Exercise: Checklist (group work)
11.00 - 11.30 a.m.
Coffee break
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Chapter 2
11.30 a.m.
Exercise: Checklist (reporting back and discussion)
12.30 - 2.00 p.m.
Lunch
2.00 p.m.
Presentation: Decision-making
2.30 p.m.
Simulation exercise (group work)
3.15 - 3.45 p.m.
Coffee break
3. 45 p.m.
Simulation exercise (reporting back and role play)
5.00 - 5.30 p.m.
Conclusions of the fourth day, input for the work plan
7.00 p.m.
Dinner
Friday
Work plan and evaluation
9.00 a.m.
Finalise work plan
Discussion and decisions on implementation of work plan
10.30 - 11.00 a.m.
Coffee break
12.00 p.m.
What actions will follow, in the short, medium and long term?
12.30 p.m.
Seminar evaluation and discussion of future training needs
Lunch and departure of the participants
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Chapter 2
Draft programme for 1 1/2-day seminar on intercultural communication
Arrival of the participants
1st day
Morning, 9.00 a.m.
Introduction to the training programme
Expectations of the participants
Starting exercise: Smiling/sad faces questionnaire
10.45 - 11.15 a.m.
Coffee break
11.15 a.m.
Work sheet exercise: What are the issues at national/local level, what are
the issues for the EWC?
12.30 - 2.00 p.m.
Lunch
Afternoon, 2.00 p.m.
Presentation: Employee representation structures in Europe
3.00 - 3.30 p.m.
Coffee break
3.30 - 5.00 p.m.
Exercise: Comparing Industrial Relations
7.00 p.m.
Dinner
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Chapter 2
2nd Day
Morning, 9.00 a.m.
Presentation: Intercultural communication
9.45 - 10.15 a.m.
Coffee break
10.15 a.m.
Exercise: Working cultures in the EWC
11.45 - 12.00 p.m.
Coffee break
12.00 p.m.
Exercise: Checklist
13.00 p.m.
Lunch and departure
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Chapter 3
Assessing where the EWC stands
3.1 Introduction
Things to consider at the beginning of an
EWC training course
At the beginning of a training course it is important to make people feel
comfortable. This applies equally to the participants and the trainer. People
might feel apprehensive if they do not know each other well or if they do not
have much experience with training seminars.
Participants of a seminar might be uncertain of what is expected of them.
What are they supposed to know about EWC work and what are they expected to contribute? What are the rules and norms for interaction? How formal will it be or how informally should they behave? Will they fit in? These
difficulties are often even greater for new EWC members or those who depend primarily on interpreters to communicate with others.
For the trainer it is important to get an impression of how the members see
their EWC and contrast their views with her/his own impression. What are
the issues the EWC members regard as important? How do they evaluate
their own work - does their own impression of their EWC work appear realistic?
Some EWCs might only see difficulties while their internal working structures
are operating quite well. Other EWCs might think that their working practices are functioning well because they all get on with each other socially,
while at the same time talking about the same agenda items over and over
again without any tangible results.
How to start off an EWC training course
1) Facilitating communication and reflection on the work
of the EWC
The start of a seminar sets the tone and atmosphere for what is to come. For
the trainer it is much easier to influence the tone of a seminar at the beginning than half-way through. Our approach to EWC seminars is that it is important to get people involved. Therefore the trainer should make people
realise that their views and opinions are being asked and valued, because it
is the EWC members themselves who primarily influence the working of the
EWC. The starting exercises are therefore all about supporting EWC members
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Chapter 3
to analyse the work of their own EWC. The exercises are aimed to make participants aware that the seminar is not just about sitting down and listening
to presentations but that their knowledge and views are important and will
form the basis for improving the EWC!
Another aim of the start up exercises is to create a level-playing field of information amongst EWC members. While the level of experience in the EWC
will undoubtedly vary, a level-playing field of information ensures that everybody knows the views of the other members about the EWC. This is particularly important if the group does not know each other well.
2) Identifying key issues for the EWC
Having analysed where the EWC stands it is important to identify key issues.
What are EWC members dissatisfied with? Is there a common problem which
affects a number or all of the company’s sites? Which issues do they want to
work on?
Often at this stage a clarification is needed regarding what is a national/local
issue and what is relevant to be addressed at the level of the EWC. The most
pressing issues for EWC members are usually at the plant/s in their home
countries. However, not all of these issues are useful to address at the EWC.
The trainer’s role is to help the EWC identify issues they want to take up at
the EWC level.
3) Thinking about possibilities
In our opinion one of the tasks of the trainer is to help the EWC to define
aims and goals. In order to do this it is helpful to give the participants ‘bestpractice’ examples of what other EWCs are doing. Members of a particular
EWC often have little knowledge of the practice of other EWCs. Even though
‘best-practice’ is dependent on a lot of factors, such as company structure
etc., seeing how others approach certain problems might help the EWC to
find their own solution.
The aim of the trainer should be to show the variety of practices and to inspire the EWC to develop its own ideas and practice, rather then suggesting
that there are ready tailor made solutions. Giving examples of ‘best-practice’
could also mean making participants aware of their own good practice and
thus strengthen the collective confidence of the EWC. Too often EWCs focus
on problems rather than looking at the areas that are working well.
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Chapter 3
3.2 Trainer’s notes for exercises and presentations
1)
Starting exercise: Where do I come from?
Aim:
To get people started.
To get participants to know each other.
To set a friendly tone for the seminar.
Content:
Each participant tells the others something
about their home town, e.g. what their town
is famous for.
Method:
The trainer puts a map up on a screen
and invites participants to come to the
front.
The trainer should do it first to make
people feel safe and comfortable
about what is expected of them.
Subsequently the seminar participants
are asked to go to the front to show their
town on the map and tell the others what it is famous for.
Instructions for the trainer:
This exercise is best suited to a smaller group of less than 20 people, otherwise it can take
too long.
Timeframe:
Approx. 5 min. per person.
Material & organisation:
Laptop, projector, maps from the countries where the EWC members are from as pc-file.
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Chapter 3
2)
Starting exercise: How has the EWC
developed?
Aim:
To arrive at a starting point for discussion
about the EWC.
To get people involved. To make the participants realise that the seminar is not just about
sitting down and listening to presentations
but that they are asked to express their own
opinions and views.
The trainer gets an overview of how people
feel about the EWC and how they evaluate
its work and usefulness.
Each person gets an impression of what
other EWC members think about the EWC.
This is particularly important if the group does
not know each other well.
Content:
The trainer draws a graph on the metaplan
board. Horizontally is the timeline and vertically the approval line. The year when the EWC
was set up and the current year are marked on the timeline. People are than given two
stickers and asked to put them on the graph. How did they feel about the EWC in the year
it was set up and how do they rate the work of the EWC now.
Method:
Evaluation with stickers, individually, followed by a discussion.
A variation would be to give people three stickers, with the third sticker marking the
point in time that was the most important point for them.
Instructions for the trainer:
The trainer should make clear that the aim of the exercise is getting an overview of the main
issues not to have detailed discussions or to attempt to solve any problems straightaway.
Timeframe:
Approx. 45 min., depending on the size and enthusiasm of the group.
Material & organisation:
Metaplan board, markers, two or three stickers per person.
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Chapter 3
3)
Starting exercise: Smiling/sad faces
questionnaire (Source: ETUCO)
Aim:
To get a starting point for discussion
about the EWC.
To get people involved. To make the participants realise that the seminar is not
just about sitting down and listening to
presentations but that they are asked to
express their own opinions and views.
Each person gets an impression of what
other EWC members think about the
EWC. This is particularly important if the
group does not know each other well.
The trainer gets an overview of how
people feel about the EWC and how
they evaluate its work and usefulness.
The trainer gets an overview of the
mood and history of the EWC.
The trainer can identify important issues
for the EWC:
What should be improved and how?
What is the relationship with management?
Content:
Pictogramm-questionnaire asking participants
whether they are happy/neutral/unhappy with
certain aspects of the EWC during formal meetings and between formal meeting.
Method:
Pictogramm-questionnaire to be answered individually by each participant. Afterwards the
trainer marks the number of responses on a transparency offers a short analysis of results and
asks for brief comments.
Instructions for the trainer:
The trainer should make it clear that the aim of the exercise is to get an overview of
issues, not to discuss issues in detail or solve them there and then. The trainer should
therefore let the discussion run until she/he has got a sufficient overview of issues that
matter to the EWC members.
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Chapter 3
The trainer should make a list of important issues on a flipchart, to be
taken up later on.
Explain all questions carefully so that people can take notes of what they
are being asked, as people might interpret the pictures differently.
New members, who have not yet participated in a full EWC meeting are
asked to give their impressions based on reports from their predecessors. If there are no predecessors, they cannot participate but will get
an impression of the opinion of the other EWC members.
Variation:
This exercise could be the start of formulating a work plan for the EWC, see
chapter 6, exercise 6. The trainer should pick out important issues and write
them down on flip-chart. Clearly stating that these issues will be picked up
later on.
Timeframe:
1 - 1 1/2 h.
Material & organisation:
Projector, transparency of questionnaire, marker, handouts of the questionnaire, flip-chart.
28
Chapter 3
4)
PPT-presentation:
EWC ‘best-practice’
Aim:
To show the variety of EWC practices.
To inspire the EWC to develop its own ideas and practice.
To give the EWC members specific back ground of what other EWCs are
doing, so that they can relate to practical experiences.
To boost the confidence of the participants by making them aware that
they might already be carrying out ‘best-practice’.
Content:
What is meant by ‘best-practice’.
Concrete examples of successful EWC work.
Method:
Power point presentation and discussion.
Instructions for the trainer:
The presentation should include some of the trainer’s own experiences
of ‘best-practice’ to be convincing.
This presentation requires that the trainer has a lot of experience of
EWCs.
‘Best-practice’ examples, which are especially relevant to this particular
EWC, could be explained in more detail.
Timeframe:
Presentation about 45 min., plus discussion.
Material & organisation:
Laptop, projector, handouts of presentation.
29
Chapter 3
3.3 List of literature
Gohde, H. (1995) ‘Training European Works Councils’ Transfer 1(2): 258-272
Hancké, B. (2000) European Works Councils and Industrial Restructuring in the European Motor Industry,
European Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 6, No.1, pp.35-59
Harazim, H. (1999) ‚Qualifizierungsbedarf der Mitglieder von Europäischen Betriebsräten‘, Arbeitsrecht im
Betrieb 9: 500-505
Helbig, M. (1998) Ausgestaltung und Handlungsfähigkeit des Europäischen Betriebsrates – das Beispiel
Volkswagen, Bochum: InWIS Discussion Paper No. D1
Knudsen, H. and Bruun, N. (1998) ‚European Works Councils in the Nordic Countries‘, European Journal
of Industrial Relations 4(2): 131-155
Lamers, J. (1998) The Added Value of European Works Councils. AWVN, Haarlem
Lecher, W. (1999) ‚Resources of the European Works Council‘, Transfer 5(3): 278-301.
Lecher, W., Nagel, B. and Platzer, H.-W. (1998) Die Konstituierung Europäischer Betriebsräte – vom
Informationsforum zum Akteur? Eine Vergleichende Studie von Acht Konzernen in Deutschland,
Frankreich, Großbritannien und Italien. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, Baden-Baden
Lecher, W., Nagel, B. and Platzer, H.-W. (1999) The Establishment of European Works Councils: From information committee to social actor, Ashgate, Aldershot/UK
Lecher, W., Platzer, H.-W., Rüb, S. and Weiner, K.-P. (1999) Europäische Betriebsräte – Perspektiven ihrer
Entwicklung und Vernetzung, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, Baden-Baden
Lorber, P. (1997) ‘The Renault Case: The European Works Councils put to the Test’, The International Journal
of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations 13(3): 135-142
Miller, D. and Stirling, J. (1998) ‘European Works Councils Training: An Opportunity Missed?’, European
Journal of Industrial Relations 4(1): 35-56
Platzer, H.-W. and Rüb, S. (1999) Europäische Betriebsräte: Genese, Formen und Dynamiken ihrer
Entwicklung – Eine Typologie, Industrielle Beziehungen, Vol.6, No.4, pp.393-426
Platzer, H.-W. and Weiner, K.-P. (1998) Europäische Betriebsräte – eine Konstitutionsanalyse. Zur Genese
und Dynamik transnationaler Arbeitsbeziehungen, Industrielle Beziehungen, Vol.5, No.4, pp.388-412
Sloan, R. (1998) European Works Councils – Moving Forward with Employee Consultation. A Guide to
Good Practice, IPA, London
Streeck, W. (1997) Neither European nor Works Councils, Economic and Industrial Democracy, Vol.18,
No.2, pp.325-35
Stoop, S. (1999) ‘Learning to Walk (before Learning to Run?) An Overview and Analysis of Practical
Experiences with European Works Councils’ Paper for the Transnational Labour-Management Dialogue
Project, Labour Law and Labour Relations Branch ILO, SOMO, Amsterdam
Veersma, U. (1999) Last best: Experiences of Dutch European Works Councils, Transfer, Vol.5, No.3,
pp.302-319
Wills, J. (2000) Great Expectations: Three years in the life of a European Works Council, European Journal
of Industrial Relations, Vol. 6, No.1, pp.85-107
30
Chapter 4
Enhancing intercultural competence
4.1 Introduction
The importance of intercultural competence
for EWCs
Effective communication is one of the crucial elements for a successful EWC.
This does not happen automatically in a multi-national group where people
come from different traditions and cultural backgrounds. In a multi-cultural
context, such as an EWC, the problems of communication are not just due
to language barriers but also due to the participants not having a shared understanding of values, aims and the meaning of the EWC work.
An example for a possible misunderstanding due to different cultural backgrounds was highlighted by a discussion in an EWC training seminar: Swedish, Greek and German representatives of an EWC were all agreeing about
the necessity to take a tougher stance vis-á-vis the management in their respective countries.
However, when the Greek representative elaborated that ‘taking action
against the management’ in his country includes locking the management
into the factory until they change their position the Swedish and German
representatives were flabbergasted. As in their countries such an interpretation of the term ‘taking action against the management’ would be considered highly unusual.
To develop effective communication within a group working across cultures,
it is important that people reflect on their own cultural values, are able to reevaluate them from time to time, and tune in to the mind-set of others as
well as enhance their own ability to “see themselves as others see them”.
Our understanding of intercultural competence
Cultural differences between people and groups are historically shaped by
their background of class, age, education, gender and personal experience.
Cultural values are neither static nor exclusively defined by nationality. Enhancing intercultural competence for EWCs should cover two broad aspects:
Firstly, learning about other people’s understanding as employee representative, and thereby getting an overview of the different systems of
interest representation in the countries of the EWC members.
31
Chapter 4
Secondly, learning about differences in the social behaviour and interaction between people in general, which are influenced by historically developed cultural traditions.
Introducing intercultural competence into EWC
training courses
In this handbook the approach to intercultural training for EWCs is pragmatic. Apart from looking at different industrial relations system the focus is on
specific situations which EWC members experience and can relate to. For
example how meetings are organised or how people state their points of
view in discussions.
As an example for different styles of speech: In some countries people are
used to stating their opinions frankly and briefly. Coming directly to their
main point without, what they would consider unnecessary, introductions or
polite phrases.
In other countries, however, this kind of behaviour might be considered too
direct or even rude. Because here the ‘normal’ way of stating your opinion
requires you to first set out the general context of an argument and acknowledge what has been said by previous speakers, before stating your opinion.
Thus often when communications cause conflict, the problems might have
more to do with style or process than with the content of what people are
actually saying.
People can learn to understand different communication styles and appreciate that communicating across cultures requires extra effort and sensitivity.
Good communication requires commitment and concentration.
The overall aim of the module ‘Enhancing intercultural competence’ is to
offer people conceptional tools for analysing and understanding how other
EWC members behave. Making them more sensitive to the cultural background and values of each member in order to overcome unnecessary frustration and irritation in the EWC.
Learning objectives
Open attitudes: To develop receptivity and sensitivity to cross-cultural differences.
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Chapter 4
Self-and Other-awareness: To recognise and reflect on differences and
similarities between Self and Others.
To develop a broad understanding of different industrial relations systems.
To raise awareness about the common and differing points of view in the
EWC and to lay the foundations for a common understanding of key
issues for the EWC.
To develop trust and co-operation in the EWC.
33
Chapter 4
4.2 Trainer’s notes for exercises and presentations
1)
Exercise: Iceberg model
Aim:
To raise awareness of what the concept of culture entails.
Content:
What is culture?
Method:
Open question to participants : What is culture?
In the first step the trainer writes down all
answers on flipchart. In a second step the trainer orders the answers into two categories. Visible and invisible descriptions of culture. E.g.
languages, gestures for visible descriptions of
culture, and e.g. understanding of time for invisible descriptions of culture.
Instructions for the trainer:
Keep the question as open as possible. The aim
is not to judge, every answer is correct. After
step two the trainer should refer back to the iceberg model. It should have become clear that
culture is a broad concept, with some of its
expression visible and others invisible.
Timeframe:
approx. 30 min.
Material & organisation:
Laptop, projector, flipchart, handout of iceberg image for all participants.
34
Chapter 4
2)
PPT-presentation:
Intercultural communication
Aim:
To raise awareness of what the concept of culture entails.
To set out concepts for understandingintercultural differences.
To avoid people being irritated by certain possible behaviour of other EWC members.
To improve co-operation in the EWC.
Content:
Values.
Determination of values.
Cornerstones of values systems.
Direct and indirect speech.
Intercultural disruption.
Rules.
Method:
Power Point Presentation and discussion.
Timeframe:
Approx. 45 min., plus discussion.
Material & organisation:
Projector, laptop, handouts of presentation.
35
Chapter 4
3)
Exercise: Working cultures in the EWC
Aim:
To raise awareness about the common and differing view points in the EWC.
Reality check for the participants; are the view points expressed congruent with the working practice of the EWC?
To create a common understanding of key issues for the EWC. In the sense that people
are aware of each others opinions.
To identify communication problems. E.g. where people use different terms but mean
the same thing or vice versa where people use the same term but mean different
things.
To identify problem areas in the work of the EWC and start discussion about improvement.
Content:
Questions on:
Rules.
If we agree upon something in the EWC what should it mean.
The relationship between employee representatives and senior management.
Employee-management relations in the company.
Solidarity amongst employee representatives.
Conflicts.
The role of the chairperson of the EWC select committee.
Personal relations or professional commitment.
Participation in pre-meetings.
EWC select committee as a group.
Democracy and efficiency in meetings.
Method:
Questionnaire to be answered individually.
Trainer collects answers in a grid on flipchart.
After each question the trainer gives a short analysis and asks for comments, e.g. why people chose a particular answer.
Instructions for the trainer:
It is important to ask participants for comments. They might have misunderstood the
question, or to them it may mean different things although they have ticked the same
answer. Only by explaining their choice of answer does it become clear to the other
members what they mean and why.
36
Chapter 4
Language! It is essential for this exercise, that each participant exactly understands the
content of the questionnaire. The questionnaire is available in en/f/d/it/es. If you have
participants who speak other languages the questionnaire needs to be translated in
advance.
Alternatively, participants who are fluent in one of the five languages can work with the help
of an interpreter.
Timeframe:
Approx. 1 1/2 h.
Material & organisation:
Projector, laptop, handouts of questionnaire, flipchart.
37
Chapter 4
4)
PPT-presentation:
Worker representation
(Source: ETUCO)
Aim:
To give a broad overview of Industrial relations systems in Europe, with a focus on interest representation at the company level, concerning issues relevant to the EWC.
Preparation for the following exercise ‘Comparing Industrial Relations’.
Content:
Slides on the following points for all EU-countries:
Workplace employee representation body.
Employee representation at board level.
Are there Central Works Councils?
Legal basis of rights of employee representatives.
Systems of trade union organisation.
Levels of union membership.
At which level does collective bargaining takes place predominantly?
Incidence of strikes.
Method:
Power Point Presentation and discussion.
Instructions for the trainer:
Participants should take notes if they want. Possibly include written information from ETUCO.
The disadvantage is that the ETUCO information is only available in d/e/f/it/sp. Furthermore
the information about the industrial relations systems in the EU countries is in another format than the slides and is not quite the same.
Timeframe:
Approx. 1 h.
Material & organisation:
Projector, laptop, handouts for participants.
38
Chapter 4
5)
Exercise: Comparing IR
(Source: ETUCO)
Aim:
To facilitate a face-to-face exchange of
experiences between EWC members.
To learn about the specific situation of
their colleagues and what it means to be
an employee representative in the respective countries.
To make the participants aware of their
own knowledge.
To deepen the knowledge of Industrial
relations systems in other countries by
focussing on the actual practice of industrial relations in their company’s sites in
other countries.
Content:
Questions about the rights that EWC members have as employee representatives in their
plant about:
Term of office.
Legal basis of rights.
Ratio of employees per employee
representatives.
Redundancy protection.
Resources available.
Presence of employee representatives at board level.
Is there a Central Works Council?
Are employee representatives always trade union members?
Are there health & safety committees?
Method:
Group work.
Based on a questionnaire about the rights and duties of employee representatives, the
EWC members explain to each other the situation in their company.
After the group work the trainer should initiate a short discussion with everyone about
the points the participants were most surprised about or find the most noticeable.
Instructions for the trainer:
Explain each point of the questionnaire carefully so that people can take notes of what
39
Chapter 4
they are being asked.
Ideally, each group should include people from three different countries. If there are
more they will not be enough time to go through the questionnaire.
Important: This exercise requires the active co-operation of the interpreters, as they need
to sit with the small working groups.
Think about the groups’ composition in advance. It can be tricky if there are many languages as they need to match the interpreters’ range of languages.
Timeframe:
1 h 50 min (15 min explaining exercise, 1 1/4 h group work, 20 min discussion).
Material & Organisation:
Laptop, projector, handout of questionnaire, additional rooms for group work.
4.3 List of literature
Böning, Uwe (2000) ‚Interkulturelle Business Kompetenz’, Interviews mit Geschäftsleuten
Fragebogen/Test zur Interkulturellen Kompetenz, Frankfurt
Commer / v. Thadden (1998) ‘Manager Knigge 2000’, Düsseldorf/München
Gesteland, Richard R. (1998) ‘Cross-cultural Business behaviour’, Zürich
(Deutsche Ausgabe (1999) ‘Global Business Behaviour’)
Graf, Hans-Georg (2000) ‘Globale Szenarien - Megatrends im weltweiten Kräftespiel’,
Frankfurt
Hall, E. T. (1976) ‘Beyond culture’, New York, London, Toronto
Hofstede, G. (1991) ‘Cultures and Organizations - Software of the mind’, London
Internet: Countrynet (www.countrynet.com)
Jonach, I. (Hrsg.) (1998) ‘Interkulturelle Kommunikation’, München/Basel
Morgan, John (1996) ‘Debret’s new guide to etiquette & modern manners’, London
Tannen, Deborah (1987) ‚That’s not what I meant’, New York
(Deutsche Ausgabe ‘Du kannst mich einfach nicht verstehen’)
40
Chapter 5
Team building
5.1 Introduction
The importance of team building for EWCs
The background of EWC members is often very heterogeneous, they usually
only meet once or twice a year face-to-face, and the work in the EWC means
extra commitments on top of their normal workload. The EWC will therefore not necessarily be a group of people working together as a team from the
start.
However, an EWC will only be effective if its individual members learn to
work together. For the EWC this means constituting itself as a team, defining
common aims and goals to represent the interests of the company’s workers
in Europe, and develop forms of efficient co-operation.
Our understanding of team building
Team building includes several dimensions and phases. It has a subjective,
interpersonal and a rational, task-oriented dimension. The first refers to how
people feel within the group. Does each member feel that they are being
taken seriously? Do members treat each other with respect and do they feel
free to discuss differences in an open and friendly manner? Team members
need to be able to trust each other. The rational dimension of team building
emphasises the team’s tasks and the practical steps to achieve them. This
includes setting rules for defining goals and devising strategies and work
plans for their implementation.
Team building can also be conceptualised as a process. Each team has the
potential to evolve from early to mature stages, independent of the nature
of the team or the task. These four stages of a team’s development describe
how team members can learn to interact:
1) In the orientation phase members get to know each other cautiously.
2) During the group structuring phase an internal structure is established,
different roles within the team are defined and power is attributed.
3) In the third phase, the constitutional phase, the team begins to determine individual tasks and responsibilities as well as the rules of operation.
41
Chapter 5
4) The productive phase is the payoff for going through the previous phases.
The team has learned how to be a team, has defined its tasks, and
has worked out its internal relationships and can concentrate on the job.
Introducing team building into EWC
training courses
Team building is approached as a comprehensive endeavour in this seminar
concept. The power-point presentations provide seminar participants with
ideas to conceptualise team building. The focus of our approach is, however,
on team building as an experience. Giving EWC members space and time to
interact with one another in ways that go beyond the official meeting scenario. This is achieved through intensive work in small groups, open discussions, but also through role-play and interactive games.
Team building is therefore implicit in all exercises in this manual, not only in
this chapter. Indeed, it is important to make EWC members realise, that they
can benefit most from a seminar through the interaction with each other.
The trainer is a facilitator, whose role it is to make this learning process possible, rather than being the sole ‘giver’ of knowledge.
Learning objectives
To facilitate an understanding of the importance of task-oriented team
building as well as relationship building for the development of efficient
co-operation.
To convey to the EWC members that team building is a challenging task
and impart an appreciation for their development.
To facilitate an understanding of the resources and abilities required to
enhance the team building process of the EWC.
To enable them to understand that members of the EWC may have differing approaches towards team building, e.g. whether they focus more
on a task-orientation rather than on relationship building or vice-versa.
To advance the EWCs team building skills.
42
Chapter 5
5.2 Trainer’s notes for exercises and presentations
1)
Exercise: Tower building
Aim:
To improve team building in the EWC.
To experience teamwork in a different context from the
normal EWC meeting.
To bring out different, creative strengths that people
have.
To make EWC members realise that they can communicate with each other even if they have limited language
skills.
To help participants to relax and get to know each other.
To develop the groups reflective capacity through the role
of observer.
Content:
Construct a tower.
Method:
Group work.
Instructions for the trainer:
Ideally, the groups should have about 4-5 people.
The groups should work without interpreters.
The towers should be judged according to the set criteria
in the hand-outs. For the ‘evaluation’ of the towers the
trainer needs to form a jury.
Timeframe:
Approx. 2 h.
Material & organisation:
Material for tower, see handout.
Additional rooms for group work.
Hand-outs of the work instructions for the participants.
Little presents as prizes enough for all groups.
43
Chapter 5
2)
PPT-presentation: Team development
Aim:
To raise awareness of important concepts of team building.
To facilitate reflection of EWC members on team building in their own EWC.
To improve co-operation in the EWC.
Content:
Four objectives of team building.
Team building phases.
Four steps to becoming a team.
A successful team: Material level and behaviour.
Functions of a team.
What can go wrong.
Good meetings.
Method:
Power point presentation and discussion.
Timeframe:
Approx. 3/4 h.
Material & organisation:
Projector, laptop, handouts of presentation.
44
Chapter 5
3)
PPT-presentation:
Golden rules for team management
Aim:
To focus attention on rules for team management.
To set out concepts for understanding the dynamics of team building.
To improve co-operation in the EWC.
Content:
Prerequisites.
Transparency.
Democratic leadership.
Environment.
Responsibility.
Method:
Power point presentation and discussion.
Timeframe:
Approx. 1/2 h.
Material & organisation:
Projector, laptop, handouts of presentation.
45
Chapter 5
4)
Activity outside the seminar
Aim:
To enable EWC members to meet and interact in a different environment away from
those of official meetings or sitting in the seminar rooms.
To learn about different interests of each other.
To get a broader picture of each other in the EWC.
To facilitate communication in a relaxed environment.
To relax and have fun together.
Content:
This could be any activity e.g. cooking together, bowling etc.
Method:
This should be an activity organised by the EWC. The trainer will take part but the main organisers should be the EWC itself.
Instructions for the trainer:
Which activity is best suited should be discussed with the EWC during the preparation of the
seminar.
Timeframe:
One afternoon or evening.
Material & organisation:
Depends on the activity.
46
Chapter 5
5.3 List of literature
Burke, Warner W. (1982), ‘Team Building’, in Reddy, Brendan W.& Jamison, Kaleel (1988), Team Building,
Blueprints for Productivity Satisfaction, NTL Institute for Applied Behavioural Science, Alexandria
Drexler, Allan B., Sibbet, David & Forrester, Russell H. (1988), ‘The Team Performance Model’, in Reddy,
Brendan W. & Jamison, Kaleel (1988), Team Building, Blueprints for Productivity Satisfaction, NTL Institute
for Applied Behavioural Science, Alexandria
Dyer, William G. (1987), Team Building - Issues and Alternatives, 2nd Edition, Addition Wesley Publishing,
Reading, USA.
Hayes, Nicky (1997), Successful Team Management, International Thomson Business Press, London.
Heintel, Peter (1995), ‘Teamentwicklung’, in Voß, Bärbel (Hrsg) (1995), Kommunikations- und
Verhaltenstrainings, Verlag für Angewandte Psychologie, Göttingen
Katzenbach, Jon R. & Smith, Douglas K. (1993), The Wisdom of Teams - Creating the High Performance
Organisation, Boston
Lumma, Klaus (1994), Die Team-Fibel - oder Das Einmaleins der Team- und Gruppenqualifizierung im sozialen und betrieblichen Bereich. Ein Lehrbuch zum lebendigen Lernen. Windmühle GmbH, Verlag und
Vertrieb von Medien, Hamburg
Makin, Peter, Cooper, Cary & Cox, Charles (1989), Managing People at Work, British Psychological Society,
Leicester
Palmer, Judith D (1988), ‘For the Manager Who Must Build a Team’, in Reddy, Brendan W.& Jamison, Kaleel
(1988), Team Building, Blueprints for Productivity Satisfaction, NTL Institute for Applied Behavioural
Science, Alexandria
Porter, Gayle (1997), ‘Trust in Teams: Member Perceptions and the Added Concern of Cross-Cultural
Interpretations’, in Beyerlein, Michael M, Johnson, Douglas A, Beyerlein, Susan T (eds.), (1997) Advances
in Interdisciplinary Studies of Work Teams. Volume 4. Team Implementation Issues, Jai Presse, Connecticut.
Tjosvold, Dean (1991), ‘Team Organization - An Enduring Competitive Advantage’, John Wiley & Sons,
Chichester.
Weisbord, Marvin R. (1987), ‘Team Work: Building Productive Relationships’, in Reddy, Brendan W.&
Jamison, Kaleel (1988), Team Building, Blueprints for Productivity Satisfaction, NTL Institute for Applied
Behavioural Science, Alexandria
Witt, Matthias, M (1999), Teamentwicklung im Projektmanagement. Konventionelle und erlebnisorientierte Programme im Vergleich. Deutscher Universitätsverlag, Wiesbaden
47
Chapter 5
48
Chapter 6
Target setting and decision-making processes
6.1 Introduction
The importance of effective working for EWCs
At a basic level the prerequisite of effective working together is to have defined goals and a strategy of how to achieve them. This clearly applies to the
work of the EWC. While implementing effective working structures is not an
easy task at any time, members of EWCs face particular challenges. In addition to the difficulties arising from working in a transnational team mentioned
in chapter 4) EWC have the following challenges to deal with.
Firstly, there is often uncertainty about what the EWC can do. What should
be the role of the EWC in the company? What topics should be dealt with at
EWC level and which should be dealt with at national or local level? This can
lead to inertia, with EWC members stating their national or local concerns
over and again at each meeting without coming together and deciding common issues to be worked on in the EWC.
This uncertainty about the remit of the EWC is often exacerbated by an uncertainty about what to expect from each other as EWC members. What do the
other members want to achieve in the EWC? Will they only look after the
interests of ‘their’ own plant/s? How much time and effort will they put in?
Can I trust what they say?
Secondly, there is the problem of resources. Meeting once a year in the
EWC, with some representatives possibly not having access to communication technologies such as eMail, or not being able to visit all the company’s
sites in their country does not facilitate constructive and ongoing work in the
EWC.
Thirdly, a lack of continuity amongst representatives can make it difficult to
develop and pursue longer-term goals in the EWC.
Our understanding of target setting and
decision-making processes
Effective working for EWCs requires first of all a structured approach for defining aims and developing a strategy to achieve them. Communication and
understanding is also a prerequisite for only on the basis of mutual trust and
respect are members likely to commit themselves to participating in the EWC.
49
Chapter 6
A structured approach for improving work organisation includes the following phases.
Firstly, there is the phase of problem analysis. In an EWC this should include
a detailed analysis of the situation in each country as well as those of the
company overall.
Secondly, participants need to discuss which issues should be taken up at the
level of the EWC and subsequently prioritise these issues and decide which
ones to pursue.
Thirdly, they need to develop a work plan, stating who is responsible for
doing what, when and how. Such a work plan should be realistic with regard
to the resources available.
Fourthly, criteria for assessing and evaluating the results should be defined,
to guarantee a transparent process and to allow for a possible revision of
both goals and strategy after a period of time.
Introducing target setting and decision-making
processes into EWC training courses
Our approach to improve how the working of the EWC is organised is by guiding the EWC members through the different phases set out above. In that
process one of the main tools is that of moderated discussions amongst EWC
members, with the trainer as moderator.
The decision of what are the priorities for the EWC can only be decided by
the EWC members themselves, and not by the trainer. However, the trainer
can play an important role in moderating the discussion, summing up main
points and structuring the debate.
Once the EWC has decided its priorities, dividing the EWC members into
smaller working groups is an effective method to establish a work plan. The
members of the small working groups can formulate a proposal for a concrete work plan, which will then be put to the whole EWC.
It is important to keep in mind for the trainer, that each EWC is different. Not
every EWC will be able to go through the different phases of problem analysis, deciding its priorities and developing a work plan. Sometimes they
might only get as far as defining important issues for the EWC without being
able to agree on the most important ones.
50
Chapter 6
Learning objective
To improving the working practice of the EWC.
For the EWC to decide on common aims.
For the EWC to develop a work plan.
To improve communication structures in the EWC, raising awareness of
the importance to establish communication structures in between EWC
meetings.
To put some of the ideas developed during the seminar into practice in
the EWC after the seminar is over.
To encourage a more pro-active approach of the EWC.
51
Chapter 6
6.2 Trainer’s notes for exercises and presentations
1)
PPT-presentation: Making decisions methods and criteria
Aim:
To set out concepts for understanding different phases of decision-making.
To facilitate a process of reflection amongst EWC members on the decision-making
process in their own EWC.
To improve co-operation in the EWC.
Content:
Types of decision.
Quality of decisions.
Consensus or vote.
Participation.
Decision phase.
Method:
Power point presentation and discussion.
Timeframe:
Approx. 1/2 h.
Material & organisation:
Projector, laptop, handouts of presentation.
52
Chapter 6
2)
Exercise: Work sheet - what are issues for
you as employee representative at national/local level, what are issues for the EWC?
Aim:
To find out the issues and concerns of EWC members in their role as employee representatives at national/local level.
To facilitate the exchange of views between participants to identify common issues or
ways of dealing with problems.
To give the trainer an overview of the important issues for the EWC members.
Content:
What are the most important issues for employees you deal with at national/local level?
Which of these issues should be addressed by the EWC as well?
What are the most important issues for the EWC?
Method:
Questionnaire to be answered individually.
Participants write down the answers to the first question on a metaplan card, if necessary with the help of interpreters.
Discussion moderated by the trainer with the whole group about what issues should be
taken up at the EWC.
Instructions for the trainer:
The trainer should not give examples of issues at national/local level but participants
should put them in their own words.
The EWC members should be asked to write down their issues as key point/s not in sentences.
There should not be more than twenty cards or one card per person, otherwise the exercise can get too long.
The trainer should collect all the metaplan cards, read them out, ask what is meant by
it and pin them on the board.
In guiding the discussion the trainer should focus on identifying the issues which should
be dealt with at EWC level.
Coaching: To give advice about how other EWCs have approached a particular problem.
Timeframe:
Approx. 1 1/2 h.
Material & organisation:
Metaplan board, metaplan cards, markers for all participants and support from the interpreters to get all cards written in one language, handouts of exercise sheet.
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3) Exercise: Checklist for the EWC
Aim:
To help the EWC to prioritise its activities.
To develop a concrete
work plan.
Content:
A structured checklist to plan
and implement activities.
Method:
Group work.
Discussion.
Timeframe:
Approx. 2 h.
Material & organisation:
Handouts of checklist
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Chapter 6
4) Exercise: Visions (1-3-5 years)
Aim:
To help the EWC formulate goals.
To facilitate a discussion about priorities
in the EWC.
To formulate a work plan for the most
important issues of the EWC.
Content:
Thinking in the EWC about short, medium and
long-term goals.
Method:
Plenary discussion or alternatively initial group
work followed by plenary discussion.
Instructions for the trainer:
The trainer asks each person to write
down their short, medium and long-term
goals for the EWC. Short-term is one
year, medium-term is 3 years, and longterm is 5 years. These timeframes should be adapted to the situation of the EWC.
Afterwards the issues are listed on a metaplan board.
The trainer moderates the discussion.
Subsequently the EWC members are asked to rank the issues, in order to identify the
most important ones. The ranking can be done through putting stickers against the
most important issues.
Timeframe:
Approx. 2 h.
Material & organisation:
Metaplan board and metaplan cards, markers, stickers.
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Chapter 6
5)
Simulation exercise
(Source: ETUCO)
Aim:
To encourage a more pro-active approach of the
EWC in meetings with management.
To find a common position amongst EWC members and to establish how best to represent them to
the management.
To make EWC members think about a strategy to
make management engage with the positions taken
by the EWC.
To develop skills to deal with situations where there are different interests amongst representatives in the EWC and the select committee (employee side only), and in meetings with
management.
Content:
Situation 1: How can the EWC get management to discuss an issue which management
wants to avoid.
Situation 2: How to deal with diverging opinions in the EWC.
Method:
Group work, discussion of results in the plenary, role-play of situations that participants have
developed.
Instructions for the trainer:
The trainer should form groups. Each group should have around 6 participants.
In the groups people are asked to decide how they would deal with the situations they
are presented with.
Afterwards they come together in the plenary and present their results, i.e. explain why
they have chosen a certain path of action.
When all groups have presented their results, the trainer asks one or two of them to carry
out a short role-play exercise by acting out how they have said that they would act in
the given situation.
After the role-play the trainer and the group analyse how effective their chosen course
of action has been.
Timeframe:
Approx. 1 1/2 - 2 h (40 min for group work).
Material & organisation:
Handouts of exercise sheet, rooms for group work, support by interpreters in the group work
phase.
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Chapter 6
6)
Exercise:
Developing a work plan for the EWC
Aim:
To define the key issues for the EWC.
To develop a work plan for the EWC.
To improve the communication and co-operation in the EWC.
To put into practice the ideas that the EWC has developed during the seminar.
Content:
Developing a work plan.
Method:
Discussion in the plenary.
Coaching through the trainer.
Working in small groups.
Instructions for the trainer:
The exercise is ongoing throughout the seminar.
At the beginning of the seminar the trainer should explain the concept of the work plan
so that participants are aware of what will happen and can take responsibility for their
work plan.
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Chapter 6
Throughout the seminar the trainer will write down important issues and goals that
come up in discussions on a flipchart. During the breaks, the trainer needs to transfer
those into a power-point presentation.
At the end of each day or in the morning the trainer reads out all the points and asks
for feedback - should some issues be deleted, can some issues be defined more
precisely.
On the last day of the seminar the trainer reads out the work plan. The EWC is asked
to identify its priorities.
The group is then split into smaller groups which will work on developing a specific work
plan for addressing and implementing the set goals.
The results from the small groups are finally presented in the plenary.
Depending on the group, the EWC members will not always be able to have a work plan
at the end of a seminar. The main aim is to get them going and support them to
define more clearly what they want to do as an EWC.
Timeframe:
Ongoing throughout the seminar.
Material & organisation:
Flipchart, laptop, projector, metaplan boards, cards and marker for small working groups, additional rooms for group work.
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Chapter 6
6.3 List of literature
Boos, Margarete (1996), Entscheidungsfindung in Gruppen. Eine Prozeßanalyse, Verlag Hans
Huber, Bern.
Bronner, Rolf (1999), Planung und Entscheidung - Grundlagen, Methoden, Fallstudien, R.
Oldenburg Verlag, München.
Bugdahl, Volker (1990), Entscheidungsfindung, Vogel Buchverlag, Würzburg.
Makin, Peter & Cooper, Cary (1989), Managing People at Work, British Psychological Society,
Leicester.
March, James G. (1997), ‘Understanding How Decisions Happen in Organizations’, in
Shapira, Zur (ed), (1997) Organizational Decision Making, Cambridge.
Yeatts, Dale E & Hyton, Cloyd (1998), High Performing Self Managed Work Teams - A
Comparison of Theory to Practice, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California.
59
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Chapter 7
Preparation and evaluation
7.1 Checklist for preparing a seminar
This checklist provides a support tool for trainers to facilitate the conception
and preparation of EWC seminars. It has the following three focal points
which are essential for the work with an international, participation-orientated team, such as an EWC.
Getting to know the EWC
It is vital for the trainer to be well-informed about the EWC. The trainer
should get information from representatives of the EWC itself, usually the
select committee. She/he should ask about the history of the EWC as well as
their current state of development.
Furthermore, information about the structure and organisation of the company is important to assess the situation of the EWC. A good preparation in
co-operation with representatives of the EWC ensures an optimal seminar
that can foster the development of the EWC as a whole.
Agreeing on the objectives and expectations of the
EWC
The trainers should work in conjunction with the EWC to develop the aims of
the seminar. This should include which topics should be covered as well as
what kind of competencies should be strengthened.
Trainers will than be able to propose suitable methods to develop the topics
identified and design the work- and group process.
Organisational preparations and wrap-up
A detailed preliminary agreement with the EWC is essential for the successful
execution of the seminars. It should be agreed upon who will be responsible
for sending out the invitations, who is responsible for room reservations,
booking of translators and technical equipment, and organising the evening
programme.
Additionally it should be clear how the outcomes of the seminar will be documented and who will be responsible for them. This applies to results, work
assignments and the seminar evaluation.
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Chapter 7
An effective and easy way to document a seminar is to use a digital camera
to create a photo documentation. Thereby the trainer photographs all the results documented on metaplan, both from the small working groups and
from the discussions in the plenary and provides a copy to each EWC member or the select committee.
Checklist
Getting to know the EWC
Basic info about the company
What does the company do?
Distribution of employees
Structure of the company
Market position
Plans for the future
Where are important decisions taken at management level - in Europe
or outside of Europe. Are the key management decisions taken at
national or transnational level?
Recent history, mergers, restructuring etc.
Does a select committee exist within the EWC?
Do other work groups exist in the EWC to address certain topics?
What countries and/or company parts are being represented within the
EWC and how many employees do they represent?
How are the EWC members spread over the individual countries?
Which trade unions are represented in the EWC?
Which milestones have been most significant in the history of EWC?
How long and how well do EWC members know each other?
How does co-operation between EWC and management work?
What features characterise the prospective participants with respect to
their:
Intercultural and language competence
Roles and responsibilities within the EWC
Has the EWC done any training courses before, and, if so, focussing on
which topics? What problems exist within the EWC? What areas should
be improved according to the EWC members themselves?
What are the achievements of the EWC and how does the EWC work?
What are the reasons for holding the seminar?
How can the seminar help the further development of the EWC?
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Chapter 7
Agreeing on the objectives and expectations
of the EWC
What topics should the seminar focus on?
Main subject matter?
Subtopics comprising target setting and decision-making, intercultural
competence, team building?
How should the seminar proceed? Are there wishes concerning special
methods?
Presentation
Group work
Moderated discussions
How much time is available for the seminar?
Length of the seminar
Date
Who is responsible for the reservation of suitable seminar rooms (at one
of the company’s sites?) and accommodation?
Should one or two trainer/s execute the seminar and should other experts
be invited with respect to certain specific topics?
Agreement upon the number of languages for simultaneous translation
Will management representatives take part in the seminar, either as speakers or participants?
How will the seminar be documented?
Is the financing of the seminar taken care of?
Organisational preparations and wrap-up
Sending out the invitation and seminar programme to participants in good
time.
Fine-tuning of seminar content
Adaptation of standard concepts in order to match the needs of the
seminar group e.g. focus on team building intercultural competence in
particular
Does the technical equipment meet your needs?
Projector for laptop, overhead-projector, flipchart
Metaplan tools
Has the seminar material been translated into all target languages?
Is the interpreter team complete and the technical equipment at hand?
What about meals and refreshments (any vegetarians among participants)
and accommodation, transport for participants and trainers?
Arrival one day ahead of the seminar is helpful
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Chapter 7
Evaluation of short questionnaires about the seminar
Documentation of results
Press releases and co-operation with media
7.2 Course evaluation and feedback
Why a short-form questionnaire?
To get feedback from the course participants a short questionnaire can be
used. Such feedback can be very helpful for trainers in order to change
and adapt their approach. Furthermore the feedback can be used to
advise the EWC in preparing further training activities.
The short-form questionnaire can be answered in a few minutes by the
participants at the end of the course and is easy and quickly analysed
manually.
The questionnaire could be part of the course material handed out at the
beginning.
It should be kept in mind that a questionnaire records a subjective
opinion of the respective course. It does not give a detailed assessment by
the individuals who have been surveyed.
The questionnaire consists of a set of closed questions. Participants are
asked to agree or disagree on a scale from 1 to 5.
To get practical tips for future courses there is an open question which
asks for the opinions/recommendations of the participants. This can give
conclusions with regard to future seminars.
The content of the short-form questionnaire addresses:
General assessment
Course design/methods
Content
Trainer
Organisation
Recommendations
Summarised assessment
The questionnaire should be regarded as a prototype version and refers to the
5-day-seminar proposed. The questionnaire can be easily adapted to a different seminar format. Both with regard to the duration of a seminar as well as
to a different emphasis of content.
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Chapter 7
How to use the questionnaire?
The trainer should ensure that everyone understands the goals of the survey.
Furthermore the trainer should explain whether the results are only for her/his
personal use or who else will receive the results if that is to be the case. In
any case confidentiality is of great importance and the participants should be
assured of that.
Analysis
The questionnaires should be analysed by the trainer and the results can be
included in his/her course report.
Information
Before the start of the seminar agreement should be reached between the
EWC and the trainer on who will receive the results of the seminar evaluation. It could be agreed that the trainer will forward the results to the EWC select committee who will then be responsible for passing it on to all EWC
members.
We would like to optimise the quality of our courses for EWCs. For that reason we are very interested in your opinion about the course you have participated in with your EWC.
65
Chapter 7
Course feedback questionnaire
We would like to optimise the quality of our courses for EWCs. For that reason we
are very interested in your opinion about the course you have participated in with
your EWC.
We kindly ask you to answer the following questions. Your answers will not be used
for other purposes; and will only be used for internal feedback. Should you have further tips, recommendations or comments, please use the back of this sheet.
General Background:
1. Course name:______________________________________________________________
2. Date of the feedback:_______________________________________________________
Concerning general aspects:
fully
mostly
partly
not fully not at all
applicable applicable applicable applicable applicable
3. The course has fulfilled my expectations.
4. The course contents are useful for the work
of the EWC.
5. Sufficient actual examples from the practical
work of EWCs have been presented.
6. The course was structured well.
7. There has been sufficient room for discussions.
8. The training methods (presentations, exercises)
were appropriate to the content.
Concerning the topic Target setting and Decision-making
66
9. This course is sufficiently related to the goals
of the EWC.
10. The outcomes agreed on during the
seminar will influence the work of the
EWC in the future.
Chapter 7
Concerning the topic Team building
fully
mostly
partly
not fully
not at a
applicable applicable applicable applicable applicable
11. The team development of the EWC
is fostered by this seminar.
12. As a results of the course the recognition
of the EWC within the enterprise will be
strengthened.
Concerning the topic Intercultural Competence
13. The intercultural differences and similarities
of the EWC have been sufficiently explored
during the course.
14. The intercultural skills of the EWC members
have been fostered by this seminar.
15. The trainer was able to motivate the EWC.
16. The trainer was motivated herself/himself.
17. The trainer was competent on each
specific topic.
18. The moderation of the trainer has supported
the decision-making process of the EWC.
19. The trainer used language that was easily
understandable.
Concerning the trainer
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Chapter 7
Concerning framework conditions:
fully
mostly
partly
not fully not at all
applicable applicable applicable applicable applicable
20. The learning environment (e.g. class
room equipment) was good.
21. The training facilities and accommodation
met our needs.
22. The framework programme in the evening
was a useful addition to the course.
Comments:
Please answer in key points
23. The following experiences were positive:
24. The following experiences were negative:
25. I have the following recommendations for similar courses with EWCs:
Conclusion:
26. On a scale from 10 (excellent) to 1 (not good at all)
I assess this course the following rating:
We thank you very much for your co-operation
68
Rating:
__________________________