The term “culture eats strategy for breakfast,” coined by management consultant Peter Drucker, hits upon an important yet often overlooked aspect of why the AEC industry struggles to implement sustainable and high-performance design at scale. Put simply, Drucker’s theory was that no matter how comprehensive and well thought out a company’s strategy is, it will fail without the support of a corporate culture where people are bought in, feel valued, and are motivated. Corporate culture has less to do with free perks such as snack bars and ping-pong tables and more to do with employees feeling a sense of purpose in their work and seeing leadership living their stated values through daily decisions and actions. Every one of our firms has a culture, whether it is explicitly recognized or not. For most of us, our firm culture is neither entirely good nor bad but is always complex and ever evolving.
Lately, this notion has come into sharper focus for me personally, having worked in a sustainability leadership role in three different large firms within the last five years. Each one of these firms understood the value proposition of sustainability (or else they would not have hired me) and each had the ability to deliver high-performance design, but they had very different approaches to implementation. This experience afforded me the unique ability to understand which challenges seemed to be industry-wide and which were unique to a particular firm. I have come away with a newfound appreciation for just how important culture is in confronting the headwinds that make consistently implementing sustainable design difficult.
It was this observation that formed the impetus for moderating a similarly titled presentation at AIA24, bringing together representatives from three different firms – my colleague Keith Hempel from LPA, Dan Stine from Lake | Flato and Ashley Mulhall from Orcutt | Winslow – to discuss how they were working to create a culture of sustainability. Broken down into categories ranging from firmwide change management to the pros and cons of in-house experts, each presenter was able to speak on what was working for them and how their efforts supported the broader company culture. In the course of unpacking specific strategies for each firm, four clear themes emerged which are broadly applicable no matter your firm’s size, location or type of work.
1. 1. Sustainability cannot be an add-on.
Successfully infusing sustainability means that it cannot be one more thing to consider in addition to design, it has to be foundational to the design process. 'Good design is sustainable design’ must be a mantra carried by all levels of design leadership. In practice, this could manifest in consistently setting and tracking sustainability goals throughout the project, using performance analysis to inform the earliest design decisions, and positioning sustainability principles in terms that clients value, whether it be operational savings, healthier indoor environments, or differentiation in the marketplace.
2. 2. Everyone has a role to play.
Because sustainability is broad-reaching and ever-evolving, many firms have identified staff to lead the charge and stay abreast of the issues. For many of the larger firms, that effort might range from a part-time position to a robust sustainability team. However, for smaller firms, dedicated personnel may be a luxury they cannot afford. Regardless of your firm’s approach, it is critical that the implementation of sustainability be the responsibility of everyone, and not siloed to a few experts. This does not happen by accident but requires a basic level of literacy and education across the board. While there are tons of free resources available to practitioners, a culture of shared responsibility does require an investment of time and effort, paired with authentic messaging from leadership emphasizing its importance.
3. 3. Sustainability is about more than the work.
Creating a culture of sustainability must extend beyond the projects themselves. Our beliefs are informed by our experiences and if we don’t experience sustainability in our firm’s day-to-day messaging and operations, then it starts to feel inauthentic. Words and actions are not in alignment. Examples of where sustainability could influence broader operations can be found everywhere, from the way we design our own office spaces, to the types of initiatives we invest in, to the criteria that determine individual awards and advancements. The more that employees see sustainability as an important aspect within the firm, the more emboldened they are to advance it in their work.
4. 4. There is no right or wrong.
There is no magic bullet or one-size-fits-all solution to making sustainability foundational to your company. But conversely, there is no wrong way to address it, aside from doing nothing. Very often, substantive progress is made by small and incremental moves that add up to meaningful progress over time. Efforts that work for one firm might not resonate with another, based on existing workflows, design processes and cultural attitudes. Often the best course of action is to simply try something. Anything. Observe what is working and make adjustments to what is not. If you are looking for a place to start, I would suggest the AIA’s “Creating a Sustainability Action Plan that Works!.”
Special thanks to my fellow panelists:
Keith Hempel, President, LPA
Dan Stine, Director of Design Technology, Lake | Flato
Ashley Mulhall, Sustainability and High-Performance Design Leader, Orcutt | Winslow
Ellen Mitchell Bio
Ellen is a recognized leader in the industry’s move to create more energy efficient, equitable and resilient built environment. Ellen guides LPA’s in-house Sustainability + Applied Research, team focused on supporting the firm’s informed design process. She also leads initiatives across the firm to advance sustainability and high-performance design, building a culture of education, accountability and innovation.
A trained and licensed architect, Ellen has spent the overwhelming majority of her career focused on integrating sustainability and high-performance design, achieving results across a diverse range of project types, budgets and cultures. She has overseen more than $4 billion worth of construction through LEED and other third-party certifications. On every project, she advocates for a holistic approach to sustainability, focused on performance, experience, wellness and community. She stresses the value proposition of high-performance design and the impact on market share, positive industry and community visibility, and occupant satisfaction and well-being.