One of the Twelve Characters

Architect

'The future is bright, let's make it happen'

Architect resides in the Domain of Context and the Dimension of Purpose.

Architect envisions a sustainable future and ensures a vision community can rally around it. In a volatile world, it provides direction and motivation. It proactively moves the system towards a positive change, ensuring relevance, creativity, and innovation. Its key role is to lead change in organisations and society. Architect collaborates with the other three 'Domain of Context' Characters in the following ways:

Who is Architect?

It builds new things that have relevance and sustainability for future generations. It puts in place structures and systems for addressing the big communal/societal questions. Architect thinks big and finds solutions. It builds bridges between previously separate elements.

Architect prototypes innovation. The talent of Architect is to lead from the perspective of a positively envisioned future. It can see a new world manifest before others. It relies on creativity, imagination, and possibilities.

Architect embraces change. Left on its own, it will break the rules and norms. In collaboration with Custodian however it builds a constructive future. It knows what needs to end so that the new can emerge. We see this pattern in nature; seasons change from summer to autumn, and we welcome the falling leaves as a sign that the trees are doing what they need. In organisations, we often get attached to what has gone before. Letting go of the past feels painful and we stem the flow of change. Architect is skilful at forcing and shaping the direction of change. With the influence of Custodian, it will respect what is ending and acknowledge history. It will thus keep healthy relations whilst still delivering its new agenda.

Working with Oracle, Architect would take a bird's eye, whole system approach to innovation. An Understanding of the materials at hand, their strengths, vulnerabilities, and purpose. Who are the best people to deliver the vision? Who in a team is flexible, adaptable, and able to reach out to others? Who may be more sceptical or resistant? What are the pressure points of the organisation? Who or what can bear a load and when? Architect's leadership role is to provide the inspiration and challenge that keep the vision community moving forward to achieving its collective goals.

What does Architect do?

• Architect gives Conductor the opportunity to motivate and inspire whole communities into action.
• Architect allows Oracle to see futures for its system, based on intuition and opportunity, not just precedence and experience.
• Architect allows Custodian to shape a positive future that leaves a constructive and wholesome legacy.

Where Architect sits in the model

At the heart of the Purpose Dimension is the question: Where are we going?

The Domain of Context is the outer domain: organisations, communities, society and stakeholders. It is where leadership reaches beyond the people you meet.

The other Characters in the Purpose Dimension are Inner Visionary and Navigator. The other Characters in the Domain of Context are Oracle, Custodian and Conductor.

The Virtues Architect helps you build

Virtues emerge when Characters from different Dimensions combine. Because Architect works in the Purpose Dimension, it contributes to three of the six Leadership Virtues:

• Wise, the Practitioner who is a Specialist in Understanding and Purpose.
• Spiritual, the Practitioner who is a Specialist in Purpose and Ethics.
• Courageous, the Practitioner who is a Specialist in Purpose and Communication.

Read about all six Leadership Virtues.