Loading... Accessibility Information and Tips javas.docx

Loading...
Accessibility Information and Tips
<javascript:openWideTip('http://support.ebsco.com/help/?int=eh
ost&lang=en&feature_id=access&TOC
_ID=Always&SI=0&BU=0&GU=1&PS=0&ver=&dbs=bth')>
Revised Date: 07/2011
Back
<javascript:__doPostBack('ctl00$MainContentArea$deliveryPri
ntSaveControl$backButton$lnkBack','')>
1 article(s) will be saved.
The link information below provides a persistent link to the
article
you've requested.
Persistent link to this record: Following the link below will
bring you
to the start of the article or citation.

Cut and Paste: To place article links in an external web
document,
simply copy and paste the HTML below, starting with "<a href"
To continue, in Internet Explorer, select *FILE* then *SAVE
AS* from
your browser's toolbar above. Be sure to save as a plain text file
(.txt) or a 'Web Page, HTML only' file (.html). In FireFox,
select
*FILE* then *SAVE FILE AS* from your browser's toolbar
above. In Chrome,
select right click (with your mouse) on this page and select
*SAVE AS*
*Record: 1*
*Title:*
Managing the ever-more- distributed workforce.
*Authors:*
Novitski, B. [email protected]

*Source:*
Architectural Record. Nov2008, Vol. 196 Issue 11, p83-83.
1p.
*Document Type:*
Article
*Subject Terms:*
*BUSINESS planning
*BUSINESS logistics
*STRATEGIC planning
*CONTRACTING out
*OFFSHORE outsourcing
*Abstract:*
The article presents an overview of advice and information
that
business enterprises can use to manage distributed
workforces that
have resulted from outsourcing and globalization. A
discussion of
the importance of overcoming cultural differences and having
effective technology that can bridge the gap between
businesses and

employees that are located in foreign countries is presented.
*Full Text Word Count:*
1900
*ISSN:*
0003-858X
*Accession Number:*
35739515
*Persistent link to this record (Permalink): *
http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.
com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&
AN=35739515&scope=site
*Cut and Paste:*
<A
href="http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebsc
ohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db
=bth&AN=35739515&scope=site">Managing
the ever-more- distributed workforce.</A>

*Database: *
Business Source Complete
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section:
Practice Matters
Managing the ever-more- distributed workforce
When the Hudson Bay Company began sending traders to the
New World in
the 17th century, it developed protocols for managing a
distributed
workforce that are pertinent today. The small headquarters staff
in
London chose independent adventurers capable of self-
sufficiency, but
they provided mentoring and training. Importantly, the company
stayed in
communication -- as best they could when annual letters to and
from the
traders arrived by schooner. The lesson learned? "We call it the

balance
of trust and control," says Cliff S. Moser, AIA, operations
director of
the Los Angeles firm Cadforce, which facilitates
communications between
U.S. architecture and construction firms and outsourcing teams
in India.
The traders were required to keep daily diaries, which became,
in
today's parlance, the "knowledge base" that enabled the Hudson
Bay
Company to gradually improve the operations.
Judicious use of technology (and a little TLC) can help keep
off-site
staff from being isolated.
Despite vastly faster communication speeds, modern companies
face
similar challenges of trust and control with off-site workers.
Each case
is different, but the balance can be adjusted with the use of
technology

and an understanding of the cultural barriers created by
geographic
separation.
Outsourcing CAD work to India is only one (extreme) kind of
distributed
workforce. Every firm experiences some distancing daily, such
as when a
principal leaves the office to attend a meeting, or when an
architect
visits a job site for construction administration. Protocols for
staying
in touch via telephone or e-mail are relatively simple in these
cases,
but the situation gets more complicated when a long-term stint
in a
construction trailer is involved, or when a small group of
designers
occupies a satellite office, or when an employee "telecommutes"
from a
home office. Other examples of dispersed workers are
temporary contract
staff and even a firm's regular consultants. Regardless of the
worker's

relationship with the firm or how long a separation may last, the
challenges are to maintain clear communications and to provide
the
remote workers ways to feel connected to the firm, both
professionally
and socially.
In at least one important way, the nature of modern work makes
these
challenges more pressing than they were even a few decades
ago. Digital
design processes demand a certain degree of standardization.
Whereas the
Hudson Bay traders could indulge in idiosyncrasies in work
methods and
still be effective, freestyle design documentation and
communication is
seldom acceptable. Computer-based design systems require
strict
adherence to standards, and individuals are responsible for
keeping
track of vast amounts of information. Sometimes just knowing

where to
find the latest version of a model or document can be
challenging.
Luckily, technology also contributes to the solution through a
range of
organizational systems, collaboration tools, and effective
communication
media.
Overcoming cultural divides
One challenge that invites creative solutions is the social
isolation
that remote workers may feel. Moser recalls being in an out-of-
town
construction trailer and receiving an e-mail notification from
his firm
about a free-lunch seminar later that day. Eventually repetitions
of
such messages eventually became unpleasant reminders of his
remoteness
from colleagues. Years later, now that he works to connect
distant teams
with each other, he tries to create virtual "free lunches," where

people
can "get together," by videoconferencing, for instance, to get to
know
each other in an informal setting. Even simple strategies, like
e-mailing family or vacation photos back and forth, can
overcome
unfamiliarity, even when the disparate team members come
from different
cultures. When it comes time to iron out work-related
misunderstandings,
Moser says, having established social ties is invaluable because
"it
helps to be on the same boat going in the same direction." In the
case
of Moser's outsourced Indian teams communicating with the
U.S. staff,
culture sharing involves, for example, each group learning
about and
celebrating the other's special holidays. Even between U.S.
teams, where
cultural differences are not so distinct, new means of informal
sharing

can ease communications that once relied solely on face-to-face
meetings.
Even though remote teams can't give actual handshakes or
receive many
unconscious cues from body language, digital technologies can
substitute
for many other communication needs. E-mail is of course nearly
ubiquitous in professional circles. Instant messaging (IM), no
longer
the domain of teenagers, can be a useful substitute for
telephoning.
Unlike a phone call, a person in the midst of a text "chat" can
send a
digital file, like a drawing, photo, or schedule to support the
discussion. Like the telephone, but unlike e-mail, IM requires
the
various parties to be engaged simultaneously. Skype is an
Internet-based
instant-messaging system that also supports Voice-Over-
Internet (VoIP),
which is essentially a toll-free telephone service.
Videoconferencing can substitute to some extent for face-to-

face
meetings. One advantage it has over teleconferencing is that the
body
language present in actual meetings can also be perceived
through the
video screens. The GoToMeeting Web-based meeting service
also enables
videoconferencing participants to share live computer
presentations or
software demonstrations. As sound fidelity and screen
resolution
improve, high-end videoconferencing is being termed
"telepresence," with
the expectation that in the future the illusion will be so flawless
that
participants may forget that they are not in the same room with
their
distant colleagues.
Technology caveats
Even as existing technologies become more routine, there is

still a lot
to learn about when to use which ones. It's not uncommon for an
employee
to spend 15 minutes composing an e-mail message when the
question can be
answered in a 15-second phone call. And the moderating cues
we pick up
from each others' voices are notoriously absent from e-mail.
People can
misunderstand hastily written messages and take offense where
none is
meant. Rich Nitzsche, AIA, principal and chief information
officer of
Perkins+Will says, "In this firm, we encourage people to pick
up the
phone instead of using e-mail. Some things shouldn't be
communicated via
e-mail, and problems can escalate. You end up wasting time
defusing a
tense situation that shouldn't have been tense in the first place."
Despite the semblance of togetherness that these technologies
afford,
Moser advises that it's especially important, with remote teams,

to be
explicit about follow-up actions -- who will do what and how
will it get
done -- that are agreed to during virtual meetings. "In face-to-
face
meetings," he notes, "you can infer things through your
communication,
through eye contact or a head nod. But if you're on a computer
chat, for
instance, you may say something thinking the other person
understands.
But then when the other person doesn't do it, you read your
notes and
realize it wasn't very clear. You have to get a positive
affirmation; a
head nod isn't enough." Teams also need to be more explicit
than normal,
Moser adds, in defining closure: what the desired outcome is
and how
completion will be determined.
Collaboration opportunities
In addition to cultural connectedness, technology can support

the
much-needed adherence to common digital standards.
SharePoint is an
example of a Web-browser-based "collaborative work space,"
which
supports organization of, and navigation through, shared
documents.
Moser says such a communal data area is important to
distributed workers
as a repository for uploads or new information. Regardless of
where they
are geographically, "a team member knows they can go there to
look for
an updated file and be able to see that it's the latest version."
Newforma Project Center is project information management
software that
also supports design review processes for CAD and building
information
management (BIM) files. Disparate team members who may or
may not be
working with the same design software can review, mark up,
and share

updated design versions, and the software provides automatic
version
comparisons.
Some firms are developing "wikis," or shared knowledge bases
that enable
users with a minimum of computer coding skills to add their
own content.
The online, user-written encyclopedia Wikipedia is the best
known public
example of this technology, but private groups can develop their
own, as
well. These Web-like pages provide a location for firm-specific
information and collaboration tools. Perkins+Will has begun
developing a
wiki to share Revit details between its many offices. Staff
members
upload design details, and others in the firm can review and
comment on
them. Nitzsche has observed that acceptance of the technology
among
design professionals has taken time. He says, "It's interesting:
you can
put a technology out there and it'll sit fallow for a few years.

Then
suddenly it takes off, and the users can't live without it." He
describes his introduction of new technologies as a "field-of-
dreams
approach." Build it and they will come, but it may take time
before new
processes gain acceptance.
Real and virtual meetings
Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (WATG), which specializes in
hospitality
architecture worldwide, has offices on three continents.
Maintaining
intra-firm cohesiveness is so important that WATG expend a
higher-than-normal budget actually bringing employees
together. Firm
chairman and chief information officer Lawrence Rocha,
Associate AIA,
describes the "summits" held each year for a variety of
subdisciplines

such as graphic designers, IT specialists, or human resources
experts.
Rocha explains, "People from each office around the world
come together
in one place to discuss standards, efficiencies, goals, and
budgets and
to share techniques and solutions. We've found it really does
bring the
company a lot closer together in terms of feeling like one global
firm."
Despite the use of sophisticated communication media, Rocha
adds, "We've
discovered that it's going after work for a beer that really forms
the
bond between people so in the future they'll pick up the phone
and call
somebody."
To reinforce these bonds between summits, WATG makes
frequent use of
videoconferencing, which they use for weekly meetings,
firmwide
presentations, and seminars for the smaller offices that don't
have

their own continuing education resources. Even though it is
heavily
used, Rocha predicts that videoconferencing won't become
completely
accepted until it becomes as easy to use as picking up a phone.
WATG has been successfully using a firm "intranet" for several
years.
Employees can go to this private, Web-like domain to find
organizational
news, download forms and reports, and learn about uniform
company
procedures. Rocha has seen it used as a collaboration "meeting
place,"
where standardization emerges from a grass-roots level. He
explains: "If
standards in a certain area aren't established, someone will step
up,
get a group of people together from other offices, and together
create
the needed standard. We've found people accept the standards a
lot more
if they helped to make them."

One disadvantage to meeting "digitally" that Rocha has
observed, is that
the newer technologies are being embraced more readily by the
younger
generation than by their elders. So in these virtual meeting
places,
there are plenty of users seeking answers to design questions,
but there
are fewer experienced professionals who can provide answers
and
guidance. Presumably this will change over time, as the oldest
generation retires and the replacement senior staff members
with design
experience are also comfortable with the technology.
As globalization continues, the practice of working with
geographically
distant teams will remain unavoidable. And as the cost of
transportation
rises, bringing together teams in one geographic location will
become
less common. Technology demands greater design process
coordination than

in the past, but it also offers new methods for bringing virtual
teams
virtually together.
~~~~~~~~
By B. J. Novitski
B.J. Novitski writes about architectural practice and
sustainability.
She can be reached at [email protected]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Copyright 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
www.mcgraw-hill.com
Information has been obtained from sources believed to be
reliable.
However, accuracy, adequacy or completeness is not
guaranteed. The
editorial material may not be published, networked, stored or
otherwise
copied or distributed, except as expressly authorized by Factiva

and The
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc."The McGraw-Hill Companies,
Inc. ("M-H") and
it's licensors retain all proprietary rights to the Information. The
Information is provided for the Subscriber's internal use only.
Subscriber may utilize limited excerpts from the Information on
an
ad-hoc basis in the ordinary course of business provided such
excerpts
do not constitute a substantial portion of any issue of the
Information
and a credit to M-H is included. Subscriber may not
redistribute,
publish, or otherwise disseminate any portion of the Information
to any
third party. Subscriber may not republish, broadcast or
distribute the
Information over any internal network. Subscribers may
download and
archive, for personal use excerpts of the Information on an ad
hoc and
temporary basis, not to exceed 90 days, provided such excerpts
do not

constitute a substantial portion of any issue of the Information.
Subscriber agrees to reproduce the M-H copyrights notice on
any
downloaded Information. In the event of misappropriation or
misuse of
the Information, M-H shall be entitled to obtain injunctive
relief.NEITHER M-H NOR ITS SOURCES MAKE ANY
WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
, AS TO ACCURACY, ADEQUACY, OR COMPLETENESS OF
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN
THE INFORMATION, WHICH IS PROVIDED "AS IS",
WITHOUT WARRANTY AS TO
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE OR USE, OR RESULTS,
NEITHER M-H NOR ANY SOURCES SHALL BE LIABLE
FOR ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS
NOR SHALL THEY BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES
ARISING OUT OF USE OF THE
INFORMATION, WHETHER DIRECT OR INDIRECT,
SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL
INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY.

Back
<javascript:__doPostBack('ctl00$MainContentArea$deliveryPri
ntSaveControl$backButtonBottom$lnkBa
ck','')>

Johnson Chapter 17_Communicating Research Results_research
methods for public administrators1Johnson Chapter
17_Communicating Research Results_research methods for
public administrators2Johnson Chapter 17_Communicating
Research Results_research methods for public
administrators3Johnson Chapter 17_Communicating Research
Results_research methods for public administrators4Johnson
Chapter 17_Communicating Research Results_research methods
for public administrators5Johnson Chapter 17_Communicating
Results_research methods for public administrators16

Johnson Chapter 16 Data Analysis Exploring
Relationships1Johnson Chapter 16 Data Analysis Exploring

Relationships12Research methods for public administrators
Chapter 12 Data Analysis for Description

Loading... Accessibility Information and Tips javas.docx

More Related Content

Similar to Loading... Accessibility Information and Tips javas.docx (15)

More from SHIVA101531 (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

Loading... Accessibility Information and Tips javas.docx