Apple Store, London, by Foster + Partners, Photo by Nigel Young

Collaboration is one of those things we, as architects and designers, embrace quite openly. "Two heads are better than one," the saying goes, and it is indeed a true statement. Any significant project, invention, or innovation was likely done in a collaborative setting. And even on a personal level, we find ourselves coming to the most profound discoveries in our interactions with other people. It's in our social settings that ideas begin to materialize. Rarely, do we find the lone creator composing a masterpiece on his own. While the inspiration might come to the individual, it is with the group that it is developed. Architecture is a practice that is almost dysfunctional without collaboration. Here we'll look at the impact of conversations and how a simple chat with a colleague can turn a small thought into a big idea.

Part 1: Steve Jobs and the Apple Store

A Crazy Idea

Most people aren't familiar with how Apple Stores came to be. In late 1999, when Steve Jobs came up with the idea, he began to interview people who he thought could help him realize his vision. Ron Johnson, the vice president for merchandising at Target, was one of those people. He had a knack for retail and design and had transformed Target's customer experience. Jobs conducted his interview with Johnson as a casual conversation. One morning, they took a walk through the Stanford Shopping Mall and discussed how the stores were laid out, why some were successful, why others weren't, and overall design philosophy.

From this conversation Jobs was able to refine his focus for his idea: he wanted to ensure that customers would be able to immediately grasp the layout of the store the moment they arrived. When the two came back at Apple's HQ, Johnson expressed that the stores should be a place where customers could try out the products, that this would help heal the unfamiliarity many people at the time had with Apple.

When Jobs presented his new vision to the board at Apple, he was met with ridicule and criticism. Justifiably, they could not see how the stores would succeed, and they had a list of examples of other companies who had failed trying to do the same thing. But Jobs pushed back, and eventually, the board relented and approved a trial run of four stores. Despite the backlash, there was one member of the board who supported Jobs, Mickey Drexler, who was the CEO of Gap. He and Jobs saw eye to eye. With pressure from his team and one shot at this new idea, Jobs needed to make it something great. Drexler played an essential role in that realization and suggested that Jobs secretly build a prototype of the store near the Apple Campus and use it as a way to work through the design — Jobs took the advice.

Candid Criticism

As the prototyping commenced, many iterations were explored, and several of Jobs' selected allies visited the warehouse where the design was coming together. On one such occasion, Drexler had some criticisms of the progress:

“I thought the space was too chopped up and not clean enough. There were too many distracting architectural features and colors.”

• From Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, page 372

He told Jobs that the customer should be able to walk in and understand the entire flow of the space immediately, echoing Jobs' initial conversations with Ron Johnson. The feedback was embraced, and after some more tries, Jobs got it right. But on the night before a big meeting that was scheduled for the other members of the team to finally see the prototype, Johnson had an overwhelming feeling that they had gotten something wrong, there were fundamental aspects of the design that just weren't right. So that next morning, Johnson went to Job's office and told him of his late-night epiphany — Jobs was irate and let him have it. After cutting him down verbally, Jobs informed Johnson not to say anything to anyone at the meeting.

When the meeting started Jobs opened with:

“Ron thinks we’ve got it all wrong. He thinks it should be organized not around products but instead around what people do….And you know, he’s right….We’ve only got one chance to get it right.”

Part 2: The Collaborative Framework

Two is always better

There is a biblical proverb that goes: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Steve Jobs knew that he could not realize his vision by himself and so he surrounded himself with people who could challenge him and help him take his idea to the next level. And he was not met with praise and pats on the back. On the contrary, he was met with harsh criticism and even in the very end when he thought he had gotten everything right he was hit with a devastating blow. But, despite his angry response to Ron Johnson, he eventually realized that his colleague was right.

It was in his conversations and interactions with other people that he was able to work out the details of his idea...

It was in his conversations and interactions with other people that he was able to work out the details of his idea, he was able to challenge his assumptions, and had the privilege of having people around him who had the courage to tell him the truth. In every aspect of Jobs' career there was a person or group of people there to help him achieve any great breakthrough. In fact, it was the times where he did not seek the collaboration of others that he faced the most tragedy, most notably, getting fired from his own company.

In architecture, we've embraced a culture of collaboration, but sometimes there is still an inkling of the "this is my idea" culture. If we focus on the idea, the project, the innovation, or whatever it is instead of who specifically deserves the recognition then, as we see throughout history, extraordinary outcomes will emerge. In the workplace, are we working for what we think is best or rather what is merely the best? Whether an idea comes from an intern or a principal does not add or take away from its value — a good idea is a good idea, and a bad one is a bad one. When we focus on the work, we produce innovative results. But when we get preoccupied with ego, only drama ensues.

In architecture, we've embraced a culture of collaboration, but sometimes there is still an inkling of the "this is my idea" culture

Build on the vision of the leader

In any team setting, there is a leader, and the best ideas come when the team builds on the vision of the leader. This could be the person whose name is on the door, your design principal, your project manager, whoever it is, our goal is to build on their idea. How many times have we been in a setting where there is that one person who thinks he knows better than everyone else? Always trying to shift the team into another direction, maybe even showing contempt for the one in charge. Of course, there are bad visions, but there are ways to still influence the larger goal.

With the Apple Store, the primary objective was always to create a place that a customer could walk into and immediately understand the layout and be able to try out Apple products. When Jobs received feedback, it was always in line with this bigger idea. He had many ways he thought to best achieve it, but those working with him also presented alternatives — it was different ideas, but same vision.

Be honest...even when it hurts

Most of us are members of a team, striving to achieve a common goal. The best thing we can do in our roles is to always be honest. Assuming you work in a safe environment, where ideas can run freely, and egos are somewhat regulated, it's usually fruitful to provide candid feedback. Remember, there is an art to this, you have to gauge the type of person you are dealing with. Some people won't take input well, while others will welcome it. And even then, if you assess the situation and determine it is worth it to speak up, it doesn't mean you won't be met with harshness. Jobs' reaction to Johnson was ruthless, but in the end, the feedback was accepted.

Ultimately, collaboration is something that, in our field today, is widely embraced. If we work toward the common goals of the team, there is no telling what the future holds for us.