I’ve been riding to school with my daughter this year. I’m hyper aware on the roads and also conscious of my heightened vigilance. Trying to anticipate what’s coming. Looking out for things that might be dangerous, pedestrians to avoid, lights that might be changing soon, etc.
Paying attention
I’m frustrated at times that my daughter isn’t more aware and paying more attention. Yet she’s not daydreaming, she’s doing the best she can. She has only so much capacity and doesn’t necessarily know what to pay attention to or anticipate, yet. It comes from practical experience and teaching. And let’s face it riding a bike can sometimes take up mental effort when the path or road is uneven or we’re just moving slow.
This is what is known as situational (or situation) awareness:
“…the perception of the elements in the environment within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in the near future”. – Dr. Mica Endsley
It’s developed through experience. An acquired skill. Through being intentional, taking the time to pay attention, and notice what’s going on.
Why you need to be situationally aware
Situational awareness relies on familiarity. And it’s important because it assists the decision making process. Using the familiar or anticipated to inform the decision. But, if something unexpected happens, or something that prevents your usual course of action, then your decision making process (and associated actions) is disrupted.
In a disrupted, unanticipated circumstance there’s still a choice. A choice to keep going ignoring what’s going on or pause and identify an appropriate course of action. In the case of riding the decision could be life and death, it might be automatic based on experience or instinct, or a more thoughtful (if speedy) response. The point is, without any awareness, a good decision is more likely to rely on luck than on a good process.
Situational awareness is not just for riding bicycles, it’s applicable in a vast number areas, and as you might have guessed, not least of which is architectural practice. In a practice you might have situational awareness of the economic climate, project opportunities, staff concerns, trends, construction technologies, etc. It’s paying attention to those regular things that might impact your practice or the projects you’re working on. It’s both experience, but also an awareness of context so that you can make better and informed decisions.
The advantage
Those people with a high level of situational awareness see and understand all data relevant for decision making and inform practice objectives. They’re also to understand the meaning and significance of this data, allowing them to better anticipate future scenarios. Their situational awareness thus allows them to be more proactive in anticipating change and being prepared for the unexpected.
Those that have been following my recent writing, probably know where this is going. (You’ve got situational awareness!)
Awareness and practice
Architects are not always as situationally aware as they need to be. Instead being more focussed on ‘riding their bike’, doing the important work of delivering a project. Whilst other important work goes unnoticed. The challenge is when the landscape is changing, perhaps becoming unfamiliar, making better decisions becomes harder. In my previous post I identified 10 disruptive risks to the architecture profession, in a form of situational awareness to help inform architects in practice. I might not be right, but better to bring some intention and awareness than be hit between the eyes by something you didn’t see coming.
Three ways to be more situationally aware
Step back and make time outside of the day to day of working in your practice, and pay attention to what’s going on in the practice. What are you noticing about your team, projects, and workflow?
Consciously engage with your team, clients and consultants. Ask them thoughtful questions. What are they noticing? What concerns might they have? Do they have any insights about practice and the professional landscape?
Look beyond the immediate environment of practice and the profession. Are there any emerging trends, technologies, or regulatory changes that might impact your practice. How might you adjust for their impact and capitalise on them?
Start intentionally
Be committed to bringing greater situational awareness to your practice. You’ll be better equipped to navigate an increasingly complex environment, make better decisions, and adapt to unforeseen challenges.
Be intentional about paying attention to the context your working in, engaging with stakeholders, and staying informed about broader trends. You’ll become more agile and better at proactively navigating the practice towards success and resilience.
AI image generated in Canva
