Thriving in hard times — it is possible.

Written by Dominique Staindl, Consultant at the Quality of Life Foundation

We are facing a recession, the cost-of-living crisis is biting, while the fallout continues from Brexit and Covid. Put together, businesses large and small are asking what they should do to weather the financial and staffing storm over the next few years.

In our latest Associates workshop, held in December, the Foundation’s creator and director of Stirling-prize winning practice dRMM, Sadie Morgan shared what she’s learned from nearly 30 years in business.

Here are key messages from the session:

Be people-focused with your investments

Allow your team to co-design the vision for the business with you.

To make anything sustainable for the long term, whether it’s projects or practice, this is key.

For dRMM, this means being ‘socially useful’ — creating buildings that serve individuals and communities to make life easier, healthier and more enjoyable

Sadie gave the example of Kingsdale School — one of dRMM’s projects. In this project, achieving a successful design didn’t just rely on understanding the needs of the students, but those of the parents, the people who lived around the area, and the teachers.

It taught the project team the importance of ensuring that the design options they considered were a collective endeavour.

The project is an extraordinary example of how socially useful people-centric projects can be. The cultural shift the school had to undertake to believe in itself was incredibly important to the project’s success.

The investment lifted what was a failing school into one of the best performing schools in the borough — locals are fighting to get their kids there. Not just because of the architecture, but because of the process it went through as part of the investment.

Circling back to remember why you’re doing what you’re doing — to positively affect peoples’ lives — allows you to regroup and ground yourself when things get difficult.

Remain true to your beliefs

dRMM’s team has always hovered at around 30 to 40 people comprising about 20 nationalities. It’s likely that this diversity helps elements of the business run more effectively: by building a team with varied approaches drawn together by common values and principles, the ethos is strengthened.

That bond becomes greater than the sum of its parts and is the biggest thing Sadie has learned from running a practice.

“One of the only ways of getting through tough times is to have a group of people willing, and able, to work hard; to draw on their inner strength to push through those difficult moments.”

Teams do this when they feel invested in, and investment isn’t necessarily only financial but can reflect other aspirations and value.

One of the challenges when facing tough times is the temptation to divert from core beliefs to do what’s easy, perhaps work with an investor who pays well but you’d decided against before.

Sticking to your ethos can be particularly difficult when a well-paid project would financially support the very team holding you accountable for your values.

So ensure that you are working with the people who remind you of your reasoning and will help you stay true to your beliefs..

Apply your principles with creative thinking

That said, it’s important to remain flexible and adaptable within the framework you’ve built.

There are times when you need to be light on your feet. When you are faced with huge challenges or anxiety-inducing events, it is often the time to do something that feels uncomfortable or difficult.

A year and a half ago, dRMM opened an office in Berlin. Much of that choice was to do with the people in the practice. Losing staff at the beginning of Brexit, or through Covid, taught the team it needed a European base.

At the time it seemed counter-intuitive as set up costs are expensive, risky, and difficult. But 18 months on, it has proven fruitful, and the studio has won a big project in the capital.

With a solid foundation of principles, and a clear identity, you can nurture a similar ethos and core beliefs elsewhere.

Don’t panic.

Finally, don’t panic.

In 28 years of business, Sadie’s learned that every time the studio is on its way up, she knows that inevitably in a year or two, it will be going back down again.

Prepare. Keep money in the bank if you can — saving can help build business resilience — and always, always look after your team.

If you are interested in becoming an Associate, please find the relevant information and contact form here. Don’t miss our upcoming workshops through 2023. We will be sending out invitations to your registered email address.