While individuals will always assert their identities in the design process, collaboration is the linchpin of design practice. Large and complex projects rely heavily on the collaborative effort of multi-disciplinary teams with a range of expertise and knowledge, from planning to design and construction, as well as of client groups and government organizations.
Architecture is teamwork – It is a group of people on a team, working towards one goal- the project.
The ability to work effectively in teams has become increasingly important because of thecomplexity of projects requiring expertise from a variety of specialties, the speed with which they must be completed, and demands for better building performance. There could be no better time for seizing the opportunity to establish and fine-tune the notion of team practice and
collaboration.
A productive, collaborative work session requires talented people who are empowered to make decisions on behalf of their firms and who are unafraid to push disciplinary boundaries. Attitude is critically important. Everyone on a team has an obligation to strive for the group’s success.
Richard Hackman, a Harvard professor and guru of successful group process, suggests that having an overarching objective “energizes team members, orients their attention and action, and engages their talents.” In architecture, this translates to understanding that architecture is a profession and as such, no matter how mundane a project may seem, the work is transcendent because it provides a professional service, which is truly distinctive in society. It translates specifically to doing excellent design work as defined by a firm’s mission and project-specific circumstances.
