The ability to operate within a team is an important attribute of successful architects, as they continually interact with clients, contractors, engineers, specialists, and other architects. Most architecture schools give students some experience of this through the use of group design projects, but it also helps to possess or develop an aptitude for it.

There is no defined formula or procedure for successful collaboration, as it is more of an attitude rather than a process. It involves feeling that every member of the team has something valuable to contribute to the decision-making process; that individual egos must sometimes be submerged in the interests of the team’s work; and that pooling ideas will eventually provide a better solution than one person alone.

It is also important to recognize, however, when a group approach is the best way to solve a problem and when it is not. There could be some situations in which one individual is actually the best person to handle a particular predicament, rather than the team.

Successful collaboration in an architecture firm might also involve soliciting or welcoming the opinions of someone who might not have expertise in the particular area under discussion, such as a designer proposing plumbing ideas or an engineer making aesthetic recommendations. In these cases, it is important to treat each person’s opinion with respect even if you believe the opinions are not helpful, because doing so encourages contributions in the future. Truly integrated architectural designs need the input of all pertinent disciplines.