Operational Tension

When it comes to how we do our jobs, where do architects find inspiration? It seems to me there are three perspectives:

1. Sui Generis - Treats architecture as a unique field, looking to other architects
2. Creative Orientation - Lessons can be found in other creative fields
3. Business Orientation - Seeks to apply general management principals

The limitations of the sui generis approach are self-evident (that is, I don't want to look for references at this moment). By focusing only on the practices of other architects, our ability to adapt and innovate relies on other architects to experiment and disseminate that information. How consistently do the major trade publications look at these issues? I suspect not often. I also suspect readership of more specialized publications is thin within the architectural community. This approach has the self-serving appeal of defining our work as special and by extension, we are special. Maybe architects aren't more prone to that sort of status seeking than anyone else. Maybe we are.

The creative orientation is often driven by a signature designer's personality and is difficult to apply consistently. The business orientation risks commodification of our services. The most common practice that I've observed is to try and switch from creative to business, from design to production. I've heard a fair amount of talk about design happening at all scales and at all phases of a project. I haven't seen that consistently carried out all that often. The definition of design as a form of creative problem solving helps, but I don't believe we've built operational frameworks to support it.

Farnam Street recently posted some ideas from the original Mad Man and advertising great David Ogilvy that, I believe, balance both the creative and business perspectives. I'll just repost the headline concepts and leave the details to you. Unfortunately, the original publication is out-of-print. Used copies are available online for $50 and up. Ogilvy titled it The Eternal Pursuit of Unhappiness (happiness being equated to complacency?), based on eight principals:

1. Courage
2. Idealism
3. Curiosity
4. Playfulness
5. Candour
6. Intuition
7. Free-Spiritedness
8. Persistence

These strike me as much more interesting topics for discussion at an annual review. Having sat in on some 90 day reviews recently, they're certainly more interesting than Communication and Skill Development.