Architecture is a profession steeped in tradition, built on a romantic story of young talent learning at the drafting tables of those who have mastered their craft. This generations-old tale carries on, but how practical or healthy is it for us to hold on to this story today?
Our field has grown more technically complex, with rapid advancements in building science and construction technology. The profession also has more social responsibility than ever, serving not only clients but communities and the environment. Senior staff still has ample knowledge to share, but those architects also have much to learn from junior talent—and must be willing to listen and adapt if they want to stay relevant.
Junior staff also deserves better than the industry’s historical standard. Stories abound that detail low pay or no pay for exhausting working hours, and years of being expected to “pay your dues” because your education is assumed to be functionally useless in the real world.
Although some progress has been made—particularly in moving away from unpaid internships and toward work schedules that align with labor regulations—it is painfully slow. Our next generation of talent has been asking for evolution in an era of disruption. The ask has been too gentle, too accepting of the status quo, when what is needed is a significant course correction.
A catalyst for rapid change
The rapid shift in workplace dynamics caused by the Covid pandemic was the spark that junior and midcareer professionals needed to demand more. Amid the absence of in-office work and side-by-side supervision, architectural leaders had to learn to trust the individual employee. Surviving that crisis further motivated a culture of support among all team members. Empowered with trust and mutual respect, employees could work with their employers to simultaneously grow the business and their talent.
Now, there is no going back. The California chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) heeded a growing call to action with the launch of the Culture Shift Pledge this summer, to help facilitate information sharing and collective support needed to make a meaningful course correction. Worker satisfaction must be at the core—rather than the periphery—of the profession’s culture.
Individuals entering the workforce today expect more. They want competitive compensation and a genuine interest in developing their marketable skills. Employers who don’t deliver are likely to lose talent to another firm, or to another profession.
The architectural field has the benefit of learning from other industries that have undergone this shift before us. A 2014 book, The Alliance: Managing Talent in the Networked Age, describes how the technology industry has shifted to a place where both the business and the individual have clear growth goals—and both parties succeed by being in service to each other.
Paving the way
Leadership spaces are full of practice leaders talking about breaking the mold. Some are working with an entirely remote team, with no office to manage or pay for, and a culture of trusting in the ability of the individual to manage their time. Those leaders have already chosen a course correction by removing the handcuffs of micromanagement and in-office time and replacing them with creative contributions, at all levels, in pursuit of innovation.
How do we cultivate moving forward, then, if the ask is minimal supervision and more attentive investment? We find a new path—we explore and experiment and, most importantly, we stay focused on growth goals of both the business and the individual.
