Educational Programs

Rena M. Klein, FAIA regularly presents workshops and seminars on firm management at AIA National and Regional Conventions, to various AIA Knowledge Communities and AIA Components, and to other gatherings of design professionals. Responding to the need for management education among small firm practitioners, she has developed numerous original programs including courses on financial management, business planning and firm development. Her participatory and engaging approach to professional education has drawn highly favorable responses and helps architects nationwide achieve success in their practices.

If you are interested in offering one of these programs at your location, please contact Rena. As compensation, Rena asks only travel expenses and a small honorarium based on length of workshop and distance traveled. All the following programs are eligible for AIA continuing education learning units.

Going it Alone: Practice as a Solo-Practitioner
2-hr seminar

Solo practitioners have the freedom to fashion their work life in their own image and, although there are many advantages in this choice, there are also challenges.

Best Laid Plans: Business Planning for Small Firms
2-hr seminar (also available in a 3-hr workshop version)

In twenty-first century practice, unpredictability is a fact of life for architectural firms. Small firm owners must cope with constantly shifting workloads, respond quickly to promising opportunities, and deal immediately with unexpected challenges.

Planning in an Unpredictable Environment
2, 3-hour workshops

This course will be a highly personalized opportunity for learning based on Rena’s book, Architect’s Guide to Small Firm Management. The course focuses on financial assessment and scenario planning and is targeted to design professionals who are owners of smalls firms, including solo practitioners; those who are thinking of starting a firm; those who are in a management position in an established firm; and emerging professionals of all design disciplines.
Beyond Intuition: Financial Management for Small Firms
3-hr workshop

An architect would never design a building without knowing the budget or financial criteria involved in the project. Similarly, firm leaders need financial knowledge to make strategic decisions in designing their firms.

Effective Firm Retreats
3-hr workshop

Firm retreats can leverage the creativity of staff and increase organizational self-knowledge. Effective retreats engage participants and encourage shared leadership.

Making Chaos Work for You: Keys to Small Firm Management
3-hr workshop (also available in 90 min. seminar version)

In this workshop, participants will learn management theory and practical applications designed to increase firm productivity and creativity, as well as improve the effectiveness of firm leadership.

Labyrinth to the Top: Women Architects and the Path to Firm Leadership
2-hr seminar

In Fortune 500 companies only two percent of CEOs are women. Anecdotal evidence supports the existence of a female “brain-drain” occurring in architectural firms of all sizes, as smart and capable women leave for more promising alternatives.

Millennials Working
2-hr seminar

They can be seen everywhere talking on their phones, texting their friends, listening to their iPods, and often doing all of these things simultaneously. These “20-somethings” work differently from other generations and expect a different workplace culture.