Free Daily Podcast Summary
Smarter by Design: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Knowledge Architecture
The Smarter by Design podcast explores how leading architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms are reimagining knowledge management, learning, and AI to build smarter, more adaptive practices. Hosted by Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO of Knowledge Architecture, the show dives into the real stories behind how firms are scaling expertise, transforming culture, and creating modern learning organizations. At the heart of the show is a simple belief: AEC firms should spend as much time designing their businesses as they do designing buildings, bridges, and infrastructure. The systems we design for capturing, sharing, and distributing knowledge shape everything else we create. Through thoughtful conversations with AEC leaders, knowledge managers, and innovators, we explore how design, leadership, and technology intersect to shape the future of practice. If you’re curious about how AEC firms are learning faster, working smarter, and designing better ways to grow—this is your show.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 2 days ago1h 42m
Why Every AEC Firm Needs a Leadership and Specialist Pipeline | Kent Jonasen of the Leadership Pipeline Institute
In this episode of the Smarter by Design podcast, I’m joined by Kent Jonasen, CEO of the Leadership Pipeline Institute and co-author of the third edition of The Leadership Pipeline as well as author of The Specialist Pipeline. Kent has spent decades helping organizations rethink leadership development, succession planning, and the challenge of scaling expertise inside complex companies.His work starts from a deceptively simple premise: leadership is not leadership.Each transition—from leading yourself to leading others, leading leaders, leading functions, and eventually leading an enterprise—is fundamentally a different job that requires different skills, different priorities, and even different values.But this conversation goes far beyond leadership development.Many organizations unintentionally build systems where leadership becomes the only visible path for growth, recognition, and advancement. Specialists—deep technical experts, practitioners, strategists, and problem-solvers—often feel forced toward management roles simply to continue progressing in their careers. Over time, this creates frustration, weak leadership transitions, and the gradual loss of highly valuable expertise.Kent and I explore why organizations need both leadership pipelines and specialist pipelines working together. We discuss:Why leadership transitions so often failThe hidden importance of discovering and aligning with your “work values” in career progressionWhy many specialists feel alienated inside traditional organizationsThe difference between knowledge experts and knowledge leadersHow companies accidentally push people into management roles they never truly wantedWhy specialist career paths need more than just new titlesHow dual leadership and specialist pipelines create healthier long-term organizational designAlong the way, we connect these ideas directly to architecture, engineering, and construction firms, where specialized expertise is often the core engine of competitive advantage. From healthcare planners to sustainability experts to technical design specialists, many AEC firms are wrestling with how to scale expertise, accelerate development, and reduce dependency on a shrinking number of senior experts.If you lead an AEC firm, oversee learning and development, manage technical teams, or are thinking about succession planning and long-term capability building, this episode offers a powerful framework for rethinking how careers evolve inside organizations. More importantly, it raises a deeper question: what if building a stronger company starts not just with developing better leaders, but with designing better systems for developing expertise itself?GuestKen Jonasen, CEO, The Leadership Pipeline InstituteKent is CEO of the Leadership Pipeline Institute. He is author of the book “Specialist Pipeline – how to winning the war for specialist talent” and he is co-author of the 3rd edition of the book “Leadership Pipeline – Developing leaders in the digital age”. Before becoming CEO of Leadership Pipeline Institute, Kent Jonasen was Deputy Head of Group Human Resources in A.P. Moller – Maersk since 2003 up to 2008 responsible for talent management, leadership development, executive development and executive compensation. Previously to his deputy position, Kent was Regional HR Manager for Europe Region from 2000 to 2003. In Maersk Kent led the implementation of a companywide integrated leadership development initiative based on the Leadership Pipeline concept to impact more than 10,000 leaders in more than 100 countries. The project secured reliable executive succession plans and a 90% hit ratio on talents in the executive talent pool. During his time in A.P. Moller - Maersk he was member of the US Conference Board Council on Development, Education and Training. Since founding the Leadership Pipeline Institute Kent has led the implementation of the Leadership Pipeline and Specialist Pipeline concept with regards to development, selection, and assessment in more than 25 different large international organizations. CreditsHost: Christopher ParsonsExecutive Producers: Denise Parsons, Christopher ParsonsEditor: Coe HoeksemaTheme Song: “We Took the BART” — Written and Performed by The ParentsResourcesLeadership Pipeline Book: https://a.co/d/01HXBNCTThe Performance Pipeline: https://a.co/d/0bJgSp0qLeadership Pipeline Institute YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadershipPipelineInstituteChapters Welcome and Episode Intro(02
- 2 weeks ago1h 24m
Leading a Learning Organization: Lessons from Angela Watson | Shepley Bulfinch
In this episode of the Smarter by Design podcast, I'm joined by Angela Watson, President and CEO of Shepley Bulfinch, a nationally recognized architecture firm whose work spans healthcare, higher education, and civic design. Angela leads with a conviction she traces back to her time teaching at MIT: that real learning doesn't happen through lecture — it happens through doing, through struggle, and through the kind of exploration that only comes when people are given room to fail safely and try again. That belief didn't stay in the classroom. It became the foundation for how she thinks about leading a firm.Learning by doing is the foundation of how AEC professionals and firms develop. The problem is that great ideas stay trapped in pockets — one team figures something out, another team struggles with the same thing, and the knowledge never travels. Angela saw that dynamic playing out at Shepley Bulfinch as the firm grew into a national practice, work-sharing across five offices with project cycles too long and feedback loops too slow to rely on informal transfer alone. Becoming a learning organization became an operational necessity, but it turned out to be much harder than it looked.The conversation traces the full arc of what that effort has looked like in practice and what Angela has learned leading it. Why it's so hard for subject matter experts to codify and teach what they know. Why the traditional apprenticeship model is breaking down as plates get fuller and mentorship gets crowded out. What Shepley Bulfinch learned from building Birdfeeder, their internal peer-to-peer learning platform — what worked, what was too ambitious, and what the firm is rethinking now. And why the harder problem isn't building a course catalog — it's connecting learning to where someone actually wants to go in their career.The thread running underneath all of it is psychological safety. Angela talks about "Back to the Future," Shepley Bulfinch's reframe on lessons learned — a format designed to celebrate the imperfect and make it safe to share what went wrong. She reflects on what it took for her, as CEO, to model that vulnerability publicly, and why she believes culture is the soil in which any learning organization either takes root or doesn't.If you lead an AEC firm, manage a team, or are thinking seriously about how your organization develops its people, this episode is for you. Angela offers deep insight into what's worked, what hasn't, and what is still to be figured out on Shepley Bulfinch's journey to becoming a learning organization.GuestAngela Watson, FAIA, LEED AP, President and CEO, Shepley BulfinchAngela Watson is the second consecutive female President and CEO in the 152-year history of Shepley Bulfinch, a national architecture and design firm with studios across the United States. She is a strong advocate for communication as the foundation of understanding clients, communities, and stakeholders, and she integrates research and practice to create spaces that positively impact people and their environments. Angela's post-occupancy research and co-authored studies on the impact of light on occupant well-being reflect her dedication to understanding the relationship between space and behavior. Her design process bridges teaching and practice through a collaborative design process that inspires innovation adaptable to a changing world. Beyond Shepley Bulfinch, Angela serves on the University of Arizona’s CAPLA Futures Council and the Texas A&M College of Architecture Dean’s Advisory Board. She also serves on the Board of the Design Futures Council, and as Chair of the Board for Shepley Bulfinch. Born in Germany, she studied at Universität Karlsruhe and earned an MArch from MIT, where she later taught Design.CreditsHost: Christopher ParsonsExecutive Producers: Denise Parsons, Christopher ParsonsEditor: Coe HoeksemaTheme Song: “We Took the BART” — Written and Performed by The ParentsEpisode ResourcesWhy Your New Engineers Look Lost for Six Months: LinkedIn article by Nick HeimAmy Edmondson: A Harvard Business School professor and author whose research on psychological safety demonstrates how creating environments where people feel safe to take interpersonal risks—admitting mistakes, asking questions, and challenging ideas—is foundational to organizational learning and innovation.Desirable Difficulty: Robert Bjork's learning framework showing that challenges that slow initial performance—like spacing
- May 6, 20261h 41m
Designing Learning That Actually Improves Performance | Clark Quinn of Quinnovation
In this episode of the Smarter by Design podcast, I’m joined by Clark Quinn, a cognitive scientist who has spent his career translating decades of learning research into practical guidance for organizations. He is the founder of Quinnovation and co-director of the L&D Accelerator. His work is grounded in a simple conviction: most organizations are leaving enormous potential on the table — not for lack of effort or care, but because the science of how people actually learn has rarely made it into the room where learning decisions get made.In most AEC firms, learning and development didn’t start with a formal strategy. It emerged organically. Executives responsible for talent came up through practice. L&D leaders stepped into their roles because they wanted to make their firms better, not because they were trained in the discipline. Subject matter experts shared what they know without ever having been taught how to teach.As a result, most learning organizations in the AEC industry were largely built by accident rather than by design. And in that gap lies a significant opportunity: to create learning that doesn’t just inform, but actually improves capability and performance.That is what this conversation is about.Clark walks us through the science that most accidental L&D leaders never had access to. He explains why training so often stops at information transfer, what it really takes to design for performance rather than content delivery, and what the research says about learning design that actually moves the needle. We explore the shift from content-heavy training to practice-led learning, how to identify the root causes behind critical performance gaps before reaching for a training solution, and how to determine whether learning is even the right intervention.We also step back and look at what a true learning ecosystem requires: not just courses, but performance support, job aids, communities of practice, mentoring, and the cultural conditions where learning compounds over time. Where knowledge is shared openly. Where failure is discussed. And where leadership sets the tone.Finally, we go deep on one of the most important dynamics in any AEC firm: how to effectively work with busy and highly billable subject matter experts by drawing out what they know, pairing them with skilled learning designers, and building a coaching culture that makes expertise transferable at scale.If you lead an AEC firm, build learning programs, or teach others what you know—and you’ve largely been figuring it out as you go—this conversation offers a foundation for doing it smarter. By design.GuestClark Quinn, Executive Director of QuinnovationClark Quinn, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of Quinnovation, learning science advisor to Elevator 9, and Co-Director of the Learning Development Accelerator. With more than four decades of experience at the cutting edge of learning, Dr. Quinn is an internationally known speaker, consultant, and author of seven books. He combines a deep knowledge of cognitive science and broad experience with technology into strategic design solutions that achieve innovative yet practical outcomes for corporations, higher-education, not-for-profit, and government organizations.CreditsHost: Christopher ParsonsExecutive Producers: Denise Parsons, Christopher ParsonsEditor: Coe HoeksemaTheme Song: “We Took the BART” — Written and Performed by The ParentsResourcesFor a full list of episode references and resources, see:https://www.knowledge-architecture.com/blog/designing-learning-that-actually-improves-performance-clark-quinnChapters Introduction Clark Quinn's Journey into Learning Science The Biggest Surprise About How People Learn Why School Is a Bad Model for Organizational Learning People Don't Know How to Learn or Teach How Effective Self-Directed Learners Operate The Performance Ecosystem: Courses, Job Aids, and Community Building a Learning Culture L&D's Role in Facilitating Innovation Accidental vs Intentional Learning Organizations Diagnosing Performance Gaps Before Reaching for Training Why L&D Still Gets Course Design Wrong What Good Course Design Actually Looks Like What Experts Need in Order to Teach Well Working Effectively with Subject Matter Experts Partneri
- Apr 14, 20261h 26m
Modernizing Learning to Scale Quality at Lionakis | Laura Knauss and Kristina Williams
In this episode of Smarter by Design, I’m joined by Laura Knauss, President and Chief Practice Officer at Lionakis, and Kristina Williams, Director of Design Technology at Lionakis, for a conversation about how their firm is modernizing learning to scale quality and consistency across their practice.At the heart of that shift is a deep respect for the apprenticeship model. For generations, one-on-one mentorship has been the foundation of how architects and engineers learned their craft—and it remains essential today. But as firms grow, diversify, and take on increasingly complex work, Lionakis has recognized that apprenticeship alone isn’t enough to provide the consistent, firmwide foundation that today’s environment demands.In response, Lionakis is repositioning apprenticeship by building a more intentional and scalable learning system that ensures every team member starts from a shared baseline, while still allowing mentorship to do what it does best: helping people apply that knowledge in the context of real projects.We explore two major shifts behind that transformation.First, the evolution of Lionakis’s Design Technology Boot Camp. What began as long, lecture-heavy training sessions has been reimagined into a more modular, learner-centered experience built around short, focused video lessons, hands-on exercises, and live, collaborative sessions. Along the way, Kristina shares what they’ve learned about attention, retention, and how to design learning that actually sticks.Second, we look at how those same principles are being applied beyond Boot Camp to reshape how the firm teaches practice itself. From specifications and building envelope design to programming and coordination, Lionakis is moving away from ad hoc training toward a more strategic learning roadmap that captures core project knowledge, standardizes how it’s taught, and makes it accessible across the entire firm.The goal is both simple and ambitious: to create a shared foundation that allows any team member, in any office, to step into any project and contribute with confidence, consistency, and clarity.What emerges is a picture of a firm learning how to operate as a modern learning organization—where knowledge, learning, and practice are tightly connected, and where investment in learning is directly tied to the quality of the work.If you’re thinking about how to scale expertise, support the next generation of talent, or move beyond training as a one-time event, this conversation offers a clear and compelling path forward.GuestsLaura Knauss, President and Chief Practice Officer, LionakisLaura Knauss, AIA has been a member of Lionakis since 1990 where she has built a career designing educational facilities throughout California. As President, she is responsible for developing the firm’s position for its five California offices, leading strategy and directing practice initiatives. Currently, Laura is the Vice-President of Government Relations for AIA California where she facilitates advocacy position on behalf of the profession. Additionally, she serves as a member of the Board of Regents for the California Architectural Foundation (CAF).Kristina Williams, Director of Design Technology, LionakisKristina Williams is the Director of Design Technology at Lionakis, where she focuses on integrating design technology and knowledge management to better connect people, ideas, and information. She began her career at Lionakis as a Revit Specialist and brings 17 years of experience in design technology. Over that time, she has continuously refined how she teaches and supports teams, shaping her approach to how knowledge is shared, adopted, and applied across the firm.She has carried this perspective into her current role leading knowledge management efforts, where she works to improve how information flows and how teams learn from one another. Her work centers on helping teams simplify complexity, strengthen operational clarity, and create the conditions for stronger collaboration.CreditsHost: Christopher ParsonsExecutive Producers: Denise Parsons, Christopher ParsonsEditor: Coe HoeksemaTheme Song: “We Took the BART” — Written and Performed by The ParentsChapters Welcome and Episode Recap Adapting Learning to the Speed of Change The Lionakis Way: A Consistent Approach What Was Broken in Previous Training Models Le
- Apr 1, 20261h 15m
Maximizing the Value of Learning & Development Investments | Chris and Susan of Knowledge Architecture
In this episode of the Smarter by Design podcast, Susan Strom and I discuss The Modern Learning Organization Pipeline—a framework for helping AEC firms prioritize and maximize the return on their learning and development investments.For decades, most AEC learning programs have relied on familiar formats: lunch-and-learns, live training sessions, and recorded presentations. But a new generation of tools—AI search, modern intranets, modular learning systems, and knowledge agents—is dramatically increasing the potential ROI of learning assets. When knowledge can be searched instantly, accessed on demand, and revisited whenever someone needs it, learning assets become far more valuable than they used to be.That shift creates a new challenge: how do firms decide where to invest their time and energy? You can’t manage all the knowledge in your firm. So the real question becomes: which knowledge and learning investments produce the greatest return?In this conversation, Susan and I walk through how to identify, prioritize, and design high-impact learning experiences in AEC firms using the Modern Learning Organization Pipeline.Along the way, we explore:Why AEC firms need to evolve into modern learning organizationsHow firms can maximize the value of learning and development investmentsThe DESIRE framework, a practical tool for prioritizing learning opportunitiesWhy learning experiences should increasingly be treated like productsHow firms are modernizing learning experiences for the AI eraHow learning content can become searchable organizational knowledgeWhy learner involvement and piloting are essential to good learning designThe rise of dedicated knowledge and learning roles inside AEC firmsUnderlying the discussion is a broader idea: the industry is entering a platform shift in how knowledge, learning, and expertise are developed and distributed. As AI-powered knowledge and learning platforms like Synthesis make knowledge more accessible and reusable, the potential return on learning investments is rising dramatically. The challenge for firms is where to invest their time and energy to create the greatest impact.If you’re leading an AEC firm and wondering where to invest in learning, knowledge, and capability building, this episode introduces a practical framework for prioritizing the opportunities that will matter most.Episode ResourcesThe Modern Learning Organization Pipeline: https://www.knowledge-architecture.com/blog/the-modern-learning-organization-pipeline-for-aec-firmsGuestsChristopher Parsons, Founder & CEO, Knowledge ArchitectureAs Founder and CEO of Knowledge Architecture, Christopher is responsible for product design, marketing strategy, and organizational health. He is the host of the Smarter by Design podcast and the author of Smarter by Design, a bi-weekly newsletter exploring how leading AEC firms manage information, share knowledge, and build learning organizations. He is also the executive producer of KA Connect, Knowledge Architecture’s annual knowledge and learning management conference for the AEC industry.Christopher has been a technology leader in the AEC industry since 2002, including serving as Chief Information Officer for Steinberg Architects and as Information Technology Director for SMWM (now Perkins+Will).Susan Strom, Chief Client Officer, Knowledge ArchitectureAs our Chief Client Officer, Susan ensures our clients have the resources they need to be successful. Those resources include best practices, training, documentation, and a team of Knowledge Architecture experts who guide our clients every step of the way.During her time at Knowledge Architecture, Susan has led nearly 200 AEC intranet implementations, produced dozens of intranet case studies, and been instrumental in building our client community and client success program. Her previous roles in human resources, construction management, and engineering systems at Mazzetti and Gilbane Building Company allow her to draw upon a broad range of industry experiences to help our clients succeed.CreditsHost: Christopher ParsonsExecutive Producers
- Mar 4, 20261h 35m
What Will It Mean to Be An Expert in 2030? | Chris Myers of Johns Hopkins University
In this episode of the Smarter by Design podcast, I’m joined by Christopher Myers, Peetz Family Professor of Leadership and Faculty Director of the Center for Innovative Leadership at Johns Hopkins University, for a wide-ranging conversation about expertise, learning, and how AI is reshaping knowledge-intensive organizations like healthcare providers and AEC firms.Christopher studies how professionals learn from experience and from one another. Together, we explore what happens when AI becomes extraordinarily good at synthesizing information but still struggles with judgment, context, and tacit nuance. In fields like healthcare, architecture, and engineering—where decisions carry real liability and long feedback loops—the distinction between synthesis and judgment matters deeply.We examine a growing paradox: In the near future AI may be able to perform much of the “junior work” that once served as the apprenticeship path to becoming an expert. If AI creates the slide decks, drafts the notes, checks the drawings, and summarizes the literature, how do emerging professionals gain the reps, exposure, and judgment that traditionally came from doing those tasks? And if organizations eliminate junior roles in pursuit of efficiency, what happens to the future pipeline of senior expertise?The conversation also explores how expertise actually forms. Christopher shares his research on vicarious learning—how professionals learn from stories, informal conversations, and communities of practice—and why hybrid work may be compressing or eroding some of those learning opportunities. We discuss why informal knowledge sharing sometimes outperforms formal systems, and how simulation and AI-powered scenarios may offer new ways to scale apprenticeship in the future.At the center of the episode is a deeper question: What will it mean to be an expert in 2030? As AI raises the “standard of care” across industries, leaders must rethink not only how work gets done, but how judgment, responsibility, and organizational intelligence are developed over time.If you’re leading an AEC firm and wondering how AI will affect your talent pipeline, apprenticeship model, or long-term expertise, this conversation offers a thoughtful and research-backed perspective on what may lie ahead.GuestChristopher Myers, Peetz Family Professor of Leadership and Faculty Director of the Center for Innovative Leadership at Johns Hopkins UniversityChristopher G. Myers, PhD is the inaugural Peetz Family Professor of Leadership, Professor of Management and (jointly) of Medicine and Public Health, and the founding Faculty Director of the Center for Innovative Leadership at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. His research and teaching focus on individual learning, leadership development, and innovation, with particular attention to how people learn vicariously and share knowledge in health care organizations and other knowledge-intensive work environments. Chris’s research has been published in premier academic journals in the fields of management and medicine and he has received a variety of awards and honors for his work, including being named by Poets & Quants as one of the top 40 business school professors under 40 world-wide. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins University, Chris was on the faculty of the Harvard Business School and received his PhD from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.CreditsHost: Christopher ParsonsExecutive Producers: Denise Parsons, Christopher ParsonsEditor: Coe HoeksemaTheme Song: “We Took the BART” — Written and Performed by The ParentsEpisode ResourcesResearch and Publications by Christopher MyersInformal Peer Interaction and Practice Type as Predictors of Physician Performance on Maintenance of Certification Examinations, Valentine et al. (JAMA Surgery, 2014)Chapters Introduction Predictions for Knowledge & Learning Organizations in 2030 AI’s Strength in Synthesis and Limits in Creativity Human Judgement, Context, and the Missing AI Feedback Loop Beyond Synthesis: When You Still Need Dialogue and Pushback How AI Changes Standard of Care Expectations in Healthcare Why Medical Education Still Tests “Old” Expertise How Clinicians Actually Learn: ChatGPT, Google, and YouTube Why “Regular YouTube” Sometimes Beats Internal KM Systems</p
- Feb 18, 202659 min
What the Best Synthesis Teams Do Differently | Susan Strom of Knowledge Architecture
In this episode of Smarter by Design, I talk with Susan Strom, Chief Client Officer at Knowledge Architecture, about the patterns she’s seen across the most successful Synthesis teams. Drawing on years of implementation experience, Susan explains how great teams build momentum, lead change intentionally, and bring people into the process one person at a time.We explore the human side of intranet, LMS, and AI Search rollouts—what strong project champions do, how they prepare their organizations, and the leadership behaviors that consistently set teams up for long-term success.Whether you're evaluating Synthesis, preparing for a new implementation, or trying to take Synthesis to the next level at your firm, this conversation offers practical insight into what the best teams do differently.GuestsSusan Strom, Chief Client Officer, Knowledge ArchitectureAs our Chief Client Officer, Susan ensures our clients have the resources they need to be successful. Those resources include best practices, training, documentation, and a team of Knowledge Architecture experts who guide our clients every step of the way.During her time at Knowledge Architecture, Susan has led nearly 200 AEC intranet implementations, produced dozens of intranet case studies, and been instrumental in building our client community and client success program. Her previous roles in human resources, construction management, and engineering systems at Mazzetti and Gilbane Building Company allow her to draw upon a broad range of industry experiences to help our clients succeed.Episode Resources📗 "What I’ve Learned from Our Best Synthesis Intranet Implementation Project Managers" article on Linkedin✅ Streamline Your Operations with the Essential Content ChecklistCreditsHost: Christopher Parsons Executive Producers: Denise Parsons, Christopher Parsons Editor: Coe Hoeksema Theme Song: “We Took the BART” — Written and Performed by The ParentsChapters Introduction What Does a Chief Client Officer Do? Inspiration for the Article 1: They Understand How Your Firm Ticks 2: They're Strong Change Leaders Implementation as a Professional Growth Opportunity 5: They Have the Time and Space to Lead 4: They Represent Both Practice and Operations 3: They Influence With or Without Authority When do firms struggle with implementation? Intranet Success Mindset Post-Launch Who is Best to Sustain and Grow the Intranet Post Launch? It's About Change Management The Role of the Executive Sponsor Just Start: The Right People Will Emerge The KA Community Factor Future Goals: Codifying Ongoing Strategy Closing
- Feb 4, 202648 min
Why AEC Firms Are Leveling Up as Learning Organizations Now | Turner Fleischer and Greenprint Partners
In this episode of the Smarter by Design podcast, I’m joined by Ellen Bensky, CEO of Turner Fleischer, and Nicole Chavas, President and COO of Greenprint Partners, for a wide-ranging conversation about what it takes to level up as a learning organization in the AEC industry.As both firms evolve beyond primarily live and synchronous training models, Ellen and Nicole share how they’re building systems to deliver the right knowledge, to the right people, at the right time—while reducing overload and lifting the burden from learning leaders to serve as “air traffic controllers.”We explore how integrating their learning management systems with their intranets and AI Search is helping their teams access critical information in the flow of work, as well as how that shift is also encouraging more subject matter experts to contribute knowledge, knowing it will reach the right audience at the right moment.We also dive into the mindset shifts required to scale learning effectively. From navigating the balance between live and on-demand learning, to designing hybrid programs that combine asynchronous content with meaningful human interaction, Ellen and Nicole show how their teams are rethinking training as a design problem—one centered on empathy, access, and adaptability.This episode is a candid, behind-the-scenes look at how two growing firms are building learning organizations that reflect the pace of modern practice, the needs of emerging professionals, and the realities of day-to-day AEC work.If you’re grappling with learning at scale, looking to reduce information overload, or wondering how to balance video, in-person, and AI-powered tools, this conversation offers fresh insight and practical ideas.GuestsEllen Bensky | Principal, CEO, CFO, Turner FleischerEllen Bensky is a transformative leader at Turner Fleischer, guiding the Toronto-based firm’s growth into a dynamic Studio specializing in Architecture, Interior Design, and Experiential Graphic Design. Her unique 35-year journey as a non-architect to becoming Principal, CEO, and CFO is a testament to her exceptional leadership and vision. Her innovative approach has redefined the traditional business model of the industry, emphasizing that operational teams are the foundation of a successful AEC practice rather than an overhead burden, allowing designers to focus on design. She has strengthened the Studio’s technological capabilities by developing a Digital Practice team with deep expertise, integrating advanced tools and systems to digitize both the practice and their projects.She is dedicated to driving social change, embedding a culture of community engagement within the studio. Weaving social impact into the fabric of the studio’s culture, she empowers Studio members to give back to the communities they live and build in, in meaningful ways. Ellen is deeply passionate about education and lifelong learning. She established TF Academy to support continuous growth and development for all studio members. Her unwavering dedication to sharing knowledge and lessons learned inspires her to speak globally and challenge the industry’s status quo.Nicole Chavas | President and COO, Greenprint PartnersNicole is President & COO of Greenprint Partners, a Chicago-based urban planning, civil engineering and landscape architecture firm. In leading all aspects of firm operations, she brings a passion for rallying resources, talent and partnerships to scale sustainable infrastructure—a passion that has informed her approach to team leadership and company growth since 2014.Nicole's love of learning is inherent in every initiative she leads. Whether it’s spearheading a proposal, accelerating adoption of a new knowledge management system or recruiting and onboarding employees, she is committed to transparency, collaboration and continuous learning every step of the way. She is inspired by the knowledge and interests of every Greenprint team member and seeks to foster a flexible, inclusive and mission-oriented company culture that supports the personal and professional growth of all employees.Episode Resources📗 The Living Company by Arie De Geus📺 The Hidden Benefits
About Smarter by Design
The Smarter by Design podcast explores how leading architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms are reimagining knowledge management, learning, and AI to build smarter, more adaptive practices. Hosted by Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO of Knowledge Architecture, the show dives into the real stories behind how firms are scaling expertise, transforming culture, and creating modern learning organizations. At the heart of the show is a simple belief: AEC firms should spend as much time designing their businesses as they do designing buildings, bridges, and infrastructure. The systems we design for capturing, sharing, and distributing knowledge shape everything else we create. Through thoughtful conversations with AEC leaders, knowledge managers, and innovators, we explore how design, leadership, and technology intersect to shape the future of practice. If you’re curious about how AEC firms are learning faster, working smarter, and designing better ways to grow—this is your show.
Customized Recaps
AI-powered recaps with compact key takeaways, quotes, and insights.
Straight to Your Inbox
Get key takeaways from Smarter by Design in a 5-minute read.
Save Hours Every Week
Stay current on your favorite podcasts without falling behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's Smarter by Design daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Smarter by Design as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the Smarter by Design podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official Smarter by Design product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Knowledge Architecture.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts. Upgrade to Pro for 15, or Premium for 50. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
How often does Smarter by Design release new episodes?
Smarter by Design publishes biweekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
What topics does Smarter by Design cover?
Smarter by Design covers topics including Technology, Business, Arts, Design, Management. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Start getting Smarter by Design summaries tomorrow morning.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.