Flat vs Hierarchical Organisation Structure - Good or Bad

I used to work in multinational head office and never like it because of office politics.  I think office politics is damaging.  I think politics exist because of:
- power seeking;
- people involved have their own interest in mind; and
- breakdown of communications.

It brings in acts that are unproductive and waste of time and raises frustration among employees.

I started with my current employer when it was a small 25 employess company with 2 offices.  One in Sydney and one in Melbourne.  The Melbourne office have 8-9 employees. 
It was a flat reporting strucutre where all employees report directly to the boss, who comes only once a month. We did have weekly teleconfence meeting for brief update of the week. Small office, everyone focus on his/her work, very relax environment.  The only setback when we are not in main office, is, internal support, such as IT is slow.  The good thing is, if there is any problem, we directly hightlight that to the boss personally.

My company is doing well and is expanding.  New reporting hierarchical structure has been put in place.  I report to a leader and he reports to the boss.  We no longer meet weekly and the boss may not come every month as there are new offices set up at other states.

While the company is doing well, it is good to know my job is secured.  I think it is effective that the boss focus on strategic decision that moves the company forward.
However, with the new structure in place, that means there is a gap with the boss, especially we don't see him in the same office.  He relies more on others' input to make decision rather than own observations.  I do hope there will be no office politics in future for reasons mentioned earlier.

So, is flat structure better than hierarchical structure? 
It depends on the employees in the organisation.  If the boss is not smart and sensitive enough to ask the right questions and detect hidden problem then either sturcture is bad. 

Going back to the fundamentals:
- it works well if the employees' goals go along with the organisation goals/objectives;
- we are in the generation where Money is important, but Job Satisfaction carries the same if not more weight;
- we get defensive and disappointed when feeling not appreciated and misunderstood;
- it does take everyone's effort to respect the boundaries that each other have at work place.

An example will be my earlier post of the cheeky colleagues of mine taken my parking spot rudely.  It is not a matter of car spot.  It is a matter of being selfish and for own convenince, but affecting others.

So, let's see what comes next.

It is not how long you work

"I am working hard.... long hours.... but don't feel appreciated.............."

Sounds familiar?

Well, it is time to realise it is not how long you work, but the return of the time you spent.  A good worker does not always mean the one who arrives work early at 8am and leave late.
Cruel reality but it is true.

The fact is:
- when you cannot resolve a problem, it may be a good idea to stop and work on other tasks.  You might see the light after a short break.  It works extremely well for me when looking at a programs that I develop for so long and I can't see a simple mistake.

- If you are working on number crunching / formulas/ programs, it is worth writing simple list of possible solutions on paper and tick as you go.  I found myself lost track of what I have tested after  a long while.

Ultimately, it will be satisfactory only if there is a solution.
Well, when there is no solution, we only says "I have tried my best".

- No one will pay good money for something that they don't find value in.  When asking for pay rise, focusing on what value you bring to the company, not how long you work every day.

Seriously, it is not worth it when getting good money, but no time to spend it. 
No wonder job satisfaction is important nowadays.  Just imagine we are underpaid to work late with no satisfaction. 

That will be really groomy.............  Sigh......

Telemarketing - does it work

"Ring ring ring..............  Ring ring ring......................"

I just got into the door, and heard my house phone ring.  I picked up the phone, guess what......

"Good afternoon, madam, how are you?"
"I am good, thanks"
"I am calling to offer you the service to block all telemarketing calls.  Once you register with us, the telemarketers cannot call your house phone.  It is illegal that they contact you once you register with us..,... "

All sounds good.............. 
The caller keep talking, then he asked for my name, confirm my address and then ...  mobile phone number....

Ok, do you see what is missing here?  There was no mention of cost by the caller...  and.. why would I give my mobile number to a stranger?

"How much will that cost me?
"..  Oh.... that is a very good question.  Just let me explain... once you register with us, it will block all telemarketing calls, charity etc etc and you will only receive calls from your friends and relatives.."

"Ok...  how much will that cost me?
Knowing he can't get away with it....  "that will only costs you $49.95 and it will block all telelmarketing calls..... "

Sigh......... 
- He has just wasted my and his time;
- It is real hard work for telemarketers.  He must have made so many calls and getting impatient;
- By the way... I still don't know which company he calls from;

Typical response to telemarketing calls is "No thanks, I am not interested".  Worst of all, probably just hang up the phone.
So, does telemarketing really work?
With so many scam out there, I will suggest not to give out your details, and be careful before engaging the service, when we have no idea of the caller.

Even if I remember the company, we don't even know whether he actually comes from the company he claims.

So.... think twice before engaging the service.

Photo of Trees - EP 1

Ever wish you have your camera in hand when sitting in the car?