Can't All You Architects Just Get Along

"Can't All You Architects Just Get Along?"



Even in the best-run, most successful architectural firms, petty grievances and minor annoyances can cause the company to lose time and money and for people to become burnt-out on their jobs. Many architectural firms are scheduling getaways or retreats to encourage their architects and staff to work out any problems they may be having away from their everyday work environment. One New York City architect, Dennis Wedlick, AIA, offers his staff a company retreat twice a year, the first one around the holidays for his six senior associates, and a summer retreat for all 21 of his staff. He has designated these retreats as "dream sessions," and they may be a simple picnic or a working meeting with an outside consultant conducting it. Whichever format, these retreats are a way for people, even if they have just joined the firm, to explore and share their ambitions.



Every so often, Wedlick hires an outside consultant to organize and package an improvement plan for the firm. The staff members write down suggestions about ways to improve the firm and the consultant organizes, sorts the ideas, and comes up with a preliminary improvement plan, with specific actions for the entire firm. Wedlick says that the success of the firm is largely due to these individual ideas and the resulting action plans generated by these dream sessions, whether it's entering a competition in design, developing a protocol for client interaction, or building green. Wedlick is more that just a figurehead at these retreats; he tries to participate in every event that is planned. "I try to make my participation as equal as everyone else's, so whatever they're doing," he says, "there's no hierarchy in these dream sessions."



Not everyone approached these company retreats and getaways the same way. San Francisco architect, Dan Phipps, AIA, says that it is not his style to hire an outside consultant to facilitate the retreat, saying it's just too "impersonal." His small firm of just six employees may not need the added benefits of outside professionals to push the firm in the right direction. However, Phipps says that five years ago, everyone in the staff was doing their own thing and seemed not to be able to focus as a group. So, he booked the nearby Green Gulch Farm Zen Center for a day to play with their families in a relaxed atmosphere.

The main problem with Phipps' firm is the same one that plagues most small firms. With a rather small, flat organizational structure, everyone in the firm was confused about who was suppose to do what in the day to day running of the firm. This was mainly a problem in communication, so Phipps asked everyone at the retreat to talk about their strengths and interests. Phipps says that architects are versatile professionals. At the retreat, he was trying to allow everyone a chance to define what being an architect meant to them.



As the day progressed, everything began to fall into place. Some people said that they loved dealing with clients, while others clearly did not. Some said that their strength was in resolving construction-related problems, while others admitted that this area was a weakness for them. Phipps say, "There were some who essentially said, 'Give me my visor and a cup of coffee and leave me alone to design,'" Each person at the retreat began to reveal the character that had been hidden in the office. Phipps had a clear picture, after the retreat how each architect and staff member would work in the office infrastructure.