Engagement gives coordination a third dimension

Published on March 2, 2020 within Blog

Coordination within urban building & community development projects is an ever-present topic and most seem to agree that it benefits all parties. Nevertheless, we rarely achieve the desired effects. Through well-functioning coordination, a project can become economically advantageous while generating other synergies for long-term yet adaptable urban environments. All it takes is a little extra commitment!

For three months, we have worked with high intensity and creativity within Ekan to find the questions and answers that can create the incentives needed for a project to invest enough in coordination. This is to achieve new, challenging and sustainable results for tomorrow's communities. Together with the other two dimensions, common target and trust, the coordination model becomes a solid support for all parties to a social project - both private and public. Here are some thoughts on the third dimension of the concept, commitment:

• Commitment gives birth to commitment! So with a little enthusiasm, joy, creativity and will you trigger the surroundings who also want to contribute and have fun at work. If you have also created the conditions through a common, well-established, goal image and a team with trust in each other, it is easier to engage without fear because the others want in another direction or they do not understand what drives me. In concrete terms, you need to agree to spend a few hours regularly looking after the coordination of the project and take turns to be the driving party towards common success.
• An effort for future generations. An urban development project can take a long time. Sometimes up to 10 years from detailed planning through construction to life on streets and squares. A lot can happen on the road; new elected representatives at municipal, regional and state level, new ideas about centralized or decentralized social functions (school, care, etc.) and constant financial re-prioritization. All this we can overcome by continuously reminding each other within the project of our common goals and control processes, while at the same time we regularly present ideas on how we refine or change our way towards project delivery. Even a huge project of 10 years is relatively short if you look at the life cycle of society. Neighborhoods and service locations will exist for their residents, commuting and visitors for hundreds of years and what we call projects may be 2, 5 or possibly 10% of its life cycle.

In society, a number of parallel ground investigations, feasibility studies, building projects and densification planning are constantly underway, which creates a complex business context for all actors. Contributing to each project's target image and then "running on" and monitoring the own organization's interests and financial incentives may seem sufficient, but we can do better! If we continue to work in parallel, we will miss out on all the fantastic synergies that coordination can give rise to. Everything from lower costs and sustainable transport to IoT properties and large-scale serial production of real estate modules in the factory.

In short, a common goal image and trust is not enough. We need engage us in running projects together and / or alternately.

Ekan's goal in urban building and community development is to create a model that provides concrete support for coordination. A model that stakeholders, construction companies, municipalities and property owners can feel at home in and secure with. Follow our work and the launch of the coordination work model in the spring.

Are you interested in the coordination issues, maybe you want support for an upcoming project, or are you in a project that needs some support to reduce friction? Then we are happy to help!

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At Ekan Management, we work daily and professionally to support and develop organizations in a time of constantly changing conditions. We contribute in business review, process analysis, management models, change management, digitization and portfolio management in real estate, social development and other industries. Welcome to get in touch!