Offside
Limelight

Tânia Calçada and Hélder Fontes, Carlos Moreira and Margarida Gonçalves

Free Nonsense

"I never imagined that at the institute (INESC TEC) I would have the opportunity to get to know and talk to the people whose articles I had read and admired...", Paola Soto Rojas (UESP)

Have your say

"My story in Portugal begins on a sunny day in February 2011. I can still remember the last moments of that freaky flight from Tehran (Iran) to Lisbon. When the plane landed, I had no idea of what was awaiting me." Samaneh Khoshrou (UTM)

Gallery of the Uncommon

It was in INESC TEC’s canteen that an impressive fire would reveal a well hidden secret. Eye witnesses reveal an incredible story: a super hero, whose identity remains hidden (or is it?)...

Jobs 4 the Boys & Girls

In this section, the reader may find reference to public announcements made by INESC Porto offering grants, contracts and other opportunities of the same kind.

Where are you now?

Every month INESC TEC sends highly qualified individuals into the market...

Biptoon

More scenes of how life goes merrily on...

Subscribe to the BIP
 
 

Tradition makers and cohesion builders

Tradition makers and cohesion builders

According to Major Brendan B. McBreen there are four types of cohesion: “horizontal cohesion among peers, vertical cohesion from subordinate to leader, organisational cohesion” (within an institution) “and societal cohesion” [1] (between an institution and its society).

If history and traditions are the building blocks of organisational cohesion, who is the builder? The answer is the managers and leaders; theirs are the visions that fabricate cohesion. So cohesion comes from a common culture: but living culture does not exist without work.

At INESC TEC the dramatic growth highlighted by the Scientific Advisory Board has brought many challenges. The great forces that result from the size of the institute are accumulating. With 600 collaborators and 200 PhD holders there are potentially 200 leaders with 200 different opinions. There are two universities and polytechnics and five faculties that all play an active role. This means there are multiple individuals and it potentially opens the way for niches of interest that would not easily survive in smaller organisations. If left undetected, these niches that are camouflaged by the size of INESC TEC could lead to the breakdown of cohesion.

They cannot be allowed to survive; the leaders must become cohesion builders.

All of the Unit managers at INESC TEC must understand the huge advantages that INESC TEC’s size can bring. It can mean increased inter-group and inter-unit cooperation, for example. The number of activities and projects with inter-unit cooperation can be an objective and visible indicator of cohesion and successful management should be measured using this indicator. Unit managers and research leaders must therefore become successful trend setters or tradition makers.

Fortunately, we have good news. Cohesion is becoming more and more visible at INESC TEC. The “Best Case” project submitted for the ON2 will play a key role in strengthening this cohesion so we hope it is approved.

This cohesion comes from a tradition of cooperation and it will inevitably become a powerful force; we will be able to respond to huge multidisciplinary challenges and that is what we were born to do.

 

[1]Major Brendan B. McBreen, "Improving Unit Cohesion: The First Step in Improving Marine Corps Infantry Battalion Capabilities", report in partial fulfillment of the requirements for The Commandant of the Marine Corps National Fellowship Program, USA, May 2002