June 21, 2018 by CallisonRTKL

It Starts with a Spark: Fostering an Inclusive Culture

This is the second blog post in our second series of exploratory posts by some of CallisonRTKL’s resident design experts on how design impacts the guest experience—from hotels to workplaces, retail stores, hospitals and everywhere in between—and the common elements and strategies we leverage to create spaces that are people-centric, experiential and memorable.

There’s a palpable change in the air for the architecture and design industry, and it’s been lingering for a while: a shift in focus from form-based beauty to human-centric design that is now becoming more intentional than ever. Every sector seeks to create a signature experience defined by its end users—guests, patients, shoppers, workers and residents. It’s prompted a sort of automatic realignment of the design process; by putting people first, we design differently.

As design professionals, we espouse the all-important guest experience. We promote human-centric design. But when it comes to our own company culture, do we practice what we preach? A glance at “Spark Week” might shed some light.

Spark Week is one of CallisonRTKL’s internal cultural programs: a week-long exploration of innovation centered on a broad topic with distinct relevance to our offices around the world. Last year, the Spark Week theme was inclusion. Since the event is a competition between teams and offices, the emphasis tends to fall on the quality of ideas produced, and in hindsight, it also gives us a chance to look not just at WHAT we designed, but HOW we designed it.

It was a week of debate, conversation, discomfort, ideation and break-through. And yes, the end results showcased a wide range of thoughts and ideas, from a new currency for the homeless in Manchester to an innovative design for street vendors in Manila.

But for me, the truth was in the telling. What did we learn from our process? My favorite Spark Week stories illustrating how we’ve embraced a human-centric process came from unexpected moments…discoveries that grew from fostering an environment of inclusion and acceptance.

Often our Spark Week teams include people from every department in our firm, from architecture and engineering to accounting. We believe that “everyone is a designer” and in one particular case, that really came to life. I was amazed to hear an office accountant share that she had never actually seen the designs for which she had been billing all these years, much less participated in a charrette. And yet there she was, a member of the design team and central to one of the best creative concepts to come out of Spark Week, the winner of “The People’s Choice” award.

Here in LA, we launched Spark Week with a panel of distinguished guests from the local community with wide-ranging expertise related to the topic at hand, helping the teams’ efforts to be grounded in context. Our panel discussion had always been facilitated by Nate Cherry, a wonderfully articulate vice president. But last year, when Nate wasn’t available, we asked Mike Bobbit to lead the discussion. Mike was a member of our administrative team, the general “get it done” guy who handled anything from helping with client lunches to carpentry projects to office supply restocking. Mike also happened to have a great sense of humor, and when we suggested he’d be a great facilitator, he accepted the invitation.

The panel members responded warmly to Mike’s lighthearted approach. His humanity shone through in a way that reminded us why we were there—to learn from those who bring a fresh perspective to the conversation. When Mike left the firm to move closer to his family, he shared with me that serving in the role of panel moderator that day was one of the proudest moments in his professional career and that he hoped to keep that feeling with him as he entered a new phase of life.

To the question about whether we internally practice a human-centric philosophy, these examples help illustrate how we see this play out day to day—not just during Spark Week. I’ll always remember these stories of the unexpected embers of Spark Week that grew into bonfires of innovative ideas…a direct result of practicing inclusivity.

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CallisonRTKL

For more than five decades, Callison and RTKL have created some of the world’s most memorable and successful environments for developers, retailers, investors, institutions and public entities. In 2015, our two practices came together under the Arcadis umbrella, expanding our sphere of influence and the depth and breadth of our resources. Our team is comprised of nearly 2,000 creative, innovative professionals throughout the world who are committed to advancing our client’s businesses and enhancing quality of life.