Global architects: learning and

innovation
through communities and
constellations of
practice
James R Faulconbridge, 2010
 INTRODUCTION
3
Examine the spatiality of
practice to allow learning and
innovation
agenda 4
Interaction of Architects with
the locals and face to face
interactions in their
community of practice
5
Non human interaction that
forms constellation of
practice
Communities of
practice
Cop Communities of Practice
• in order to understand global architects‟ geographies of
learning and innovation it is necessary to situate
discussions of communities alongside discussions of
constellations of practice, the latter revealing the important
but often under studied role of non-humans in constructing
the spaces of learning and innovation that CoP are part of.
• In particular the discussion reveals that architects are part
of „local‟ CoP connected into global constellations of
practice as a result of the work of nonhumans, something
which means reading off from the geographies of CoP the
spatiality of learning and innovation risks missing the more
often than not multi-scalar spaces of learning and
innovation that communities are part of.

4
Communities of
Practice learning
and innovation
CONFIDENCE-BUILDING
STRATEGIES
“…groups of people who share a concern, set of
problems or a passion about
a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and
expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing
basis.
Engineers who design a certain kind of electronic
circuit called phase-lock loops find it useful to
compare designs
regularly and to discuss the intricacy of their
esoteric speciality...
Artists
congregate in cafes and studios to debate the
merits of a new style or
technique” (Wenger et al., 2002, 4).
In particular studies suggest CoP are defined by the existence of groups of
individuals who benefit from a trio of qualities, what Wenger (1998, 74-83)
refers to as:

* mutual engagement - ongoing interaction as part of collective

involvement in the same task with interaction focussed around regular
Conversations

* joint enterprise - common ways of completing a task based on shared

educational backgrounds or firm-specific training

* shared repertoire - use of and reference to the same language, tools,

Geographical work has used the importance of the trio of commonalities
outlined by Wenger (1998) to emphasise how, alongside „local‟ CoP in one
office of a firm or in one city, „global‟ scale perforating (c.f. Amin, 2002)

CoP exist when spatially distributed individuals who share a joint enterprise
and shared repertoire interact and learn from one-another through
conversation/talk – what is often referred to as „buzz‟ in geographical
literatures (see Asheim et al., 2007; Bathelt et al., 2004; Gertler, 2008).

In particular it has been emphasised, first, that mutual engagement and the
associated buzz and spaces of sociality are facilitated both by face-to-face and
technologically mediated interactions. Therefore, CoP need not always be
made up of co-present members.
In addition, second, geographical woork on CoP has revealed the way spatially
distributed individuals develop joint enterprises based on shared membership
of the same profession, firm or as a result of completing the same university
degree programme (on the previous two points see Amin and Cohendet, 2004;
Asheim et al., 2007; Faulconbridge, 2006; Gertler, 2008)

8
Geographies of Cop
• In terms of the implications for conceptualisations of the geographies of CoP, the limited
work that has taken the role of non-humans in CoP seriously suggests that the shared
repertoire that ties CoP together is produced when all members, whether co-located or
spatially distributed, interact with the same type of non-humans. For example, Amin and
Cohendet (2004, 110) suggest that the formation of CoP relies on “yes, face-to-face
meetings, sociality, and casual contact…but it also draws on distant objects such as
drawings faxed between offices around the world
• As such, the geographies of CoP and the geographies of learning and innovation
facilitated by CoP are assumed to be defined by the existence of:
• (a) stretched spaces of sociality that facilitate interaction and talking between community
members, spaces which are also;
• (b) populated by individuals with common profession or firmspecific ways of working
which form the basis of joint enterprise;
• and (c) connected into spaces of flows that enable community members to interact with
the same non-humans, something which produces shared repertoire. Only when all three
of these spaces are globally stretched do global CoP and global geographies of learning 9
and innovation exist.
• This means considering the way co-located but also
spatially separated architects interact with one-another and
the way mutual engagements, joint enterprises and shared
repertoires are developed and lead to the emergence of
CoP

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Global architects: learning through ‘local’ communities of practice

“I think a really good design process is one that evolves into something that isn‟t
what you expected and isn‟t the common conventional solution and then it does
surprise you. That can happen not only through yourself but also through
collaboration with people. That is why architects work in a studio environment, we
are not all just shut off in little boxes, we need to interact and engage with other
people” (Design Director, delivery firm, New York City).

The communities described by this architect and others interviewed have a close
resemblance to those identified in previous studies of regional CoP (e.g. Benner,
2003; Faulconbridge, 2007). Multiple architecture CoP form in cities organically
when individuals are drawn to a particular place (e.g. by bars as a social space)
but most commonly through seeding when deliberate attempts (e.g. by
professional bodies) are made to generate a community. For global architects
these CoP are comprised of fellow architects who work at other „design‟ or „strong
delivery‟ firms but also at „non-global‟ firms

Each community forms around fairly specific mutual engagements, such as

designing the same types of buildings (e.g. hospitals) or managing the same issue
in the design process (e.g. sustainability). Community meetings allow collective
reflection on topics such as the latest construction techniques, materials or 11
regulations. As one representative of a professional association in San Francisco
Indeed, the value of interacting with and talking about models is seen as being so
great that one of the firms studied listed as one of its design rules the use of
“Rough idea models [that] allow teams to test ideas rapidly…Use these quick
studies to develop, test and critique ideas” (Design Manual, delivery firm).

- individuals such as Rem Koolhaas and Eugene

Kohn of KPF - are constantly mobile and interacting with fellow architects,
developers and politicians worldwide, for most architects life working for a
global design or delivery firms involves long hours in the studio. As a result,
the opportunity to meet, interact with and participate in a global community of
architecture professionals, either through travel or virtual communication, is
limited.
More important for global architects, therefore, is travel at weekends or during
once a year vacations that allows buildings throughout the world to be visited

12
: travel to visit iconic or new buildings and interact with them through touch, sight,
and by spending time in internal and external spaces so as to „absorb‟ their physical
cues and learn through „productive inquiry‟ and „subception‟. The role of such travel
and interaction with buildings was described by one architect as being “a historical
thing for architects to travel, to look at every possible thing you can so that you fill
your 21 mind with a library of solutions”.

“I think most architectural practices have some sort of internal newsletter that tells
you the latest things they are up to and they‟ll get the team to explain their designs
and they‟ll then get a peer review from within the practice” (Architect, delivery firm,
London)

“publications fulfil a need to allow architects not just to see each other‟s work or
clients and potential clients but to feel a building that they may never get to visit”
(Director, Professional Association, New York City)

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Constellations of Practice
• “we are in a globalized world where everything is interlinked and what happens
in one part of the world effects what happens in another part. So an architect‟s
practices are related to another architect‟s practices and you have to think like
that to be successful” (Architect and Director of Professional Body, Paris)

• ”. Instead constellations of practice are configurations that connect spatially

dispersed CoP together. Constellations emerge when connections, or what
Bathelt et al. (2004) would call global pipelines, develop as a result of
individuals that move between communities and, of particular importance here,
as a result of the circulation of non-humans between communities. Wenger
conceptualise such circulating non-humans as „boundary objects‟ (c.f. Star and
Griesemer, 1989) that carry discourses between CoP. For global architects
connections to the work of other architects worldwide formed by non-humans,
in the shape of the buildings visited and the circulating objects, texts and
images described above, mean, to paraphrase Wenger (1998, 129),
conversations in „local‟ CoP allow „styles to spread worldwide as people copy,
borrow, imitate, import, adapt, and reinterpret ways of designing‟. 14
THANK YOU!

15
selecting visual aids
ENHANCING YOUR PRESENTATION
effective delivery techniques
Effective body language enhances This is a powerful tool in public
your message, making it more speaking. It involves varying pitch,
impactful and memorable: tone, and volume to convey emotion,
o Meaningful eye contact emphasize points, and maintain
interest:
o Purposeful gestures
o Pitch variation
o Maintain good posture
o Tone inflection
o Control your expressions
o Volume control

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navigating q&a sessions
1.Know your material in Maintaining composure during the Q&A session is
advance essential for projecting confidence and authority.
2.Anticipate common Consider the following tips for staying composed:
questions o Stay calm
3.Rehearse your responses o Actively listen
o Pause and reflect
o Maintain eye contact

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speaking impact
Your ability to communicate effectively will leave
a lasting impact on your audience
Effectively communicating involves not only
delivering a message but also resonating with
the experiences, values, and emotions of those
listening
speaking impact
Learn to infuse energy MEASUREMEN
into your delivery to METRIC TARGET ACTUAL
T
leave a lasting
impression Audience
# of attendees 150 120
attendance
One of the goals of
effective Engagement
Minutes 60 75
communication is to duration
motivate your audience
Q&A interaction # of questions 10 15

Positive feedback Percentage (%) 90 95

Rate of information
Percentage (%) 80 85
retention
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final tips & takeaways
o CONSISTENT REHEARSAL Seek feedback
o Strengthen your familiarity Reflect on performance
o REFINE DELIVERY STYLE Explore new techniques
o Pacing, tone, and emphasis Set personal goals
o TIMING AND TRANSITIONS Iterate and adapt
o Aim for seamless, professional delivery
o PRACTICE AUDIENCE
o Enlist colleagues to listen & provide feedback

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speaking engagement metrics
IMPACT FACTOR MEASUREMENT TARGET ACHIEVED

Audience interaction Percentage (%) 85 88

Knowledge retention Percentage (%) 75 80

Post-presentation surveys Average rating 4.2 4.5

Referral rate Percentage (%) 10 12

Collaboration opportunities # of opportunities 8 10

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 BRITA TAMM
502-555-0152

thank you brita@firstupconsultants.com

www.firstupconsultants.com