Why Speed Racer Should Run Strata Buildings

or, why strata faster isn’t just better, it’s necessary …

A Quick Take

Things in strata move slowly.  But, strata delays have many obvious [and a few less than obvious] consequences that have been holding the strata sector back for a long time. Many features of modern society, technological change, lifestyle, etc are increasing pressure on everything to move faster; including for strata buildings, committees, managers, owners, etc.  So, we need to be like Speed Racer and Go Go Go  …

[a 6:25 minute read, with 1219 words]

The Full Article

INTRODUCTION

A few strata truisms include the following.

• The most likely decision to be made in a strata building is to defer it.

• Meetings have long lead times and action paths.

• Strata reporting happens well after the event/s occur.

• There’s not much forward planning and even less implementation.

All of which is characteristic of the [slow] pace of most strata activities.

Sometimes that’s necessary and appropriate because strata owners need adequate notice of meetings, time is needed to get advice about issues, it takes time for inspections or physical work to happen, or, they can’t pay strata levies immediately.  

But often there’s no good reason why things should happen slowly.  There’s no problem with strata stuff happening straight away and, I’m certain that would be better in almost all cases.

So, strata stakeholders need to be more like Speed Racer in relation to strata building activities, feel some strata urgency and energy, and Go Go Go !

THINGS IN STRATA MOVE SLOWLY

So, why don’t things happen faster in strata buildings? 

Here are just a few of the reasons I can think of.

There’s a lack of resources at strata building operational levels that mean enough just can’t get done; so it’s done slowly including:

• not enough money available to the building to pay for things,

• paying managers too little to get more management buy in,

• too few active committee members to make decisions or liaise with

• too few or overworked management staff to action things,

• not enough or over-busy contractors or advisors who have slow turnaround times, and

• more.

The legacy systems and processes in strata buildings, in strata management businesses, with strata sector regulators, and for service providers are under designed, not systematised, paper based, run on old technology, or are just slow.

This happens because of traditions, systematisation of processes, internal inertia and resistance to change. It also occurs when these organisations are paid or charge too little and/or are under-resourced [both of which are linked in a vicious cycle].

So, strata mindsets and activity rhythms have developed and get reinforced where everyone gets used to a way and speed of doing things that becomes the unofficial norm.  For instance, once a strata meeting is notified everything that’s on the meeting agenda stops whilst waiting for the decisions, or when emails have auto responses saying they’ll get answered in 48 hours, or, that invoices and payments are processed on each second Friday only.

Sometimes strata stakeholders also use delays to control things by slowing down progress as a general deterrent to initiatives, by speeding things up that are preferred, using delays to gather opposition or support, etc.

From time to time there’s also a deliberate strategy of saving money by deferring strata activities and thereby expenses] so that less gets done each cycle.

And, occasionally delays occur because of maliciousness between strata stakeholders.

BUT, SOMETIMES THINGS HAPPEN QUICKLY

However, in emergencies, strata buildings and strata stakeholders can move fast. 

For instance, when Opal Tower had to be evacuated on Xmas Eve 2018 due to structural problems, it happened, the structural issues were resolved and the residents returned within 12 months [read more about that here] even though they still had other defects to resolve [read more about that here too].

If you think about strata activities, after the basic and routine strata administrative jobs [records, levying, receipting, payments, mandatory meetings, insurance, reporting, and day-to-day maintenance] are done everything else strata buildings deal with are minor or major unexpected things [like emergencies] such as building faults and breakdowns, random damage, internal or external disputes, regulator contact, etc, etc.

So, why not approach all non-routine strata activities like emergencies with a sense of urgency and speed?

I know it’s challenging for all the reasons set out above.  Plus, it involves cultural and organisational change and adaptation using the following techniques and strategies.

GETTING STRATA SPEED, WITH QUALITY

Making changes to adapt to new and more challenging business and social environments requiring speed with quality involves the mindset of ‘getting things done fast and well’.

Strata speed brings many positive outcomes like greater strata owner and service provider responsiveness, enhanced capabilities in strata buildings and managers, cost efficiencies, higher strata business revenues and/or value for money, and improvements in strata lot values. Plus, speedy strata buildings and strata organisations will have a higher sense of purpose and improved organisational health and resilience.

Additionally, changes need to be hardwired into new operating models so they last and don’t revert to old behaviours.

So, here are 9 suggested strategies about how strata buildings and strata organisations can do it.

Rethink ways of working

1.     Speed up and delegate decision making with:

• Fewer meetings

• Fewer decision makers

• Less meeting preparation

• Shorter briefing materials

• Shorter cycles [from annual to quarterly; quarterly to monthly; monthly to weekly]

• Assign more non-critical things

• Tolerate mistakes that don’t sink the ship

2.     Set up execution excellence with and by:

• Empower staff and others to act

• Staff and others taking on more responsibility for execution, action and collaboration

• Leaders assigning responsibility

• Organisations defining and expecting excellence

• Introduce ‘closed-loop’ accountability

• Follow up on actions and results

• Align rewards and recognition to speed and excellence

3.     Cultivate extraordinary partnerships and relationships by:

• Working with existing partners to get parallel change happening

• Finding new partners doing the same

• Define and expect improvements

• Reciprocate with your own changes and improvements

• Develop closer ties and trust via information and knowledge sharing

Reimagine structure

4.     Flatten the structure with:

• More people doing

• Less people deciding, managing and reporting

• Less hierarchies

• Flatter structures

• Dynamic teams working in networks

• Real time collaboration and co-location [including virtually]

• Develop excellence centres

5.     Unleash nimble empowered teams with:

• Smaller teams, but more of them

• Cross discipline and function teams

• More specific team missions with outcome focii

• ‘Agile’ processes so things start sooner and change as required

• Shorter team lives or mission durations

6.     Make hybrid work, work by:

• Understanding that many more people will work in hybrid ways

• Developing a mix of work options [in person, with colleagues on site, with colleagues off site, off site alone, etc]

• Understanding the benefits and issues of working options

• Having intentional policies, technology, and working norms

• Converting space resources into technology and people

Reshape talent

7.     Field tomorrow’s leaders today:

• Observe people to find the next leaders

• That can make decisions and execute rapidly

• Who can take on challenges and lead

• Who can persevere during uncertainty

• And, move those people to better roles quickly

8.     Learn how to learn to:

• Embrace adaptability and the ability to keep learning

• Know when skills have expired and discard them

• Create learning content and resources

• Teach more

• Develop critical thinking skills in people

9.     Rethink the leaders’ roles by:

• Moving from command and control to developing and unleashing teams

• Leaders energising, empowering and unblocking things

• Communicating the link between actions and purpose

• Becoming visionary

• Being passionate

• Giving and sharing energy

CONCLUSIONS

We’ve been doing strata slow for over 50 years.  And arguably it’s getting slower [and slower] whilst the rest of the world and the people in it are moving faster.

So, let’s seize the moment to reimagine and reinvent a few things in strata title and embrace strata fast. 

The slowest strata performers will benefit enormously from even small changes.  Those making big changes will reap massive rewards.  And, even well-run strata buildings, top performing strata businesses, and the best strata stakeholders can find ways to reinvent themselves and improve, more than once.

Strata winning in modern times favours the bold, and the speedy, strata stakeholders.

January 11, 2024

Francesco ...