Management of Design, an internal seminar series set up in 2005 by Page & Turnbull, a San Francisco-based historic preservation architecture firm, seeks to deepen understanding of current business practices and issues. This lunchtime mentoring program, keying off subjects addressed in Harvard Business Review (HBR), has examined leadership, sales, self-evaluation, staffing, and motivation. The program was conceived by David Roccosalva, a young Boomer principal at Page & Turnbull. It is coordinated by Sean Fine, an intern architect, who identifies between Generation X and the Millennials.
arcCA: In its Management of Design series, Page & Turnbull recently addressed practice management across generations. What was the objective?
Fine: Our most recent seminar raised awareness regarding the opportunities and challenges of multiple generations in the workplace and how we work together. Each of us works in teams with others who are not necessarily the same age. An HBR article describing the generations, their attributes, and how they work best, was read and discussed (“The Next 20 Years: How Customer and Workforce Attitudes Will Evolve,” July-August 2007). Rarely was the ideal working condition of one generation the same as or even similar to another. Generation Xers, for example, are entrepreneurial individual workers and expect their teams to be just as entrepreneurial. On the other hand, the younger Millennials require direction and work best in teams.
arcCA: Who attended?
Fine: Principals, architects, historians, and conservators attended. The group was all you could hope for—a mix of Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials.
arcCA: Did participants identify with their generations?
Fine: Not always. It was interesting to see how engaged everyone got when it came to feeling like part of a group or a generation. Or not. Those who clearly identified with their “own” generation really defended how they work and how accurately they were described. Those who fell between generations, myself included, were less likely to identify with the generation either above or below. We identified with an unnamed in-between generation but of course thought of ourselves as having the best attributes of the generation older and younger.
arcCA: Management typically is from one generation and everybody else is from younger generations. What discussion did that generate?
Fine: Our practice happens to be managed largely by Boomers and Generation X, and work is completed by younger Xers, Millennials, and those in between who don’t fully identify with either generation. Many of the Xers commandeered the discussion and described what they expected from their teams, and how they like to work. They are also the largest group represented in the office. Millennials listened and then generally noted the need for more than just work. It was a bit of a shock to Gen-Xers that Millennials did not put work first. The younger crowd has multiple interests—one of which is work—but that is certainly not the priority. It’s not easy for Xers, as hard-working entrepreneurs, to be completely comfortable with this.
arcCA: An obvious differentiator might be adapting to technology. Is it?
Fine: You would think that, the older the generation, the more resistant it is to technology. But remember that Generation X played a big part in the development of a lot of the technology that we use today. As a whole, it was understood and accepted that we need to adapt new technologies, no matter what generation we belong to. The difference lies in how quickly and blindly we will jump in. Millennials are willing to make wholesale changes, Gen X wanted to think it through, see how other people like the technology. Older generations adopt technology as it is handed to them, using it in a limited capacity and usually not exploring the full potential. An example is the change from AutoCAD to Revit. Millennials and the in-betweens are ready to jump in with only a few lessons. The Generation Xers want to try it out on a few small projects, see how it goes, then slowly work it into the system. Maybe the difference is that Gen X is financially responsible and doesn’t want to make hasty decisions that would be costly to undo. But sometimes the entrepreneurial spirit shows through.
arcCA: What other key differences were revealed?
Fine: Although there were differences in rate of technology adoption, degree of caution, priority of work over personal life, and most obviously work habits, there was no difference between Gen X and Millennial with regard to firm loyalty. Everybody felt loyal, provided that they could express their own individuality. Generation X needs to have opportunities to assemble their own teams, work out problems as they arise, and be responsible and accountable for the results. Millennials have a desire to be in groups and work out problems collaboratively in a supportive environment while accepting constructive criticism and expecting rewards.
arcCA: How can entrepreneurial and group-work practitioners be useful to each other?
Fine: In a single word, cooperation. In our case, it happens to be Xer entrepreneurs needing others to help achieve their goals. If they create an environment that supports and sustains creative and collaborative group work, they will meet their goals, which include income and financial viability. Although group work, as an example, can be more expensive because it involves more people (hence, more billings), group-think might also be able to solve a problem more quickly and creatively than an individual can do. In other cases, a more singularly focused approach might actually be the right fit. If clients get good and timely service and internal morale stays high, why not work in multiple kinds of ways according to the pattern of outcomes you see?
arcCA: When multiple generations work together, what is the impact on creativity?
Fine: In the best of all circumstances, I think the impact can be extraordinary when the finest talents of each generation are allowed to be expressed, are encouraged to be expressed. Maybe that occurs in watercolor or in sketching or with computer modeling. We can’t all do it all, but we can appreciate the range of talents we have around us. As a historic preservation firm, we always look for ways to influence the design intersection between the historic and the contemporary. Whatever skills get us to that goal, you can be sure that multiple generations were involved.
arcCA: Do clients interact differently with different generations? Can you project something of the future experience with clients?
Fine: Depends who your clients are, because they come from various generations too. We find that it’s productive to have professionals from various generations in positions of authority. Clients will usually identify best with some over others. Interestingly, though, those comfort levels with the client aren’t necessarily driven by age—whether you’re laid back or fairly aggressive can be a plus or a negative given how a client reacts to that kind of personality.
arcCA: What surprised you most about this session?
Fine: My biggest surprise was that, in spite of real differences in how the generations want to work and do work, the differences among individuals within generations seem just as significant as those across the generations. Architecture is a deeply personal creative endeavor. Generational differences seem to be just one among many factors that lead us to different approaches to our profession.
arcCA: On balance, are generation gaps a positive thing?
Fine: Absolutely, provided that they can be managed. Each generation has its own habits, requirements, and attitudes. You will not change those, so a good work environment will recognize the different ways that people work and will provide for those habits. The hard part isn’t identifying the differences. The hard part is identifying the differences that cause problems—inefficiencies, strife with clients and inside the office. Successfully tackling problematic differences, whether or not they’re rooted in generational issues, will have us all on the way to better business practices.
Author David Roccosalva, Assoc. AIA, is a principal at Page & Turnbull responsible for marketing. His interest in developing the Management of Design program was to increase awareness among staff about issues affecting design firms.
Originally published 1st quarter 2008, in arcCA 08.1, “’90s Generation.”
