Exploring Organizational Best Practices of Architectural Firms

Exploring Organizational Best Practices of Architectural Firms Author’s Name Institutional Affiliation Abstract Architectural firms constantly evolve and work extraordinarily over the globe with significant management practices. The research magnificently determines the key management practices among architects to deal with organizational challenges and opportunities and in what way they adopt the organizational structure and leadership. As per the remarkable evaluation about the architectural firms’ management, it understands that decentralization structure and multiple partner-level leadership are the most suitable pattern in the modern era to be innovative. Additionally, the lead and lag performance indicators work tremendously to enhance effectiveness and productivity. Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Abstract PAGEREF _Toc14683350 \h 2Introduction PAGEREF _Toc14683351 \h 4Management Structures of Architectural Firm PAGEREF _Toc14683352 \h 4Best Management Practices in Architectural Firms PAGEREF _Toc14683353 \h 6Laney LA as Local Firm PAGEREF _Toc14683354 \h 6Gensler as National Firm PAGEREF _Toc14683355 \h 6Nikken Sekkie as an International Firm PAGEREF _Toc14683356 \h 7C-Suite Leadership PAGEREF _Toc14683357 \h 7Studio Design Head vs Multiple Partner Level PAGEREF _Toc14683358 \h 8Metrics to define success in Architectural Firms PAGEREF _Toc14683359 \h 8KPI in Laney LA PAGEREF _Toc14683360 \h 9KPI in Gensler PAGEREF _Toc14683361 \h 9KPI in Nikken Sekkie PAGEREF _Toc14683362 \h 9Office Leadership Structure Implementation in Design Firms PAGEREF _Toc14683363 \h 9Architectural Business Practice in other Sectors PAGEREF _Toc14683364 \h 10Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc14683365 \h 10Bibliography PAGEREF _Toc14683366 \h 12 Exploring Organizational Best Practices of Architectural Firms Introduction With globalization and advanced societies, architectural firms grow their importance in the modern era. Architectural firms effectively work on the management practices to ensure the improvement in the quality, design, and significant accomplishment of the project. Further, architectural firms evolve with time and adopt innovative technologies to construct, design, and implement exceptional projects (Alharbi, Emmitt & Demian, 2015). Hence, the identification of best management practices in architectural firms is the great need for modern architects to advance their skills for attaining the desired objectives. In this manner, the paper highlights the best management practices and structure for three different sized firms’ local; Laney La, national; Gensler, and international; Nikken architectural firms. The research expressively identifies the pattern of management by considering those firms' practices and the focus on the C-Suite leadership model to define the authority of the workplace. Moreover, the paper examines the cross implementation of architectural management practices on other sector or vice versa to augment the opportunities for business. The report also concerns the performance evaluation metrics to maintain organizational productivity and performance. Management Structures of Architectural Firm Management structure plays the cognitive role in the organization’s success because it influences the performance of the individuals and supports them in understanding the work-relationship, management pattern and communication channel in a firm. According to the case of architectural firms, management primarily focuses on the distribution of authority and prefers to adopt product-based division to deal with the individual project or product for constant quality management and effective attainment of the desired outcomes. However, it varies in case of environmental influences (Oluwatayo, & Amole, 2014). Therefore, an architectural firm primarily focuses on decentralization approach to be more efficient. In the case of the Lanay La, the organizational structure is the flat organizational structure because they promote integrated teamwork on high priority and the manager to lead the team meritoriously (Lanay La, 2019). On a national level, Gensler, an architectural firm in the US concentrates on advanced creativity and innovation, which can only achieve through the decentralization approach. Thus, Gensler encourages each employee to participate actively in managing projects and create productive results like the Shanghai tower in China. The incredible creativity is the actual vision of the Gensler’s management and all the practices work substantially towards the development of innovation facilities in a firm to be extravagant in dealing with creative ideas and designs (Cohen, 2019) According to the Nikken Sekkie, the Japanese international architectural firm further adopts flat organizational structure mentioned in the figure below: Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1: Organizational Structure: Corporate Structure | About | NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD. Retrieved 21 July 2019, from /en/about/corporate_structure.html As per the Nikken Sekkei (2019) report, the figure above illustrates that the company effectively distributes the decision power into several departments to perform exceptionally in achieving organizational outcomes with remarkable projects. Best Management Practices in Architectural Firms Architectural firms are unique in dealing with its management because innovation is the actual demand in each firm and requires technical staff to deal with any challenge in an outstanding way (Alharbi, Emmitt & Demian, 2015). Moreover, management practices in architectural firms adopt different management theories including contingency management theory, and theory X and Y. both of these theory encourages employees to be creative with their concepts. Laney LA as Local Firm Anthony and Krista Lanay founded this architectural firm in 2013 according to the partnership pattern. As per Lanay La (2019), the company contributes splendidly with its noteworthy management practices in the environmental-friendly, community-focused, and region associated projects in Los Angeles. The overall team works with high creativity in graphic, and interior designing and exceptional skills to attain the remarkable project outcomes. In five decades, the company performs commendably awesome in Los Angeles to promote the high quality and safety in the architectural projects. Moreover, Lanay La has a great portfolio in the town with its highly crafted and renovated buildings. Gensler as National Firm Gensler founded in 1965 by three individuals and who satisfactorily run the business operations for growing financially. The Gensler (2019) highlights that Gensler considered as one of the leading architectural firms in the world with its efficient and outstanding performance every time. Behind the success of Gensler, the management plays a vital role because it encourages employees to adopt technical skills and expertise by adopting the behavioral management theory for being more creative and innovative. Gensler’s design and team management is incompatible with any firm because of the organizational ability to deal with challenges with an integrated team of designers, managers, and architects. The company serves magnificently in providing high value to its customers with wonderfully designed projects due to its extraordinary team and conflicts management skills. Thus, the designing standards of the firm are unique and creative based on new inventions in the field of technology and construction. Nikken Sekkie as an International Firm Among the top 300 architectural firms, Nikken Sekkie is one of the best International firms located in Japan and covers about 50 countries and 250 cities. The company deals with 25,000 projects worldwide with team proficiency. Moreover, the company serves in urban designi...