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Title-Management and Architecture: Changing Paradigms of

the Profession

By

Prof. Anju Kumar

Assistant Professor

Indus Business Academy

Lakshmipura, Kanakpura main Road,

Bangalore-560062

Email: anjukumar11@gmail.com

anjuiba@yahoo.in

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Abstract

All fine architectural values are human values, else not

valuable- Frank Lloyd Wright

The architectural profession is going through a

paradigm shift. Demands and opportunities have

changed and so has the expectations of the

society. The architectural fraternity shares

ideas, finds solutions and builds innovations in

terms of collaborating with the various

subsystems of the built environment practice.

Interpersonal intelligence in terms of client

interaction, communication skills and other

management skills are used by people belonging

to this practice, since every single edifice

which comes into existence has the effort of

many collaborative teams. Design cannot be

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restricted to one set of variables. Designers

today not only need to be experts in form,

aesthetics and function , they also need to take

a diverse viewpoint in trying to achieve

competency through team work and be accountable

through communication and collaboration.

People management and business understanding are

the focus areas of the profession which need to

be addressed in today’s globalized economy. The

challenge of teamwork in the architectural

profession is worth pondering on. Communicating

ideas about design that will be understandable,

accessible, and convincing to everyone,

professionals and laypeople alike is another

challenge. People management practices determine

the success or failure of any business firm.

Negotiation skills and how effective

negotiations can convert an idea into an edifice

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is another aspect which needs to be deliberated

on. Design comprises of individual differences,

representations and approaches. Understanding

the emotions of others and the ability to

manipulate one’s own emotions in situations is

nothing but emotional intelligence. In todays

globalized economy, having intelligence is not

enough ;it has to be supplemented by emotional

intelligence, to be successful and to create a

competitive edge. Green buildings and

sustainability are the two buzzwords we often

come across in the profession Organizationally,

globalization and higher international

integration is likely to change the profession

at various levels. The paper tries to look at

the various people management challenges which

exist within the profession.

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1.Introduction

The word Architecture is derived from the Greek

word Architeckton, archi meaning chief and

teckton meaning builder, carpenter or mason.

Architecture is both the process and product of

planning, designing and construction.

Architecture is often described as an art as

well as craft, as a social science as well as

engineering. With his design, an architect

caters to the functional, technical, aesthetic,

social and environmental considerations of a

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building. The profession has grown out of the

human needs for shelter and space.

An architectural firm is one which hires one or

more licensed architects and practices the

profession of architecture. An architectural

firm can be organized around various functions

and structures as in around clients, around

project types, studios, geographies, services

and around principals. The most popular type of

structure is that which is organized around

principals. There is one Principal architect who

owns the firm and who also plays a leadership

role in the firm. An administrative manager

links the project managers, project architects,

the junior and senior architects and the

draftsmen. The administrative role includes,

finance, human resources, marketing and

secretarial functions.

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Fig 1 The organizational chart of a typical

architectural firm

The design process, in a low volume high variety

process of the architectural practice starts

with a thorough site analysis. The conditions of

the site tend to influence the design. The site

analysis covers topics such as physical site

conditions, prevailing winds, street grids as in

orientation of the site with respect to the

roads, circulation, views, and neighborhood

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character. This leads to the sketches stage,

wherein on the basis of the site study and the

concept in mind, a design is conceived. The

projects, program, budget and schedule are

incorporated at this point. A scheme is now

arrived at. The project manager takes over from

here to translate these sketches into actual

plans with the help of smartdraw/autocad. The

client has to be brought along, beside every

step of the process. It is important to make the

client feel that their input is welcome and the

design is a malleable one. Once the schematic

drawings are firmed up, the design development

phase begins wherein the detailing of the design

commences. As a service profession, Architecture

serves through its consultations and design,

incorporating high quality into products called

as buildings. Customers here are real, with real

needs, and just like all other economic sectors,

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both designers and customers face several people

management challenges.

Fig 2 The Design Process of an Architectural

practice

1.1 Paradigms of the Profession

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Conceptual ideation and problem solving, in

short describes the skills of an architect. The

profession is called the creative think-tank.

Everywhere and every day, architecture touches

human beings at all levels of their existence.

This is the only discipline, which encompasses

the four major fields of human endeavor:

Humanities, Science, Art, and Technology,

actually putting into practice the professional

inputs drawn from them. In sum, Architecture is

the medium of human civilization - an authentic

measure of the social status, and an evocative

expression of the philosophy of an era. Design

and the resulting production of aesthetic value

were seen as the most important item on the

agenda. Profits and general business matters

were seen as secondary. (Kornberger, Kreiner,

Clegg-2011) When reconstructing past pictures of

earlier civilizations of ruins it becomes

archeology, upon conservation, it becomes10

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heritage. As with some other arts, the

development and practice of architecture

embraces both aesthetic and utilitarian ends;

these ends may be distinguished from each other

but not separated completely, furthermore, the

relative weight given to each end, purpose, or

motif, may vary widely from one architectural

project or work of art to another. (Alomar)

Creating a meaningful built environment and

serving the multifarious activities of human

beings by meeting their specific needs is the

primary function of an architect. When various

engineering services are rationally combined

with Architecture's basic elements of Space,

Structure and Form, the performance of human

functions and the operation of mechanical

utilities become efficient, pleasant and

fulfilling. The profession is regulated by the

code of conduct or the rules of the professional

practice. The Council of Architecture has11

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prescribed the Conditions of Engagement and

Scale of Charges under the Architects

(Professional Conduct) Regulations.

1.2 People challenges and the Architectural

profession

From inception to conception, architects have to

adapt and adopt to teamwork to ensure success .

The smallest of projects requires a team of two

and the teams and collaborations can expand upto

ten or more. Hence to obtain best results, it is

good to build good interpersonal relationships.

When different people view a problem, different

solutions come up, and they tend to view the

problem from different perspectives, which would

be a good point for creative and innovative

solutions. Teamwork is essential to the

architectural process. It takes a client to

commission and pay for a project, and it takes a

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contractor to build it. The ability to

articulate your ideas in a way that they can be

put to use by others is an absolute prerequisite

for success. The only real power the architect

has is the power of persuasion in terms of

negotiations. The success of any building

depends on the team work of individuals from

different backgrounds such as, architects,

engineers, sub-contractors, consultants,

suppliers, investors and of course the key

player as the client. Being the leader of the

team, the verbal communication skills of

architects shall be strong enough to be able to

co-ordinate, interpret and resolve queries

between the team members. Creative and highly

sophisticated state-of-the-art architectural

projects call for the engagement of the most

specialized talent and highest form of

technological achievement available (Alomar)

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Enormous written and verbal information in the

form of drawings, sketches, calculations,

digital data, etc is required throughout the

building process. Thus communication skills are

essential to clarify doubts, ambiguities,

suggestions and comments.Strategic designers

need to adapt a process which considers

accountability, collaboration and

thoughtfulness. As with some other arts, the

development and practice of architecture

embraces both aesthetic and utilitarian ends;

these ends may be distinguished from each other

but not separated completely, furthermore, the

relative weight given to each end, purpose, or

motif, may vary widely from one architectural

project or work of art to another. (Alomar)

It might seem surprising that an architecture

firm should regard the outcome of their work as

‘ideas and narratives’, rather than buildings

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( Kornberger, Kreiner, Clegg-2011)The architect

plays the role of a binding agent between all

the stakeholders of the profession. Teamwork and

collaboration skills need to be developed.

Therefore he needs exceptional communication

skills to be able to articulate successfully

amongst the team. To be able to coordinate,

interpret, understand and resolve queries

requires good communication skills.

The design process as the core of the

architectural work has often been described by

different scholars, for example as a process of

making (Schön 1991), as experimental in nature

and a trial-and-error approach (van Schaik

2005), as ‘learning by doing’ phenomenon where

the problem and solution emerge together (Lawson

2006), as neither procedural nor systematic, but

as a process where multiple alternative

solutions are simultaneously tested (Dursun

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2007).Negotiations occurs in business.it is a

dialogue between two or more individuals or

parties , intended to reach an understanding,

resolve point of difference, or gain advantage

in outcome of dialogue, to produce an agreement

upon courses of action, to bargain for

individual or collective advantage, to craft

outcomes to satisfy various interests of two

people/parties involved in negotiation process.

(Wikipedia)

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the

ability to perceive, control and evaluate

emotions. Emotional intelligence basically is

about self awareness, social awareness, self

management and social skills. According to

Daniel Goleman, EI is an important contributor

to success. Emotions are inextricably linked to

processes like decision- making, communication

and interaction(Suganthi,Samuel 2011)

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1.3 Objectives/ Focus areas

The objectives of this paper are,

1. To discuss certain focus areas pertaining

to management and relevant to the

architectural profession.

2. To identify aspects of managerial

attitudes and behaviors and to seek a

collaborative approach to enhance

performance.

3. To understand the needs of the client

and how to effectively communicate a design

solution

4. To identify elements such as dissolution

of conflict, teamwork, leadership challenges,

motivation and the practice of emotional

intelligence in a globalized economy in the

architectural profession and to identify and

discuss possible solutions for the same

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1.4 Methodology

Based on discussions which took place in a

workshop conducted by Indus Business Academy,

Bangalore, for architectural professionals,

certain issues and challenges were identified.

The workshop design was guided by responses to a

questionnaire circulated by email and some face

to face interviews with eminent architects.

Participative interaction and brainstorming were

the methodologies used. The people issues

addressed were teamwork, collaboration,

communication, negotiations and emotional

intelligence of the people belonging to the

profession and its implications on efficient

performance. The methodology for analysis would

be qualitative content analysis.

1.4.1 Qualitative research

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Qualitative research is a generic term for

investigative methodologies described as

ethnographic, naturalistic, anthropological,

field, or participant observer research. It

emphasizes the importance of looking at

variables in the natural setting in which they

are found. Interaction between variables is

important. Detailed data is gathered through

open ended questions that provide direct

quotations. The interviewer is an integral part

of the investigation (Jacob, 1988).The focus is

on design, and procedures to gain real, rich and

deep data. Uses subjective information and

participant observation to describe the context,

or natural setting, of the variables under

consideration, as well as the interactions of

the different variables in the context. It seeks

a wide understanding of the entire situation.

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1.5 Open Points

The interactions between the panelists and the

participants led to the identification of

certain challenges which could be outlined as

the following:

The successful completion of a building involves

contributions from several individuals such as

architects, engineers, sub-contractors,

consultants, suppliers, investors and of course

the key player who is the client. The various

stakeholders of the profession are represented

in the below diagram. Architects are constantly

interacting and communicating with the following

stakeholders who form the subsystems in the

profession. Every component in the diagram

comprise of people and definitely in interacting

with them, people skills and people management

practices have to be taken into account to make

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the practice a successful one and enhance

performance.

Fig 3 Stakeholders of the Architectural

Profession

1.5.1 Teamwork

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“No man is wise enough by himself.” (Plautus)

From inception to completion, the building

project goes through different phases. The

phases range from project initiation, wherein

the budget and needs of the client are

established through design development

documentation and building consent, to

construction and completion of a project. This

process may span between a few months to several

years depending on the scale of a project. The

architect has to work with several professionals

who include other team members, Project

managers, construction professionals, structural

engineers, surveyors and others. Therefore the

success of any building is a team effort from

the various stakeholders of the profession. A

team is more organized than a group; a team has

a leader and it involves several people working

together to achieve a common objective such as

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to create a product or deliver a service (Low,

2003)With regard to the degree of

centralization, primacy of employees,

organization of tasks around teams,

administrative task importance, source of power

based on skill, expertise and position and

technological readiness, architects and

contractors show similar orientations.(Ankrah,

Langford 2005).Although individualistic in

nature, teamwork needs to be given thought in

terms of creating synergy for the profession.

Encouraging team spirit in terms of rewards and

recognition have to be considered to motivate

the members.

1.5.2 Collaboration

Collaboration is working together and achieving

better results than working alone. Working

together and sharing knowledge to solve complex

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problems is the solution to achieving a

competitive edge for a professional firm.

Structures must meet the requirements of

building codes, resource management and the

client’s brief. This requires collaborative

methods to be integrated into the system.

Listening, willingness to work together, having

an open mindset and trust, and chemistry as in

liking others is the essence of collaboration.

Each project and each client requirement is

different and being able to manage complex

projects quickly offers a competitive edge to

professionals. Collaboration is a process

through which people who see different aspects

of a problem can constructively explore their

differences and search for solutions that go

beyond their own limited vision of what is

limited (Grey, 1989). A collaborative designer

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co creates, and sees mutual benefit, and a

strong client designer relationship

1.5.3 Communication

The communication process is defined as the

steps between a source and a receiver that

result in the transfer and understanding of

meaning. Therefore communication plays a very

important role in the profession. It has been

suggested that architecture as a profession has

experienced significant change, including the

adoption of business language as a dominant

discourse, more formalized reporting and control

mechanisms, and an increased emphasis on client

service (Brock 2006; Pinnington and Morris

2002):As conceptual ideators and problem

solvers, architects need to work on their

communication skills in terms of oratory

skills. The channels of communication that

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percolates from the idea to the edifice needs

consideration. There are times when, from

conceptualization to realization, the design

would differ by 180 degrees.To get your ideas

accepted and realized, understanding is of prime

importance. The various media used to

communicate, be it models, sketches, drawings,or

walkthroughs, communication has to be two way.

Clear, crispy and simple –that’s the way

communication needs to be.

1.5.4 Negotiations

Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more

people or parties, intended to reach an

understanding, resolve point of difference, or

gain advantage in outcome of dialogue, to

produce an agreement upon courses of action, to

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bargain for individual or collective advantage,

to craft outcomes to satisfy various interests

of two people/parties involved in negotiation

process(Wikipedia)Negotiation skills and how an

idea can get converted into an edifice through

negotiations is something to be deliberated on.

The training of planners to be better

negotiators is an essential part of creating a

more effective profession( Claydon, Chick 2005)

The only real power the architect has is the

power of persuasion. The design process could

change into a form of negotiation aiming at

overcoming different sets of meaning and

understanding, thus turning into a process of

communication ( Sailer, Budgen, Lonsdale, Penn,

paper submission | conference ‘Ethics and the

Professional Culture)Hence Negotiations are an

essential part of all professional activity, and

for town planners there are particular benefits

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performance in negotiating(Claydon, Chick 2005)

Architectural practices are notoriously

difficult to manage. Most clients place little

value on the role of an architect. It is always

a herculean task to extract the fees from the

client .The client usually deserts the architect

at the later stages of construction. Hence

negotiating an agreement between the client and

the professional is of utmost importance.

Negotiations and the ability to convince are two

of the most important skills for an architect to

ensure successful collaboration. From design

development to agreements and fees, negotiations

skills are an absolute requirement.

1.5.5 Emotional Intelligence

Design comprises of individual differences,

representations and approaches. Communication,

interpersonal, and situational problem-solving

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skills, are much more critical in dealing with

real-world design situations .Design is a

composite of different skills. An architect

needs both intrapersonal skills and

interpersonal skills, in handling design issues

and client needs. Understanding the emotions of

others and the ability to manipulate ones own

emotions in situations is nothing but emotional

intelligence. At the most basic level, Emotional

Intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognize,

understand and manage your emotions and behavior

effectively. Leaders, who are able to establish

mutual interest, respect and trust with members

will be more effective.(Singh, Hii,

Lean,2012).Emotional Competency is defined as a

learned capability that results in outstanding

performance. Being sensitive to your own

feelings and that of others is the core

principle in emotional intelligence. Emotional

intelligence (EI) has been generally accepted as29

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the foundation for good leadership whereby a

person’s level of EI is a good sign of how s/he

will perform in the working atmosphere

(Schachter 2009). It was suggested that EI can

optimistically contribute to leadership success

and research findings in the field of leadership

(Paninchukunnath 2008).

That EI is an important aspect for Emotional

Leadership as it assists leaders to monitor

subordinates, and shape their perception of work

and reflect their needs.( Hsu ,Chen, Wang,

Len.2010) EI has also been reported

specifically in relation to the leadership and

management of change [Hawkins, Dulewicz 2009].

Hence EI is a very important skill required by

business leaders/professionals to ensure

organization’s success. A successful leader

inspires and motivates others, promotes a

positive work environment, perceives and

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understands emotions, fosters an organizational

climate where challenging opportunities are

turned into successes and so forth (Alston,

2009).Perfecting skills that involve emotions is

an art. When enough information to make

logically correct judgments is not possible, a

designer relies on emotions and instincts. In

architecture, design can be a completely

subjective experience. Representations that

involve emotions include intrapersonal

intelligence (personal emotions) and

interpersonal intelligence (another’s emotions).

While intrapersonal intelligence refers to the

awareness of and the ability to manipulate one’s

own emotions, interpersonal intelligence relates

to understanding of the emotions of others, as

well.

1.6 Next Steps

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To assume multiple roles, and adopt and adapt to

the changing business environment is a

prerequisite for the members of the profession.

People issues and challenges pertaining to the

profession are many. To collaborate and

communicate to the skilled workforce whose

inputs they require to complete a project needs

deep thinking. An architect’s job does not stop

at the design stage, custom design aspects,

selection of materials, samples, prototyping,

visit to other projects and project execution

are just a few of the responsibilities, he has

to undertake. Teamwork, communication,

collaboration and negotiations are some of the

skills, an architect needs to sharpen. Coaching,

mentoring and learning should be followed to

maximize employee strengths. A good culture is

an effective way to retain employees. The well-

known architect Renzo Piano has once described

architecture as a ‘dangerous activity’ that is32

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in constant limbo and has to deal with all sorts

of resources, not only concrete or wood or

metal, but also history and geography,

mathematics and natural sciences, anthropology

and ecology, aesthetics and technology, climate

and society (Piano 1997: 10). The architectural

part of the industry sometimes believes it is a

leader of societal value change, but even here

the believers see value-adding, consumer

oriented, challenges as quite repugnant. (Hawk)

Architectural practices are notoriously

difficult to manage. Not only is it difficult to

anticipate and control workflow and cashflow,

the process also involves managing creative

professionals who are culturally resistant to

being managed. Many architects find the idea of

formal planning and adhering to a fixed strategy

impractical, if not offensive to their

professional ethos. This is paradoxical, since

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architects spend their working lives developing

concepts and then detailing plans for others to

follow so that all aspects of the whole fit.

(Winch,Schneider(1993).

Cityscapes, landscapes, interiors and buildings;

these are the words and images that conjure up

in one’s mind, the moment the word architecture

is spoken. Human needs for space and shelter

have led to this art and science of the built

environment. Aesthetic value is the value

creation of the profession of architecture.

Design, planning and building professionals have

to be coordinated for any edifice to come up

successfully. Needless to say, teamwork is an

absolute necessity for these professionals to

create works of aesthetic value. Originality,

creativity, conceptualization, perception,

aesthetic values, and a holistic judgment of

people, places, objects and events are the

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salient features to be noted.Being a

multidisciplinary profession, architecture

brings together, science, technology, the arts

and humanities, technology and environmental

awareness. The process of the completion of a

building may take from a few months to several

years based on the size of the project. Design

is the outcome of the thought process of an

individual mind and realized through the

collaboration of related fields who contribute

in the process of construction. Collaboration

and communication are the keywords which ensure

high quality of the end products. The demands of

the profession have become more complex in

nature and wider in scope. Integrated practice

of design is the need of the day. The contrast

between the architect as a master builder, able

to work with all the complex bureaucracy of

planning that this entails, and the architect as

a creative artist, conceiving and creating35

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three-dimensional masterpieces of steel, glass

and concrete in specific settings, sits at the

heart of contemporary debates (Blau 1984, 6),

The professionals belonging to the practice of

architecture and the built environment need to

understand that change, chaos and uncertainty

are the three buzzwords which need to be

embraced by them. Management skills in terms of

negotiation skills, embracing diversity,

teamwork, negotiations, communication,

collaboration and emotional intelligence are an

absolute necessity today in the profession.

These modifications in the profession of

architecture , should be reflected in the

education and training of future professionals.

To assume multiple roles and perform management

functions, these professionals need to embrace

processes and be open to the challenges of the

business environment. With sustainability of the

environment posing to be a serious challenge, it36

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is upto the members of the fraternity to wake up

to the ground realities of conserving the

environment ,its time the profession tended

towards green architecture and construction to

make available what we have , to our future

generations.

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