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Pod structures can assist businesses in creating change, specialisation and team accountability if implemented correctly, two industry experts explain.
Di Jones Real Estate general manager Kylie Walsh said there is no right or wrong structure when it comes to property management, but she found pods useful for restructuring her business.
“The first thing I did was introduce pods, so I could see where the holes were. Within about two days, the problems came to the surface,” she told the PPM National Property Managers Conference.
According to Ms Walsh, a pod structure allows team members to specialise in different aspects of the business.
“The disadvantage is that sometimes you get clients who don’t like to talk to more than one person,” she said.
“But if it’s rolled out and integrated properly, then the landlord should only be talking to the senior and the junior should only be talking to the tenant.”
Ms Walsh also noted that there is nowhere for team members to hide within a pod structure.
LJ Hooker network performance manager Amy Sanderson agreed that accountability is prevalent in a pod structure.
“There is that whole team aspect, so you don’t have to do as many activities since you have other teammates that have other responsibilities,” she said.
However, Ms Sanderson said that communication issues can emerge within a pod structure if it’s not run properly. “Often the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing,” she added.
Ms Sanderson said the most important thing is no so much which structure is used but that all team members understand their responsibilities.
“This is where a job description kicks in – it gives everyone clarity about their role, it gives the rest of the team clarity on what everyone else does, and that helps maintain a level of consistency,” she said.
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