Week 11 – Planning

According to the Oxford Dictionary, planning or plan has many different definitions, but the one that is closely related to collaboration are 1. Method or procedure for doing something; design, 2 intention, and 3 aim at; intend (1). In general, it is all about looking ahead into the future. In order to plan ahead, particularly in a business environment, collaboration is almost essential.

Planning is important because it helps to maintain and create a plan for the future. For this to be achieved, a thought process through collaborative meetings needs to take place. During these meetings, discussions could focus on creating or defining a plan, and should include preparation of various scenarios through forecasting and what to do when one of these scenarios comes into being. This collaborative planning is essential for the success of a business, because without planning for various and different scenarios, a business will fail.

Not one person should organise a plan as a plan is too big for one person to achieve. It is important to have many ideas so all can have a say in preparing for the future and all we have ideas when various scenarios occur.

During these collaborative meetings, they should outline realistic expectations and should include short, medium and long term plans (2).

While planning a plan through meetings is seen as vital within a business, but businesses do business with other businesses, and this is called Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment or CPFR for short. CPFR is used to help and enhance collaboration between businesses through the sharing of information to enhance the supply chain. Information on customer demands and planning for changing in them and helps to update any necessary changes.

A CPFR model helps to maintain focus through a basic framework of information, goods, and services. These models usually consists of three or more rings where the centre is the customer or client and the middle ring is the main company providing the service and the outside ring provides the service for the company where we go and visit. These outside rings can have arrows in a circular pattern to indicate the many collaboration arrangements like business plans, forecasting and orders.

While one may see that the CPFR plan only related to the retail or manufacturing industry, this plan can be changed to reflect the architectural industry. The inner ring will be the customer, the middle ring is the company that provides the service for that customer and the outside ring is all the builders, engineers, and any other consultants that help with the entire design and construction of a particular building (3).

The CPFR plan I see as a necessity in today business community because working with other businesses is a guaranteed to occur with the hiring of professional consultants is seen as important for the successful of a building. By having a plan between one or more businesses, they all have a focus on the job at hand running from the start of the design to completion when the clients move in and should include everything throughout the life of a design.

This plan helps with all communication and the flow of this information needs to be gathered and spread amongst all companies involved. Without a rigid plan, anything can happen (i.e. Chinese Whispers) and miscommunication will occur between all involved. This will lead to problems and the collapse and ultimate stop to a design.

Finally, a business plan and CPFR plan helps all to focus and plan for any scenarios that may arise in the future, because without it, everything will fail and a lot of money will be lost.

References

1. Edited by Bruce Moore, The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary – Fourth Edition, 1996, Oxford University Press.

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_Planning%2C_Forecasting%2C_and_Replenishment

Image 1 - http://www.despair.com/planning.html

Image 2 - http://www.masternewmedia.org/design_planning/communication-strategy/guidelines-for-strategic-collaborative-communication-project-development-RItalia-20070331.htm

Week 10 – Remuneration

The definition of remuneration goes as far back as 1470-1480 from the Latin word remuneracion. The website, Dictionary.com states that remuneration is 1. Something that remunerates: reward; pay, and 2. Payment or compensation received for services or employment. This would include any base salary and bonuses made along with other economic benefits made of an employee or executive during their employment [1].

If one looks at the definitions and they will realizes that remuneration revolves around money. As we deal with money every day and with remuneration being part of it, we need to break down the definition into a handful of examples as to understand what it is. Despite the following example coming from Canada, they are pretty much universal.

salaries and wages
bonuses, commission and other similar payments
holiday pay, taxable allowances and benefits
directors' fees
payments for casual labour
amounts paid by an employer to 'top up' benefits, and
advances of salaries and wages. [2]

Commission based remuneration is used to reward sales people on good work. These rewards are usually worked out as a percentage of the total sales price. [3]

So how is this related to collaboration? As we all have learned working together as a team, involves collaboration, and in the professional environment, this can bring rewards and benefits to the team in the way of greater respect and greater acknowledgment to the wider community. This respect, will grow if the team designs a building that wins national and international awards. By winning major awards, this will lead to the possibility of designing bigger and greater buildings, leading to larger commissions meaning more money for the team. By winning an awarded, the team, should increase the reputation of the company they work, leading to more clients and greater profits.

With the whole world and our daily lives revolves around money and how we use it, remuneration is seen as an important issue. As we have seen, everyone gets some form of remuneration be that rewards, salaries or commissions. Overall, we need remuneration makes the world go around.

References

1.Dictionary.com (remuneration), viewed on 17th May 2008
2.www.rev.gov.on.ca/english/taxes/eht/faq_remuneration.html viewed on 17th May 2008
3.http://eng.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remuneration

Images - http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/r/remuneration.asp

Week 9 – Context

Sorry, for being a bit late, i have been flat out and forgot.So here is my week 9 blog - Context.

How often do we hear on the news or radio and/or read in the newspaper that when someone has said something and it was reported incorrectly, and a day or two later they stated “they were taken out of context!”, then its definition is definitely not taken out of context. The Australian Oxford Dictionary explains that context is 1. parts that surround a word or passage and its meaning. 2. Circumstances relevant to something under consideration (must be seen in context) 1.

How is this related to collaboration within an architectural firm? As collaboration is all about communication amongst members of a team or within a company, any communication will need to be explained carefully and without conflicting messages. This is seen as important as miscommunication will lead to the message being taken out of context and will do a task completely wrong or have a “Chinese Whisper” affect, whereby messages will be conflicting. If a message is taken out of context and misunderstood, it will cost money, time and possibly jobs, so therefore it is vital, messages are explained clearly. This form of context is described as being a verbal context 2.

While not verbal, another form of context could be in the form of body language and expression. This is probably just as important as the spoken word as how we present ourselves in the form of expression through body movement, may be different to what we are saying through our mouths. In other words, the body is saying one thing and or mouth is saying another. If someone is reading one body language and listening to what that person is saying, they may misinterpret one of these forms of communication and get a task wrong. So it is important that what is said is expressed in the body language, because if it isn’t, then problems in miscommunication will occur.

Apart from verbal context, there is also social context, whereby it is related to class, gender etc 3. This may not seem as important collaboration, but I think it should be. The reason for this will be that if everyone is from the same background, then communication and collaboration will be easier. For example, a team of scientists will have better communication when in a team, then say if a team comprised of many different deplanes, but this doesn’t mean it won’t work, it just means it may take some time.

In conclusion the use of context is very important because if something is “taken out of context”, it leads to miscommunication and finally will lead to many problems not only for a company but the people involved.

References

1. Edited by Bruce Moore, The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary – Fourth Edition, 1996, Oxford University Press.
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context_(language_use)
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context_(language_use)

Image - http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/o/out_of_context.asp

Stuffed Computer

Hi team, my computer packed it again early yesterday, meaning i won't be able to do any max stuff until at least tomorrow or tuesday night.

SORRY.

Week 8 – Hierarchy

The definition for hierarchy is a simple and easy one. The Australian Oxford Dictionary states that hierarchy is a “system in which grades of status or authority are ranked one above the other” 1. There can be many types of hierarchy being used in companies, but many use the traditional pyramid structure commonly known as “social hierarchy” or “chain of command”.



However this rigid system may be good for some, but many companies are seeing this as being unworkable. The system many use now is whereby people work in smaller teams and then work together to achieve a common purpose and this system is known as creative collaboration. These teams can be small or large in size and usually consists of people having the same or similar disciplines2.

Social hierarchy use of a pyramid structure has an apex at the top of the pyramid with the structure being used by the business community and is also used by churches and the army. At the top of this apex is the most powerful person within an organization and is commonly known as the boss or CEO. The use of this structure is usually questioned by analysis as they consider having power over others doesn’t work and shouldn’t be used as a standard model3.

The level or flow of communication is where the collective power of a company is delegated by a board of directors, and the day to day running is conducted by the managing director or CEO4. Below the CEO, are in some cases known as heads and they provide or give information to a person who is lower than they are, and this information will then go down the line of command until it reaches the bottom person5. As one may realise, this sort of structure is not very ideal for collaboration as one is above another. In my opinion, and the system our team uses, is whereby we are generally all on the same level or tier and this means there is greater teamwork and communication.

By having everyone on the same level, no one is above the next person meaning we are all equal. This type of hierarchy is now being used and goes by the name of a flat organization.

A flat organization is whereby there are no or very few tiers, with management doing little intervening. This type of hierarchy structure states that if all workers are an expert in their chosen field or industry, making it is a lot more democratic, and all employees can be more directly involved in all the decision making, rather than having orders being barked at them or being watched with a fine tooth comb by the many layers of management.

The problem with this system it only works for small organizations or with smaller teams in a large one. If an organization grows, they can keep this structure but it could lead to lower productivity.

This structure promotes greater decision making by all members of the organization and this leads to greater collaboration, as everyone can have their say. This basically means there is a greater need for managers to communication with their employee 6.

As one may realise, one hierarchy style may work for one business but not the other. It all depends on what they feel comfortable using and deciding what style works for them.

References

1.Edited by Bruce Moore, The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary – Fourth Edition, 1996, Oxford University Press.

2. http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2006/07/human_hierarchy.html, blog entry - Tuesday, July 11, 2006, David Armano viewed on 4th May 2008.

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_hierarchy viewed on 4th May 2008

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierarchical_organization viewed on 4th May 2008.

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_of_command viewed on 7th May 2008

6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_organisation viewed on 7th May 2008

Image - http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2006/07/human_hierarchy.html