Higher
Administration
Administration Services
Outcome 1
The Role of the Administrator
What does Administration involve?
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Communicating: telephone, email, faxes etc
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Keeping Records: diaries, reports, logbooks
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Providing and storing information: manual and electronic
systems
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Presenting information: WP, SS, DB, DTP and other software
eg accounting, project management
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Interpersonal skills: reception, internal and external
customers
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Systems and Procedures: including mail, reprographics,
arranging meetings and making travel arrangements
The Senior Administrator
Duties include planning, organising and supervising junior
members of staff.
They should be able to:
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Delegate
Make Decisions
Develop systems and procedures
Encourage and support other staff
Monitor and Evaluate systems
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Other duties include:
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recruitment and selection of staff;
training and appraisal;
ensuring that legislation is complied with and
the planning and organisation of meetings
Skills and Abilities
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QUICK to learn
ATTENTION to detail
ORGANISATIONAL skills
MOTIVATED and a TEAM PLAYER
CUSTOMER CARE
FLEXIBLE
ICT skills
PROBLEM SOLVING skills
TACT and INITIATIVE
COMMUNICATION and ENTHUSIASM
Recruitment
Internal
External
 Intranet
 Newspapers
 Bulletin
 Specialist
boards
 Newsletters
Journals
 Job Centres
 Internet Websites
 Education
Establishments
The Recruitment Process
 Job
Evaluation/Analysis – there may not
need to be a vacancy, roles may be
reassigned.
 Job
 Job
Description and Person Specification
Advertisement – the basic information
to attract potential candidates
The Job Description
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Shows the job title, duties and responsibilities,
remuneration etc.
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Helps applicants complete their application form.
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Job Descriptions should be updated regularly to
reflect changes in the job and what the postholder is expected to do.
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Often a statement “and any other duties as
required by line manager and relevant to the
position”.
The Person Specification
 Shows
essential and desirable skills and
qualities.
 The
interviewer will use this document
during interviews to compare one
candidate with another.
Activity: Job Description and Person
Specification
Use your research skills to find some
examples of Administration jobs.
Then create your own Job Description and
Person Specification for your own company.
Make use of tables within word processing.
Quick Quiz
Questions 1
Aims, Objectives and Targets
Achieving the Vision…
 Staff
need to share management vision.
 The
Senior Administrative Assistant will set
both personal and departmental targets
to meet these goals.
 Departmental
targets need teamwork
and individuals to meet their own
personal targets.
Importance of Target Setting
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Employees and departments know what
is expected of them
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Is the organisation achieving success?
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Any deviations from target can be
corrected, if monitored regularly
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Increased productivity
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Increase in motivation – trying to reach
the target set
The Mission Statement
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A mission statement is a short statement of the aims of an
organisation, and how it will achieve these aims.
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It contains the values of the organisation eg “eco-friendly”
or “fair-trade” policies. This may improve the organisation’s
image.
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It will assist decision-making. It provides "the framework or
context within which the organisation’s strategies are
formulated.”
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It has the power to attract custom and helps employees
see their purpose in the business.
Recording Targets…
 Gantt
Write down a
Chart
short definition
 To-Do List
of each
 Priorities List
 Action Plan
 Electronic Diary (e-Diary)
 Personal Development Plan (PDP)
Recording Targets…
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Gantt Chart – shows comparisons between work planned
and work accomplished. Key target dates (milestones) will
be marked on the chart.
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To-Do List – shows a list of tasks to be completed.
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Priorities List – tasks put in order of importance.
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Action Plan – identifies what should be done by whom, with
expected completion dates
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Electronic Diary (e-Diary) – different views are available to
show daily/weekly/months
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Personal Development Plan (PDP)
Recording Targets…
Personal Development Plan (PDP):
 A document used to record formally
areas of strength and areas for
development.
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Allow an employee to:
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Focus on specific aspects of their job
Allows skills to be shared with others
Identify training needs
Expand job role in the organisation
SMART Targets
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Specific – state exactly what has to be done
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Measurable – state how much/what size, so
you know how to achieve them
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Agreed – with Line Manager as part of PDP
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Realistic – achievable but still a challenge
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Timed – key dates identified when the work
will be completed
Examples of SMART Targets
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By the end of next month a database of
100 suitable UK hotels for company
travel is to be compiled
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Within the next two months the manual
filing system detailing employee records
is to be transferred to a database.
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By 30 September, the administrative
assistant is to attend a training course on
our new CRM system
Monitoring Performance
 Line
manager checks regularly eg
meetings and staff updates
 Gantt chart
 Audits or system checks to review current
procedures
 Mentoring systems (help and advice)
 Buddy system (help and advice)
 Sample quality checks (eg call centres)
Changing Priorities
 Unexpected
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circumstances:
Member of staff absent
Computer network ‘crashes’
Changed deadline for a piece of work
 Priorities
lists should list high, medium and
low priority items to assist with
rescheduling when required
Time and Task Management
What is Time Management?
Time management is not
about how much time you
spend, but how it is spent.
Time Stealers –
Reducing Effectiveness
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Interruptions eg telephone or visitors
Meetings – set time limits
Taking on too much – delegate
Acting without complete information
Crisis Management – not having plans
Unclear or Poor Communication
Inability to say “NO”
Desk Stress – clutter
Procrastination
Effects of Poor Time Management
 Staff
become stressed and absence
levels increase
 Poor productivity – work is not produced
as efficiently or to the right quality
 Morale will decrease – low job satisfaction
 Increase in accidents or unnecessary
incidents
 Increased costs to management
Managing Time Effectively
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Record appointments in desk/e-Diary
Access email only at certain times in the day
Good File Management
Delegate tasks to others
“Do Not Disturb” Time
Group Jobs – avoid unnecessary journeys
At end of each day – tidy desk and prepare
a priorities list
Allocate tasks as: must be done/needs
action/delegate
Delegation
 Develops
staff abilities
 Improves motivation
 Saves manager time, to carry out
important tasks
 But
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this is difficult
Can you do the job better yourself?
High standards?
Afraid of losing control?
Benefits of Good Time Management
 Improved
morale and job satisfaction
 Increased productivity and better quality
of work
 Lower stress levels and less staff absence
 Better relations with both internal and
external clients
 Elimination of procrastination and
indecision
 Improved promotion prospects
Internet Activity
 Access
www.mindtools.com
 Choose Time Management
 Work through the activities and take some
short notes on Time Management
 There
are some example documents
which you can download.
Internet Activity
Some useful information can be
accessed here on the
businessballs.com website
Quick Quiz
Questions 2
Team Working
What is a Team?
“No man is an island”
A team can be defined as a group who
have been specifically formed for a
particular purpose. They have:
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A shared purpose or goals
A sense of belonging (having an identity)
A dependence/reliance on each other
Effective Teams
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Team Composition – personality, interests, age
and backgrounds
Team Development – once values are agreed
the group pulls together
Nature of the Task – clarity, belief in task,
resources allocated
Team Maintenance/Environment – includes
virtual teams and team building opportunities
Leadership – having an effective leader
Team Roles (Belbin)
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The Specialist – rare knowledge and skills
The Ideas Person – creative, imaginative, solves
problems
The Motivator – the drive and courage to
overcome obstacles
The Organiser – clarifies goals and makes
decisions, delegates well
The Implementer – turns ideas into actions
The Checker – monitors and evaluates
The Finisher – delivers on time
The Go-Getter – develops contacts and explores
opportunities
The Team Player – listens to others and averts
conflict
Stages in Team Development
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Forming – the team members are
introduced
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Storming – members compete for
roles; disputes and power struggles
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Norming – members start working
together and conflicts are resolved
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Performing – the team is settled and
working together
Internet Research
 Visit
www.belbin.com to find out some
more about effective teams.
Team Conflict
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Conflicting goals – two members of the team
want to go in different directions
Personal disputes – there are always people
who will not get on
Lack of resources – not being able to put all
ideas into action (money/staff/equipment)
Changing expectations – moving deadlines or
targets
Loyalty issues – affected by the relationships
between members of the team
Benefits of Team Working
Individual:
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Sense of belonging and value
Share knowledge and skills (therefore promotion
prospects)
Increased motivation and morale
More likely to take risks (as they are shared)
Organisation:
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Multi-skilled and flexible workforce
Employees take on more responsibilities (less supervision)
Specialisation and division of labour into different
project areas
Risks undertaken successfully are of huge benefit
Increased competitiveness
Types of Team Leaders
A Leadership Story:
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A group of workers and their leaders are set a task of
clearing a road through a dense jungle on a remote
island to get to the coast where an estuary provides
a perfect site for a port.
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The leaders organise the labour into efficient units
and monitor the distribution and use of capital assets
– progress is excellent. The leaders continue to
monitor and evaluate progress making adjustments
along the way to ensure the progress is maintained
and efficiency increased wherever possible.
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Then, one day amidst all the hustle and bustle and
activity, one person climbs up a nearby tree. The
person surveys the scene from the top of the tree.
A Leadership Story:
 And
shouts down to the assembled group
below…
“Wrong Way”
(Story adapted from Stephen Covey (2004) “The Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People” Simon & Schuster).
 “Management
is doing things right,
leadership is doing the right things”
(Warren Bennis and Peter Drucker)
Leadership
A
leader is someone who influences
others towards the achievement of goals.
A
good leader will motivate people to
willingly work towards their goals.
Leadership
A leader will:
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Set a clear vision or goals for the team
Meet the needs of the team (information,
communication etc)
Meet the needs of individuals (support,
training etc)
Meet the needs of the task (resources,
team skills etc)
Liaise between the team, management
and other work areas.
Different Styles of Leadership
Autocratic – This type of leader takes
decisions without consultation and has very
little regard for the thoughts and opinions of
other colleagues or the workforce; usually
found in traditional organisations.
Different Styles of Leadership
Laissez-Faire – This is the “let it be” leader
who prefers the workforce to take their own
decisions. This type of leadership can be
useful in business where creative ideas are
important but it relies heavily on good team
work.
Different Styles of Leadership
Democratic– This type of leader is much
more likely to be consultative and to
encourage participative decision making.
John Adair’s Theory of Leadership
This model encourages
a flexible approach to
leadership, with the
idea that there is no
‘right’ style of
leadership.
The style that best fits
the situation should be
adopted at any one
time.
Group Needs:
Task Needs:
Team building
Communication
Motivation
Discipline
Objective Setting
Planning
Allocating
Responsibilities
Performance
Standards
Individual
Needs:
Coaching
Counselling
Motivation
Development
Internet Task
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There are many theories about ‘good
leadership’. Use the internet to find out about
McGregor and his ‘X’ and ‘Y’ Theories. Contrast
these with Tannenbaum and Schmidt, Fiedler
and Likert also had interesting ideas.
Take some notes on what these theorists
thoughts.

What is charisma? Look this up. Write down the
names of some leaders you think have charisma.
Quick Quiz
Questions 3
Extended Response
Questions
Higher
Administration
Administration Services
Outcome 1