Evolve your leadership
Changing the structure was a critical first step in creating a flat
organization that functions through teamwork, but Parris says that
leaders can’t just flip a switch and expect cultural change. So over
the last 10 years, NBBJ has been undergoing a cultural evolution
led by a change in the structure and new roles for the firm’s leaders. Now, critical decisions, including project selection, are made
by groups of associates, and partnership candidates are nominated by their peers.
“In a true horizontal structure, leadership is built around roles,
not titles,” Parris says. “So at NBBJ, the clients and the projects are
at the top of the pyramid, followed by the studios and their teams,
then the advocacy groups and the firmwide administrative teams,
and the partnership is at the bottom of the pyramid. Partners are
also practitioners, and the rest of their responsibilities are focused
on supporting everyone else and providing the right environment
for success.”
NBBJ has 15 partners, including five market leaders, who head
up the various niche markets, and many of them are new to their
roles. The cultural shift is part of the reason for new leadership,
but in addition, three of the firm’s partners in the Columbus office
were approaching retirement, so Parris has been instrumental in
creating a succession plan and developing the next generation of
firm leaders.
To develop bench strength and nurture a cultural metamorphosis, NBBJ partners instituted an intensive training program for
new and prospective leaders that focuses on leading change. The
associates initially attend a two-week development class and then
continue their studies by working with coaches each month. The
program is designed after the teachings of author John Kotter in
his book, “Leading Change,” and 50 NBBJ associates now participate in the program each year.
Without an autocratic decision-making system, the most vital
decisions facing the firm’s leadership team surround project selection. The market for architectural services, especially in higher
education has been plentiful, so the team must often choose projects from among a number of opportunities. Profitability is one criterion to consider, but there’s also the cachet the project
brings to the firm.
“Frequently, the team disagrees about
which projects to take on,” Parris says. “I
play the role of facilitator, ask questions
and play devil’s advocate just to make sure
they’ve thought of everything. For example, I might ask the team if they all believe
that the project has high potential. Then, I
leave the room and let them decide.”
Parris says that one downside to group
decision-making is maintaining business
momentum, because reaching decisions
with a large number of people takes
time and energy. To maintain vigor, he
now holds weekly team meetings and
each member provides a progress report
for their area of responsibility. The team
then holds each member accountable
for achieving results. Despite the obstacles, Parris says the cultural shift and
change to group decision-making is
working, because in the last two years,
the firm has taken on much higher
impact projects, and it is now engaged in
the top 15 percent of architectural projects in the world.
As part of his personal transition from
manager to mentor, Parris says that he now
gives people as much responsibility as they
can possibly take and empowers them to
make decisions. He’s also learned not to
step in and offer help when the group is
deliberating over a difficult issue, unless
the group requests it.
Parris says that leaders must learn to
trust others to make the transition from
manager to facilitator and they must also
respect their colleagues and not tell them
what to do. But it’s not enough to talk a
good game. He says the cultural evolution
has progressed at NBBJ because he
demonstrates those qualities by being calm
in every situation and not dominating the
discussions.
“I’ve developed an on-board clock, so
now I keep track of how long I’m talking
and cut myself off before I go on too long,”
Parris says.
