Healthcare Design - May 2017 - 24

HANK ADAMS

Title: Global Director, Health
Firm: HDR (Dallas)
Number of employees: 1,700 (in the architecture practice)
Healthcare revenue in 2016: $208.3 million
B U S I N E S S C H A L L E N G E : TA L E N T A C Q U I S I T I O N

Attracting and nurturing creative talent is something we consider to be a paramount issue and critical to the success of our
health design practice. New clients hire us because our professionals have the experience, knowledge, and talent to help them
achieve a successful outcome. Clients retain us for repeat work
because of the strong relationships they have with our individual employees and because those employees demonstrate valuable insight and creativity.
The challenge is two-fold: maintaining and nurturing our core
talent (and wisdom) on the one hand and, on the other, infusing
our practice with new ideas and perspectives to ensure that it constantly
evolves and advances. That means hiring new architects and designers at
all career stages as well as adding skill sets atypical in a design firm, such as
those brought to the table by industrial engineers, social scientists, clinicians, and data analysts-roles that expand the definition of design.
As an employee-owned firm, we have an added layer of complexity in
that employee engagement is essential to a successful model of ownership.
That means we must create and propagate our firm's culture and values
both internally and externally to achieve employee buy-in and establish
our next generation of leaders.
W H AT ' S B E H I N D I T

The healthcare design market is highly competitive, and all the design
firms compete against one another to attain the best and the brightest talent. That means we need to be compelling narrators of our own "story" and
able to clearly articulate the benefits of our culture versus another firm's.
We're also competing for talent with other industries that have recognized
the value of critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, which are
abundant in the design industry. In recent economic downturns, many experienced designers have moved on to other creative industries.
Additionally, generational forces are at play. On average, 30 to 40 percent
of the U.S. workforce will retire in the next five to 10 years as baby boomers stop working. While Gen Xers are assuming leadership roles, this generation is much smaller than the previous one. The millennial generation
coming up on its heels is nearly twice as big (80 million versus 46 million),
so the raw numbers alone mean millennials will get leadership opportunities much earlier in their careers than previous generations-and they
need to be prepared for that rapid advancement.
THE SOLUTION

As part of our 2012 Strategic Plan, HDR created a Talent Management Initiative, a plan to enable recruitment and career growth and development

MAY 2017

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for all staff at all career stages. A few of the programs and strategies include:
BOOST. Each year, 12 protégés are selected to
participate in the six-month BOOST program,
which pairs millennial employees with a strong
mentor to focus on building fundamentals for
leadership success, increasing an understanding of HDR's business culture, and forging relationships with senior leaders and employees
throughout the company.
Associate level recognition. The associate
level recognition program rewards junior-level
employees who embody high standards of personal and professional conduct and show extraordinary potential.
Fellowship program. Two fellowship initiatives support the development of future leaders
in our practice areas. Professional fellowships
are awarded to individuals or small teams to
develop creative solutions for issues facing the
firm's clients and the profession. Additionally,
an intern research fellowship provides a scholarship of $10,000 for coursework taken to advance related research in a field of study that's
applicable to the services provided to our clients.
Opportunities to give back. The HDR
Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations that align with our expertise in education, healthcare, and healthy communities. It's
employee-funded, with matching contributions
by the firm. Additionally, our Design 4 Others
program provides pro bono architecture and engineering services for projects in underserviced
communities to address global health issues.
Young Professional Group (YPG). This
group supports the development of our younger,
less experienced staff. Under the YPG umbrella,
young professionals connect through peer-topeer and peer-to-management networking and
regional summits, and on a company-wide basis
via a quarterly newsletter and global events.
WORDS OF WISDOM

I'm passionate about elevating design talent
and believe the future of our healthcare design
industry is reliant on our overall success. Firm
leadership, from all size design firms, must be
proactive and intentional about their talent
strategy, as it directly impacts the transition of
firm leadership over time. It requires a focus
on clearly defining a firm's culture and values,
while investing in employee initiatives to expand career opportunities and build equity. We
have the opportunity and obligation to advance
the legacy of design and its impact on healthcare
delivery.

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Healthcare Design - May 2017

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