Tile installations date back to 2500 BC – yes, BC. People discovered that if you take natural clay and mix with minerals, heat them to extreme temperatures then allow them to cool, you end up with the world’s first honey-do task – maybe. Tile has proven to be the most versatile decorative finish that humans have engineered, in fact silica tile is used to protect the space shuttle as it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere. This monograph will offer an abridged but accurate description of a two tile types that are used in retail environments, ceramic and porcelain.

Though the terms are often used interchangeably, they are in fact different. To add to this confusion, Ceramic is also the term used to define the entire set of inorganic materials prepared by heating and cooling, which includes ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles. For sake of clarity, when the term ceramic is used to reference the tile type (subset), it will not be underlined.

Constituents of Ceramic & and Porcelain tile types-

Much like concrete, tiles are a mixture of materials found in the Earth’s crust.

Clay + sand + feldspar + minerals + water comprise the bulk of the mixture for both ceramic and porcelain.

Differences between Porcelain tile and Ceramic tiles-

Porcelain tile contains a higher ratio of feldspar and lower ratio of clay than ceramic. Feldspar (pictured) is a silicate mineral which is both hard and can withstand high temperatures. Another difference between ceramic and porcelain are the pressures used to prepare them. Porcelain tile types are made using higher pressures – resulting in a harder surface. As a general rule, porcelain tiles are harder than ceramic. In addition, the porosity of the porcelain tile is less, providing better stain resistance than ceramics. Porcelain tiles are ideal for exterior applications.

To glaze or not to glaze-

Both tile types come in glazed and unglazed finishes. Glazing is an added step in the manufacturing process which involves the coating of the unbaked tile with a glass like film. To do this, extreme temperatures are used, and the glaze penetrates into the bulk of the unbaked tile (bisque) – sealing and encapsulating the tile, rendering it relatively impervious. The higher the luster of a tile, the greater the stain resistance. Although a performance benefit, glazed tile can be an end use disadvantage as it is slippery and will highlight an uneven floor or wall surface.

Mortar and grout-

Mortar is the term used to describe the cementitious compound in which the tiles are set. Once the tiles are set in the mortar, the mortar cures and mechanically locks the tiles in place. The width between each tile is the grout line. In America, these are spaced between 1/16” – 3/4”. Grout selection is made based on the desired width, as well as environment. For small widths (less than 1/8”), a non sanded grout should be used. Between 1/8” – 1/4”, a finely sanded grout works best and coarser grouts for widths greater that 1/4”. In harsh environments, epoxy resins can be added to the grout to provide sealed and chemically resistant spacing.

How can leadership structure enhance organizational clarity?

Creating the Leadership Team on the organizational chart is important in building organizational clarity. Here are specific basic disciplines of business:

• Sales/Marketing
• HR
• Operations
• Technology
• Finance/Admin

Businesses may have some of these broken out separately, or combine others as their business size and needs dictate. These roles are typically filled by people with strong organizational skills, as they are responsible for reporting verified information to the CEO. These are present in most every organization, even companies with under 5 employees.

What is the missing piece?

Most companies, however, miss the role that I call the “Creative Thinker”. This is a responsibility that goes to someone that is curious and can ponder and think outside of ordinary thought lines. They are usually the person or team that the CEO delegates R&D projects to. Here is a sample of what this role would play in a company:

• The company wants to expand its offerings by exploring different opportunities. The Creative Thinker researches the market, assesses the opportunity and provides a report to the executive team on their findings.
• The company wants to improve one of its processes. The Creative Thinker can research the dangers of keeping things as is, assess the opportunities for improvement, and provide a report to the executive team on their findings, without the bias of having to execute the changes.
• The sales team wants to present its offerings to a potential client. The Creative Thinker can demonstrate expertise in an area of focus without pushing the services offered. This unbiased expertise presented strengthens the presentation.

How do I get it?

Here are the first steps to bringing this structure into your company:

• Identify the traits and skill set needed for this role
• Create the initial project list for this role by identifying opportunities and dangers the company would like to research.
• Review your current personnel to see if anyone can fill the role. If nobody is capable, look to hire someone for the role.
• Once hired, include this person on your executive team so they can be up to speed on everything within the company, giving them insight on things that will help them be more effective in their responsibilities.
• Ensure this person lives and breathes your values, mission, and purpose. 

This structure will prove to be key in developing a world class organization. It reinforces organizational clarity, helping keep the company on its desired course.

How can approach to business enhance organizational clarity?

Our company uses the Verus Methodology of business management. One of its principles is that an organization must leverage clarity to operate optimally. There are multiple components to a business structure that can enhance this organizational clarity. They include: Business Strategy, Internal Communications, and Leadership/Executive Team Structure. When effectively leveraged, a company can enjoy a clear sense of direction and operate in great alignment.

How can strategy enhance organizational clarity?

A business needs to know its purpose, vision, goals, and core values. The purpose helps define the reason for being. The vision is what we aspire to be. The goals are intermediate points that are met during the life of the business. The core values are the boundaries that underline the behavior of people within the business, a set of constraints. 

When the business manages through its strategy, the team goals are clear, and management is able to keep the team accountable to them. It is important for the core values and purpose to come through in the way the business operates. It can become the thing that energizes employees to excel. 

This must be the central piece that unifies the company. This needs to be the common thread shared by all employees, and all things need to align with it.

How do I get it?

Here are the first steps to building a strategy for your business:

1. Examine the purpose of the business. Why does the company exist? Ask “Why?” multiple times and when you cannot ask it anymore, you are close to your purpose. This is typically the purpose of the founder of the company. This is not an easy thing to identify. There will need to be a lot of reflection by the founder and revisit the things that helped shape their perspective. The critical junctures in their life helped influence this purpose. Once identified, it will become magnetic to the people you need to attract. 
2. Identify your vision – what you are trying to become. Here is an example: Dell computer’s was “To become the IBM of the 21st Century”.
3. Identify your core values. Be careful to not focus on marketing catch phrases. These need to be things that will not change, and that you would be willing to suffer financial losses to hold true to them. You also must be willing to fire someone because of violation of them. They should be a couple of words each. Simple statements of a theme. You can support it with information, but the statement needs to be fast. Examples can include “Keep promises”. Then support that with “We keep promises to each other, to our vendors, and to our clients…”
4. Document it.
5. Preach it, teach it, post it, live it, and reinforce it. The strategy needs to be visible everywhere in the company, in the way it operates, manages, markets, etc. 
6. Hire people who have the desired skill set and align with the strategy.

This approach to strategy will give the company a sense of direction and deliver organizational clarity. This will allow the company to look at action and structure and measure it against the strategy, helping keep the company focused on what it is trying to accomplish.