Sustainability of an O.D. Intervention: A Professional Firm's Movement toward Empowerment and Teamwork, The

Organization Development Journal, Spring 2009 by Maes, Jeanne D PhD, Mosley, Donald C Sr, PhD, Mosley, Donald C Jr

Introduction

This case is about change and sustainability. It began in the mid-1990s and highlights a professional organization's journey toward empowerment and the shift toward a participative management system.

It is much easier to start such a journey when things are not going well. When danger signals are appearing in the form of declining profits, sales, etc., an organization is willing to initiate changes in the operation. But for the architectural firm in this case, the journey began when things were going well and profits were robust. As this case reveals, such a journey takes effort and time. It requires the courage and perseverance of its leaders.

Background

Tsoi/Kobus & Associates (TK&A), an architectural firm, was founded in 1983 by Edward Tsoi and Richard Kobus. At the time of the O.D. intervention, the firm had expanded from six to 86 fulltime employees. Thirteen years later, in 2008, it is staffed with 125 people located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This growth reflects the firm's success during a period when many other architectural firms were experiencing slow growth and even downsizing. The catalyst for this success has been the dynamic leadership, vision, and business acumen of the two principals, Tsoi and Kobus. Today, Tsoi/Kobus & Associates (TK&A) is listed on Google as one of the largest architectural and interior design firms in the Northeastern United States.

In the mid-1990s, management consisted of the two principals and nine associates. The firm's philosophy is reflected in the following statements from its customer brochure:

We are committed to two very simple objectives as a design firm: excellence in design and the highest level of comprehensive professional services to our clients.

Excellence in design means an unending search for the optimum architectural solution - a solution that fits the context, the site, the program, the budget and, of course, the user. Each design problem is a process of search and discovery; of constraints and inspiration; or synthesis and invention. Our management skills are as critical to the success of a project as our design skills. We understand this need and place great emphasis on assisting our clients through the numerous steps of review, approval, and execution.

Tsoi/Kobus & Associates has a diverse work load - from master planning to architecture to interiors. Buildings currently in design cover a range of building types from medical and research facilities to speculative and build-to-suit office and industrial buildings. Our work includes the planning and design of new structures as well as historic restoration and reconstruction projects.

The Initial Contact

One of the authors first met several members of the Tsoi/Kobus & Associates firm at a partnering workshop on a hospital project. Later, one of the principals contacted the author about facilitating a retreat for the Tsoi/Kobus management team (principals and associates). He explained that on past retreats, the management team had experienced difficulty completing the agenda. Perhaps even more significant, this principal was in favor of bringing some of the associates into the ownership circle and believed the topic would be discussed at the retreat. He asked the consultant to contact the other principal to see if he would be receptive to discussing this question. After doing so, it was clear that the other principal was not ready to expand the ownership circle; however, he was very receptive to shifting the firm to a more participative/team approach.

The consultant was enthusiastic about this assignment for several reasons. First, he had been impressed with the capability and creativity of the TKA group working on the hospital project. Second, this would be his first time to work exclusively with an individual architectural firm instead of with a firm as a part of a large-scale construction project. Finally, working with such a professional group noted for individual creativity and expression in design would be interesting. He wondered whether the group would respond favorably or negatively to a participative/team approach.

The First Retreat

In preparation for the retreat, the consultant spoke at length with the two principals, and requested that a Ust of associates' issues/ questions to be addressed at the retreat be sent to him. The list covered four pages and focused on three major areas: process, office organization and staffing, and TKA's position in the market place. For example, under the process area a sample question was:

1. There is a perception among the staff that the office operates like two individual offices:

a. Does this perception contribute to a sense of division rather than unity?

b. Do the natural differences in Ed's and Rick's working styles create any real problems within the office?

c. What roles do the principals, associates, and staff play in regard to project work? Are these roles the same on Rick's and Ed's projects? What are the differences and how are these operational differences perceived by the staff?