UNITING PEOPLE AND IDEAS AT PERKINS EASTMAN James Robertson Knowledge Management Review; JanlFeb 2008; 10,6; ABIITNFORM Global pg,10

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In an industry where you're only as good as your last innovative project, architecture and interior design firm Perkins Eastman has embraced "practice area communities" to ensure a free flow of ideas, experiences and lessons between its employees. This work won the company a gold award in the Intranet Innovation Awards, run by Step Two Designs. In this article, James Robertson, managing director of Step Two and a judge of the awards, takes us on a tour of these communities and analyzes why Perkins Eastman's approach to the challenge of collaboration works so well.

UNITI G PEOPLE AND IDEAS AT PERKIN EA TMAN How "practice area communities" foster expertise and innovation By James Robertson, Step Two Designs

James Robertson is managing

direct"r of Ster Two Designs and

has worked with many

organizations to

help redesign

intranet> or select a coment management

system, James has written over 150 articles nd has rublished several key reports on

I intrnnets.

Pcrkins b.;Istl1un is proud to he J knowledge-bascd tinn, l·eclJ-sni/.ed lill' ItS I"Juge of SUlxl;or Jesign cap,lhiJi ' " in thc Jrc,ts of intnnJtional architecture, urlJ.1ll design 'Jnd interiO!' design.

Since it W;lS t(Jll11,kd in 198 L the ':()l11p~\nv hJS built ~\ Il1nlti-bcetcJ pl';lctice around the intel'ests of its prill,:ip~ll designers, :111d ;]ch.ic:vl.:c! higllle\'cls of Clistomer s~ltisL1ction on :l Ji\er't portl()lio of l'rojc:c'ts tor both private- anJ public-sector diellts. It nfkrs J flltl r'lngc of 1u1O\dedge-h'lsed scn'ices, indllding pr gr'Jn\ing, planning, de,ign, stratcgi,' phnning and consultln,g, r':'II-cstJ[l.: and ccononlic analyse, and progr:lll'l nJ;lIl'tg':ll1ent.

Th,' tl.:am .11 l~erkiJ1S F..lsundn is IU1it.:d in the bdicf thH iUllo\':1rive e1esi",n is the result ()f an llnder'tanding. of dient goals, building [ype, cuntexr, 'lIld blldgl.: JIid the ,Ynthesi, of the,.: j'SLle.s by principJ.I-!c\'d <lr,·ltitects with pr<)\'en d sign <l hiliti,'s.

This l'llilu.,ophv h~lS .tllnwl.:d the linn to produce ;lw:lrcl-wi nnli\g projecl:$ :1nd e'll'I1 tl1\: r(,pen uf iIS

clients, resultin!, in 111am' !lrodllctJ\e 'long tl.:n11 husincss l'd.lti()lIShip~.

The ["'IHciple, n \.vhich tile tinn was Ill'iginJlI)' founded cOlltinue [() lead it In ncw djrec'tions. ThrDII!,d1 it, Ct'lnsrant dient' to illl\()\';1te, the Perkin, r.:1stman [e~IJll ,'~In cullaborate, reseal'ch, ;mel uphutd lts tradition of excdlcnl·e.

Step Two Designs Step Two De ign is a Sydney·based cons Itaney. specializing in intran I. cnnlent m nag me t and, nllwledge management.

www.srep/wo.com.Qu

Introducing practice area communities For C\ idence of [hosl.: d"torts to UlnO\'atc, 011e need look IlO tllrtha thJ11 Perkins EJsul1an's il11l'!cmenration of practice are~l communities (J'A s) on its compa11)' intrJJlet, Orchard (see Figure 1 un page 12).

The purpose of l.:ach PAC is to en~lbk

knowlcdge-sharulg bCt\yccn indiyidllals; ~1CroSs

project tl.:ams, smc1icJs, ofticcs. ,md practice Meas; ,1I1d throughout the elltire internationJI org;1I1izJtion. Thl.: knowledg.: that is transterred at GKh of these threl.: k\c1s will l.:lublc Perkins J::"'tman to c\'()l\'e intu JJ1 industr), kadl.:r.

P.-\C~ Jrc recognized by st,lff as a kl.:\' SOllrCC tor in!(JI'lll.1tilJn and kJ1U\\'ledgs. Each PAC is 'trtll:tufed to scnT as an ongoing e,iucational and learning resource t(lr all stafr The reSOlircl.:S prm'idcd in e;1(h PAC Ml.: the: slim of the CoUl.:ctivc wisd m uf ,til ~tJtfthat contribllte cH1d participate ­stl'.:ngr!Jening thl.: tjrl11's knowledgc svstCIl1S.

Each PAC ,1\'C:1 is maint'.lined b\' up to three "g~1tekeepcrs" who ha\'c IKen rccognized loy the tirm ,1S industry <lnd practice area experts with ,'xtensh'c c.xpcricf!ce and knowledge.

E.lcJl g-atd<,el.:F1Cr is cucouragcd to Sll;U'C tlKir knuwlcc1gc, and w bcilit,1tl.: the sharing of knowkJge b~' other sta.tr. 1-kJIlWhik, :1 Knowledge Re,\flllrCe Team (KRT) member ,eryes as a liais n ro the: gatel<,l.:cpcr group as a whole, and togcther, thesc indi\'idu,l1s ellSnrc each PAC ,ection of Or,'hard undcrgol.:s continuous improYcmcnt.

\Vhile th> e membcrs rcprcsl.:nt the core group that dri\'cs the de\clopment of PACs, content in

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e'Jch individual PAC is de\'l:luped and slured lw at! pr,Knce ~lrea-spel'itic and linn-wide sLlff. While e,lch PAC is unitormly strucU!red, there is tlexihilit), to :lllow for the presentation of pr:lctice are:l­speeitic knowtedgl',

Eal:h PAC typlcaUy contains getting started i.n/ll[lllation, in,~ights and le~suns learned, presenr.Hions and additional n.:sources,

"The PACs 'arc a great 1)laee t"r me to share what I\'e learned on project nd ~llsu to leam ahout wh~1t others han: done, A.lJd seelng who su bl1litted the insights is good l)Cl:~H1se I l'an ,1h\,lYS tollow up wid1 the person or the projed team if! ha\'e ~lny question,s," sal's one ['erkins E~lSlll1an

te,lm member.

Origins of the idea The PACs implemented by Perkins Eastillan arc

examp!cs of '\:omnll1nities of pranice", as described by Etienne Wenger, on of the t(mnding tJlhers of .'\uei al Leami ng ] 'he(lry,'

The fundan1ental purpose of these groups is to

connen st,lt't'with a common interest or JeDvirv (their "I'ranice", alluwing them to sllare their knuwledge and expertise,

These communities (If pl-:leril'e ohen cut anuss urgani/ational or geographic houmbries, allowing kJlOwledge to be shared aud ideas to be gener~lted,

COl11ll1unitil~~ of practice will gl'ncLlllv ll1eet t;lee­to-race, ~lS well ,IS cullaborating un line - ,IS,l'en at Perl,ins Eastman,

These groups also becUll1c "<.'uswdi~U1'" tor their are,l of expertise, dcvelopin~ standards, tCl11pbtes and hcst practices, Thcsc ll1~IY be slured with the wider org~lniz:ltion. or uSl'd within the cunullunity.

When does online collaboration work? An eXallliJ13tion of olIline l'oUahuration sp~Kes i.n practice Ylliddv UJlcuvcr, two l'l'iuul succcss f1etors: 1, There is a clear purpose for staff to use the

collaboration tools. Staff must be able to sce th:lt their posts will ha\'e a direct imp'lCt on a p,lrrieul;u' issue, or will provide some t',lngihlc bC1H:nt (till' the orgallization, ur fur othel' st~ltf). In practice, thc gre;1tcst paJ'ticipatioJl is g~lined whcn tbe me uf the discussion torum dircct! ' benefits an indi\idual's job or sinlation (the "what's iJI it tCJr me" bcwr),

2, There is a common sense of community among users of the tools, givin~ pa.rticipants the confidence to post entries. Online disulssions must alsC) draw upon ,1 comll10n sense of cUll1n1uJlity if thcy'rl' to he successnI1, Statl will ,11\\',1\'S be rclueunt to pust messages into a puhlic t(Jrul11, without having

KEYPOINTS Perkins Eastman is a major architectural firm with a c1 knowledge between staff located in widely dispersed

ar "eelf to shareoffices.

Practice rea communities PACs) were established on th firm's intranet to share staff e perUse, and exchange both explicit and tacit knowledge. This in turn helps drive innovation across the organization as a whole. The PACs directly support Innovation across the whole organization; co nnect staff with common inte~sts across disparate company-Wide offi s; and present valuable information in a highly visual and usable way. This is a trong Implementation of the concept of "communities of practicen

, a key KM technique, and won Perkins Eastman a gold award in the 2007 Intranet Innovations Awards,

,wy sense of who might be I'eading it, 01' what thev might do with rhe rusts, This is always ,'iewed as ~q po[(:mial!y dangerous situation, whel'e thc l~ossibLe l'onseLjllcnces arc unl<.nowll, Th~re must J,hu be a common hasi.' for the discussions, >ome cultul'al 01' 0111er dement that can pro\·ide r]le backdrop tCl[ meaningful (om-crsations, As a gl'neral rule, online J isellssions wtll'k hest when they support an existing cOl1l1l111nitv.'

SubmiUing insights At Perkins F.a'>tll1'lIl, insights can be directly submitted by s[atl \'ia an online tl>rIn easily found in ea<:h of the PACs,

The torm encourages stJ1'f to discuss the yuestion or prohLem, ,lily arg-ul11ellt or debate around the issul'. what innov~lti\'e or UniljLle solutions the\' l'~lJl1l' lip with to (wc'rcome the challenge and ~ln\' applic1bk kssons learned, Additioualh', ckL1ils of the pr'k'tice area community (ur cOl11l11uuities that this is ~1l'plieable to arc also I'equested'

More than simply asking 'tatl'tu share tbeir illsights or kssolls kll'lled. the insight submission h::>ru\ Jlso breaks do\\'n the l'omponent.~ of an insight into e,lsily lIndeL,tood questions, Specitically knuwi..ng wh~1t is being asked of dlcrn, statT l\ln more e~lsily codify theil- Llcit knowledge and shafe it with othen,

Balancing formal and informal methods Mo,t "coJ1lmuniti~s" in org~ll1il.atiol1S take on either \'cry t(;rmal or very intcl1'Inal structures, The l>i\(:5 at Perkins Easnmn Jr-,lw on rhe strengths of both typ.:s, as each PAC is maint<lincd and d<::\'c1uped \ ia bod1 forl1l~lj and informal means.

The formal aspect of tile PAC is tltat up to three desi.u.n~ltl'lt indi\'id uab act ~lS gatc:keepers ­passionatc and COllulutted to improving dle PAC. fI [(lreU\er, the tlmnal g, tekeeper helps to ensure that the rigbt indi\·idual. :l1'C tocused on each PAC, alld that thev take a lcadel'~hip rule in its content, ,-]uality ~1l1t1 growth,

KM R(tV/Cw I V... lun-,e 10 Is~u~ 61/.1nuary/f..bruary 2008

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Figure 1: The Perkins Eastman intranet, Orchard

Till': intlxm:.J1 rompollent of earh PAC comes from the in$i"hr-' ~ll1d lessons Icarned suhmitted, ~1l1d troll1 thc we'l.lth uf otJ1er type, uf C(liltent submitted b)' all staff, surh ,1S related Jrticles m useful web sites,

Sample plans The tOols l:,)l1t~\i ll'J \\,ithin each PAC Include

About the Intranet Innovation Awards The Intranet Innovation Awards Me global awards that celebrate new

ideas and innovative approaches to the design and delivery of intranets

with the aim of sharing them with the wieler community.

Uniquely, these awards recognize individual intranet improvements, not

intranets as a whole, That's because every idea, 110 matter how small,

adds to the wider understanding of successful intranets,

Perkins Eastman won a gold award in the Intranet Innovation Awards

2007 for its: • Strong implementation of the concept of "communities of practice", a

key KM technique;

• Direct support for innovation across the whole organization;

• Effective means of connecting staff with common interests across different offices;

• Clear sense that its "practice area communities" are visited regularly and deliver value to the organization;

• Seamless integration between the intranet and architectural plans stored ,in AutoCAD;

• Highly visual method of delivery information,

Other gold award winners for 2007 included: City of Casey (Australia);

Environment Agency (UK); Nycomed (Switzerland/Denmark); Sungard

AvantGard (USA/New Zealand); QBE (Australia); and Fiat (Italy).

SJmple plans, examples of pre\'ious projects, with mct.ri 'S , nd Ie, sons IClrIlI::d included.

th illcoq1or3ting these insights into U1C, ~)rogl"illning documents - sample plan layoLlts - the insi~bts and l's50ns learned a.re ddivcred in a format that's most used bv sutl and that prO\ides the optinul k\'d of context,

Additionally, sample pbn galkries ~)resent

illt(>rill~ltion in a stre~1l1llU1ed manner using a "grcybox smart \\~nd()w script", The greybox scrif)t quickly [o;lds mOlT der.lilcd content for users and allows them to <..juiekl)' identify what intor111Jtion may or m~l)' not be rc!c\'ant to their se,lrch,

.A.ny new insiglm are published on the Orchard homqnge JS a com~)'.lny news headline, linking to

tbe uew ilbi~J1t and de;lrlv identifying tlle contribntor. This policy instills a .sense of pride in contributurs, crc.ltU1g :lll cnvironment t!rat supports such tl'pes of input,

Kl1owlcdge-shJril1!,< is a b.etor in performancc re\1.ews. During. annual Jppraisals, the level of p~\rtieipc1tiou is quantiti.ed and plays a role in career ,k\dupmen t ~ls.sessment,

Crosstalks "Crosstalks" are practice area-spccitlc jJn.:sentations, f.1l'i1itated by senior staff and/or project teams, to

discuss prohlems and shan: cre:1tive sollltiDns. 'vVhile prescnted trom one oftice, thc monthly crosstalk presc'ntatin!lS arc broadclst tirm-widc, \'ia 'vVcbEx, The pn.:sentJtiun and speaker's notes arc m~lllc

anilabk ~lf1:er the presentation tor access by any staff who were unable to attend.

In addition to st,lff submissiolls, insights are also harvestcd duri ng tile crosstalks and lessons learned

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Figure 2: The Senior Living PAC space at Perkins Eastman

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sessions, As suff eng;lge in di,tlogue, a KRT Il1cmher ukes notes and hegins to 'udifV JpprUllri"te p'lns of thl' eUl1\ers'ltion, AJicrw'lrds, staff will further elaborate on '3ch insight until it's fully codified and n:'IJy fix indusiun in the PACs,

By codifying kssol1s le;lmc:d, archi\'ing presentCitiom J,nd Spl'olkc:r's notc:s, elLlbling caw search tlU'llugh Guuglc, ,md or~ .nizillg the information in 'I ll1allner tllat's intulti\e, the system is eJ,sy IIJI' new cll1plovees to lIuderst.lnd.ll1d participants \.jllidJ!'leJrtl ho\\ ttl sh"['e in the bng,uagL' anJ history of Perkins f..1stI11Jn ::Ind. more specificallv. eJLh of t11l: l'A ,s.

Organizational benefits Thc timc s.n·LJlg l'reJll'd bl' the PACs i signifiL:'l.nt. Through the structure uftbe PAC' (sec Figurc 2, abo\'C:), elnpl()yee~ arc able to LJuid<.ly loc,He the rcsources and information that is critical tu their wurk,

When project teams arc disbanded or staff members leaw thc finn, their coditied insights ;lnd bsons kamed Jive on in d1C PACs, In dlis lorum. current and future .st'ltfwho wcren't ill\'oh'ed in the project ,Ire 'lbk to usc these insights and lessons kamed, -and arc .1bJc to undcrstand the critical conn::Xtll,ll bdors, sec any suppol'tin~ ur rde\'ant dOCIII11CllLltioIl. and applv them t their own projeds.

The PACs and (ras ralks 31 (l providL' ,1 sl'nsc of (llll1llllllUtV tu the tirm. Staff i.n multiple ffiCl'~ ll:c1 connected hy the ,'ummOll gUJI uf (ksiti-n excellence in a pranicc.1rc'1; the su III of their cxperience and backgr llnd - dri\'lllg a much strong.er practicc,

explicit knowledge that h'lS been codi tied as well as tacit knowJedge exchange in real'time. Pro\'iding staff with multiple furm"ts Ic)r knowledge sharing and continuous !earning, PACs prm'ide a new way for them to iUllO\'ate Jnd cOllsistently delin:r award-winning projects.

"Scnse Il1Jkilll:'-" throughout the organization is alSI) pussihlc, as suff in f',l'ographil'ally dispersed ufnees ,u'e ;lble to connect in tlle samc location and in the same tiJrm.lt, \Vhile thc PAC space online is G1p.1blc of capturing a great dcal of coditied knowledge, bringing- ~tatf togl·thc!' tClr disL'ussion "nl! dialogue is the optirn3l tixmat till' tacit kn wkdge CXdlJnge too. Sharing witlt st"-l} \VhJt onc oltice is doing, or how it h'lS o\'crcoIII l' ,I (hal1enge l".1l1 g,reatly bendit another aftice tb,1t is dcaling with similar i~sL1es,

$(ci.ng the Lillique and inno\'"ti\'e wurk of other ofticcs dri\'es the illlJgilution of colleagncs tlnn­wide, The ti'l'e cxchange of kno",Jcdg,e and ideas in thesc sessions acts as a catalyst tor ill1lO\'Jtive dcsign and industry excellence,

Resources 1. Wenger, E,; i\lcDermott, R,; Snyder, W,i\1.

(2002', Ci/ltivatinJT Communities of Practice, Han ani Bus'Il1ess School Press, Boston,

2. for morc in t')['Ination on online: discussiuns, sec the following drtil'le: ",ww.stetltwo.col11.au/ p'lpers/k11lC._diseu5si()llfi}I'U III ~

Contact

James Robertson

Step Two Designs

The PACs prm'ide J \\ulth Cltknl1wkdf!:c, both jamesr@steptwo,com.au

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