Comments on: When “It’s Not My Problem” Becomes Your Problem http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/2009/09/30/when-%e2%80%9cit%e2%80%99s-not-my-problem%e2%80%9d-becomes-your-problem/ building teams . engineering careers Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:00:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Queen B (Project Systems) http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/2009/09/30/when-%e2%80%9cit%e2%80%99s-not-my-problem%e2%80%9d-becomes-your-problem/#comment-657 Queen B (Project Systems) Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:53:03 +0000 http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/?p=2062#comment-657 My company actually delivers this sort of strategy and ties it closely with the systems to back up the collaboration rather than the separation of people. I delivered a paper saying very similar things tp the Southern Engineering Conference on the 17th October and I think the more of us that start to walk the talk and show through action that these philosophies are possible to be adopted, the more comfortable and the more profitable companies, organisation and projects can become. My company actually delivers this sort of strategy and ties it closely with the systems to back up the collaboration rather than the separation of people. I delivered a paper saying very similar things tp the Southern Engineering Conference on the 17th October and I think the more of us that start to walk the talk and show through action that these philosophies are possible to be adopted, the more comfortable and the more profitable companies, organisation and projects can become.

]]> By: Andrew J. Blair http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/2009/09/30/when-%e2%80%9cit%e2%80%99s-not-my-problem%e2%80%9d-becomes-your-problem/#comment-635 Andrew J. Blair Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:06:56 +0000 http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/?p=2062#comment-635 Hello Ms. Burdick, Thank you for your blog on this topic. I believe most civil engineering offices (at least those I have worked around) take a top down approach to just about everything. Project Management methodologies, like PMBOK, become more important with the recent shift in our economy and people's gaining awareness about a greater need for increased efficiency and productivity. Research shows that network-type organizations are more efficient and and adaptable. Hierarchical organizations are less efficient in terms of the flow of information. Also, hierarchical organizations are not as adaptable within an environment that is changing rapidly because the structure and the behavior it reinforces is more rigid (functional groups are exclusive from one another and generally do not interact with those outside their immediate area of expertise). When we speak in terms of project management FOR innovation, then we speak in terms of interdisciplinary teams composed of knowledge workers who operate within a flatter organization, NOT a rigid hierarchical organization. So, I think you are starting a very important conversation. Hello Ms. Burdick,

Thank you for your blog on this topic. I believe most civil engineering offices (at least those I have worked around) take a top down approach to just about everything. Project Management methodologies, like PMBOK, become more important with the recent shift in our economy and people’s gaining awareness about a greater need for increased efficiency and productivity. Research shows that network-type organizations are more efficient and and adaptable. Hierarchical organizations are less efficient in terms of the flow of information. Also, hierarchical organizations are not as adaptable within an environment that is changing rapidly because the structure and the behavior it reinforces is more rigid (functional groups are exclusive from one another and generally do not interact with those outside their immediate area of expertise). When we speak in terms of project management FOR innovation, then we speak in terms of interdisciplinary teams composed of knowledge workers who operate within a flatter organization, NOT a rigid hierarchical organization. So, I think you are starting a very important conversation.

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