Leadership in Irish Architecture, Insights from a Nationwide Study

Despite architects frequently occupying positions requiring leadership, empirical evidence exploring how leadership is actually understood and practiced within the profession remains limited. Motivated by this gap, through a study involving more than 500 members of the RIAI, researchers at TU Dublin examined how leadership is perceived, developed, and enacted within the profession. Data was gathered in two phases, through in-depth interviews with experienced leaders and a nationwide survey of RIAI-registered architects. Participants included
practitioners from all career stages and firm sizes, providing a representative insight into leadership in practice. This article provides an overview of key findings on how leadership is viewed within the profession, the routes by which it is developed, and the challenges that exist in accessing training and development opportunities.