Even before the pandemic, collaboration was a hot topic in many work environments. As many of us have transitioned into a hybrid work model, we continue to struggle with working together as effectively as possible. But aside from addressing the nuances related to flexible work hours, a work-from-anywhere dynamic, and videoconferencing fatigue, design teams must answer the fundamental question: how do we make sure we’re creating a healthy environment in which everyone’s contribution counts?
Trust is a Must
Jacquelyn Block, AIA, LEED AP, is principal and studio director at GFF Inc., an architecture and multi-disciplinary design firm based in Dallas, Texas. She says that the reason her team collaborates so successfully is that its members trust each other. This, in part, is because many team members have been working together for over a decade. But she notes that it’s also because each individual, no matter their level, has an opportunity to be heard.
“At GFF, we always say that it’s the best idea that wins,” Block says. “It’s not: what level are you? We have trust that everyone will listen to each other and consider all the options and ideas, and respect each other.”
The trust and rapport Block’s team has built means that team members know each other’s strengths. “We put people in the right position to do the type of work, and part of the project, that they’re really passionate about and interested in,” she explains. One person may enjoy tackling the technical aspect of projects, while another favors initial sketching and design, for example. “We really work with each individual to put them in the right seat to do what they enjoy, and what they’re good at.” She says that this approach allows everyone to be excited about their work, and to bring the best of themselves to each project they’re involved in.
Egos Are Not Welcome
Ravi Waldon, AIA, LEED AP, is principal and faith-based sector leader at Michael Graves Architecture & Design, headquartered in Princeton, N.J. He underlines that when egos are left at the door, collaboration between team members has a better chance of succeeding.
“I have reached the age where I am not threatened to say I don’t know something,” Waldon says. “The most important thing is knowing how to find the answer. In the end, honesty and transparency from me leads to the same from my team, and in consequence eliminates the jockeying for position and egos. I think that’s the right way to build a team.”
Healthy Collaboration is Like Jazz
Rex Miller is a coach and researcher who consults on construction projects for churches, K-12 schools, corporate offices, and healthcare facilities. He uses Gallup’s CliftonStrengths personality assessment tool to teach teams how to best work together to deliver successful projects. He is an advocate of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), which incorporates lean construction principles to minimize conflict between architects, contractors, and owners; prevent late delivery (and numerous change orders); and optimize productivity. He is also the lead author (with Phillip Williams & Michael O’Neill) of The Healthy Workplace Nudge: How Healthy People, Culture, and Buildings Lead to High Performance, the lead author (with Mabel Casey & Mark Konchar) of Change Your Space, Change Your Culture: How Engaging Workplaces Lead to Transformation and Growth, and several other books.
Healthy collaboration is like a good jazz ensemble..."you listen, and you build on the other musicians."
Miller likens healthy collaboration to a good jazz ensemble. When everything is working in jazz, he illustrates, each musician is technically proficient, listens to each other, and understands the framework they’re working in. “That’s the key in jazz—you listen, and you build on the other musicians,” he says.
The problem in construction, Miller says, is that often each trade remains in its silo rather than engaging with the rest of the project team. This can lead to a lack of communication, poor understanding of what each contributor is responsible for, and flawed problem-solving methods.
“It has to be fluid, and it has to be highly relational on the front end,” Miller says. “And yet, we still go into projects as though it’s straightforward: we just read the plans, and everybody does their thing.”
Upfront Preparation Produces Good Collaboration
As an IPD advocate, Miller urges architects, contractors, and trades to invest time in building a strong team at the project's outset. This gives teams the time to build rapport—a necessity, he emphasizes—and to review each other’s contracts to identify gaps between where one trade stops and the other begins. He also encourages teams to use this time to create a playbook for handling the inevitable problems that arise on virtually all construction projects.
“Part of what we do is we look at the 10 to 12 things we know are going to go wrong [because] they always go wrong,” Miller explains. For example, this can include site conditions or supply chain issues. In anticipating these events, team members can decide how they will act, who will be responsible for what, and—in the interest of creating a safe space for discussion—the language they will apply when addressing conflict.
In fact, with this approach, conflict becomes a lot less adversarial, Miller argues. “Now there’s no emotion—you just handle it,” he says. “You’ve anticipated, you’ve planned, and you’ve created a playbook for it.”
“It’s important, when you give your people a project, to give them a vision of what they need to do, and then get out of the way—and give them the credit. When you give the team credit, they will walk through fire for you.”
—Phil Cooke, Ph.D., founder and president of Cooke Media Group
Brainstorming vs. Collaboration
Phil Cooke, Ph.D., founder and president of Cooke Media Group.
Phil Cooke, Ph.D., is founder and president of Cooke Media Group, a media production, communications, and consulting firm based in Burbank, Calif. He is also the author of a number of books, including Ideas on a Deadline: How to Be Creative When the Clock is Ticking.
Cooke says there is a difference between spitballing ideas without much direction, and effective collaboration. While he concedes that many creative teams engage in the former (especially in the initial stages of a project), he argues that brainstorming is a big mistake.
One of the reasons behind Cooke’s thinking is that group settings combine extroverts with introverts. In his experience, the former tend to upstage the latter. “There are some people that love to shout out ideas. Well, guess what? They’re going to step on the introverts in the room,” he argues. “And the introverts may be brilliant—they may be genius. It’s a totally unbalanced approach to being creative.”
Phil Cooke's “Ideas on a Deadline: How to Be Creative When the Clock is Ticking” is available now at: philcooke.com.
Cooke says that when he brings people together to collaborate, he briefs them on the vision for the project and gives them the opportunity to prepare, on their own, ahead of time. “I want them to have thought this through, have alternative [solutions in mind], and then we can come together and talk about it.” This prevents a directionless “shout fest,” he says, and allows everyone’s voice to be heard.
Recognition Goes a Long Way
Cooke emphasizes that in order for teams to remain engaged in collaboration, leaders must be willing to recognize them for a job well done.
“I’ve been in many situations where our team did something really great—created a film, or a television program, or a video—and the client pulled me aside and said, ‘hey Phil, you did a great, great job on this project,’” he illustrates. In these situations, it would be easy to take all the credit and simply thank the client without acknowledging that the end product was the result of a team effort. Cooke cautions against this behavior.
“You have to step aside and say, ‘no, let me tell you who really put this together,’” Cooke says. “It’s important, when you give your people a project, to give them a vision of what they need to do, and then get out of the way—and give them the credit. When you give the team credit, they will walk through fire for you.”
