Working Collaboratively

1. Definition of working collaboratively  

This refers to the practice of solving problems collectively as opposed to working individually that would lead to competition and dominating others. In this case, organisations or people join forces together and work towards achieving a common goal.

1. Traditional Way of Departmental

One of the traditional ways in which organisation departments would be associated is the simple design structure. This type of association has low departmentalisation and has wide spans of control. In this case, the owner is more powerful than the rest and hence, low teamwork. Each department works all alone.

1. Phrases referring to Effective Collaboration
2. “Putting our heads together.”
3. “Leave your tools at the door.”
4. Workplace Collaboration Potential Risks
5. It is time-consuming
6. It leads to a lack of flexibility in the working practices

• It is sometimes complex to make a decision in a group

1. It may lead to mission drift, i.e. diverting energy and resources away from the primary goals and objectives
2. It may damage or dilute the organisation’s brand image and reputation
3. In some instances, collaboration turns out unsuccessful and hence, leads to waste of resources  
4. Types of Agreements
5. Joint working:  This refers to the agreement that covers all rules guiding a collaborative working  
6. Partnership agreement: This refers to a contract between the involved parties which outlines the terms and conditions of how the collaboration will work  

• Intellectual property Agreement: This is an agreement among the parties to use intellectual property   

1. Memorandum of Agreement: This refers to a legally binding document that provides obligations and commitments in details of what the parties involved are supposed to do.
2. Joint venture: This is where two or more entities come together to work on a project    
3. Advantages of Working Collaboratively
4. Collaborative working inspires creativity
5. Working collaboratively enables one to receive support from other group members in case a need arises.

• It provides an opportunity for sharing of knowledge and skills

1. It improves productivity because it removes the boredom of working all alone especially when handling complex tasks.
2. It provides an opportunity for combining strengths and also promotes personal growth. It is possible to share abilities when working collaboratively.   

1. The Group Culture

The culture of this group can be said that it’s more like control power. The top manager says it all. It is not a collaborative culture; rather, the team leader wants to prove that he knows everything and he can do whatever he wants. As for the team members, most of them do not have respect o authority. The gentleman who was tasked to create the home page did not respect the order. The team also does not own the company vision. This is evident by the gentleman who, instead of concentrating on what needs to be done, he is thinking of his wedding anniversary.   

1. a)  Group Reaction  

Christopher Khoo who was tasked to design the home page would probably say that he wants to go away and that he would need more time. Yvonne Lim would receive the news positively. She is fast, and as shown in the case study, she had already finished the tasks he had been given. Rachel Boey, on the other hand, would complain that she still has some workload and hence, will need more time.

1. b)  Response to Resistance to Change

The first step I would take is to find out the reasons behind the resistance. This can be achieved by calling on the employees and discuss the issues by encouraging them to open up and talk. The next step I would take is to deal with the employees’ attitudes. The resistance is attributed to the employees’ attitudes. I would encourage them to think in different ways and also explain to them the benefits of the change.   

1. a)  Culture Changes to be done as an IT Manager  

I would try to cultivate a collaborative culture; a culture where people respect other’s ideas and acknowledge the fact that people come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives.

1. b)  Steps to bring the Change

I would call for a meeting of all the employees working under myself. I will then explain the need for having an inclusive culture; a culture that respects people’s opinions. I will then conduct some training to teach my team about teamwork and equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge about team spirit.

1. Brief Resume

I have worked as an IT assistant

I have worked as an intern in an IT firm

I have worked in an advertising agency as a web developer

I am currently pursuing my bachelor’s degree in IT

1. Work Area and SFIA Skills Level

The sub-category of IT I am interested in is software development. I would like to work in a software development firm.

I believe I can attain SFIA level 5 and the skills are described as below:

Autonomy: The ability to work without any supervision

Influence: The ability to influence the organization, suppliers, customers and partners as well as peers. The ability to build effective business projects and deliver an outcome

Complexity: I can handle various complex tasks in various areas.

Business skills: I would like to be able to advise on the methods, tools, standards and applications of the software that I will be developing.

Leadership: I would like to be able to foster collaboration within my team.

• ACS certification

I would like to achieve the following certifications

• Cyber Security
• CP & CT
• Safety Critical Systems

1. Networking

I would like to establish professional networks that would enable me to develop my career and personal growth. I would like to achieve ACS certification after which I will be able to work safely. I would also establish networks with renowned IT firms. This will help me get some career tips that will help me in my professional growth and career ladder.

Q&A 9: Australian Privacy Principles — A Summary for APP Entities

The APP entities outline the obligations of the APPs that would ensure the privacy of the information of its users. They are listed from APP entity 1 to 13. They are thirteen in total, and each serves its purpose or provides specific guidelines on how privacy is to be maintained.

The first APP Entity holds that information should be handled in an open and transparent manner by revealing the information regarding the APP updates. There is also the aspect of anonymity where the information of users should not be disclosed to any third party without the owner’s consent. This will include personal information. In an instance where the APP wants to take personal information, the user should be informed. The APP entities also outlines the circumstances under which the APP may want to collect personal information and the purpose will also be clearly stated. The APP entity also outlines the strategies it will take to protect the information and in the case where government entity wants to collect the information, the user will be informed. The APP entities are responsible for collecting quality and accurate information about their users and must take reasonable steps to protect the information under any circumstance to avoid being misused. The APP entity also outlines the steps that an individual should take when s/he wants to access their personal information. Many APP entities provide the requirements to do this, some of which may need one to input some login details such as username and password. In APP 13, it provides the obligations of the APP entity to correct any personal information that an entity has about individuals.        

1. The circumstance under which a Company can have Exclusive Rights to Employee Knowledge

The company or employer can have exclusive rights to the employee knowledge only if the employee has signed intellectual property rights agreement with the employer during the time of hiring.  

1. Conditions under which neither the Knowledge Engineer nor Expert is Liable

The knowledge engineer or expert has the responsibility to choose the expert and ensure the accuracy and reliability of the system. They will be held reliable unless they are an employee of the organisation.

1. Liability when Expert System is off-the-shelf or sold to a lot of Clients without modification

The user will be held reliable. Off-the-shelf products are not verified and hence not certified. These products may not have the required features and hence, make the user liable.  

1. Liability if the Hospital bought the Expert System

In this case, contract law will be applied where a tort law will be applied. A tort must be established in order to hold either the company or the expert and knowledge engineer liable.

1. When a user fails to use available Expert System

If the user fails to use the expert system that is readily available, then s/he will be held liable for any mistake.

1. Confidence in writing Rules of the Case Study

Given a chance, I would be confident to write some rules to cover this case study. Especially the rules regarding the liability. Sometimes it can be hard sometimes to establish a proof of negligence. If I have enough time, I will do thorough research and read enough materials that will enable me to craft rules that will provide proper guidelines in details. I will also read enough court cases that are similar so that I can have a broad view of establishing liability.