Leveling Up as Learning Organizations |
Executive Workshop 2026

Greens Restaurant
San Francisco, CA
March 18th — March 19th, 2026

Workshop Overview

We’re bringing together a small group of executive leaders from leading AEC firms for a two-day workshop in San Francisco next spring (March 18th and 19th) called Leveling Up as Learning Organizations.

This workshop will convene CEOs, presidents, COOs, managing principals, and other senior executives who are shaping how their firms learn, share knowledge, and grow. Together, we’ll explore what it takes to build organizations that are not only high-performing but continuously learning — integrating knowledge management, learning and development, and AI to create smarter, more adaptive practices.

Over two days, we’ll blend:

• Vision, strategy, and emerging best practices sessions from the Knowledge Architecture team on where the industry is headed, why this moment matters, and how to proactively evolve your firm to meet it.

• Case studies from peers who are already experimenting with new approaches to learning, knowledge sharing, and AI.

• Individual reflection and small-group exercises designed to spark fresh ideas and practical takeaways.

Participation is by invitation only, with attendance targeted at around 20–25 AEC executives to allow for genuine dialogue among peers.

This will be a high-trust, generative environment — a space for reflection, connection, and collaboration among executive peers who are thinking deeply about how to evolve their firms for the decade ahead.

Our goal is for every participant to leave with new clarity on their firm’s learning priorities and a practical roadmap for advancing them.

Registration

Your registration to Leveling Up as Learning Organizations | Executive Workshop 2026 includes the two-day workshop and breakfast, lunch, and dinner on both days.

Please Note: To preserve a small, high-trust, peer-based environment, attendance is limited and by invitation only to active Knowledge Architecture clients. If you are unsure of whether or not you meet this criteria, please email us at connect@knowledge-architecture.com.

Where to Stay

Workshop Agenda

Day One (Wednesday, March 18th)

8 AM | Breakfast (@ Greens)

9 AM | Welcome, Introductions, and Executive Sense-Making
Participants will introduce themselves and their firms, followed by a guided reflection and facilitated discussion on how learning and development is showing up in their organizations today—what feels effective, what feels outdated, and where leaders are sensing growing pressure or misalignment.

10 AM | Why Now: The Stakes for Learning in AEC
A short framing session and discussion exploring why learning feels different—and more urgent—than it did even a few years ago. We’ll look at the forces reshaping learning in AEC: increasing speed and complexity, shrinking knowledge half-life, demographic shifts, changing expectations of expertise, and the accelerating role of AI. The goal is to name what many leaders are already feeling and to frame learning as a core organizational capability.

11 AM | Defining the Opportunity: What Is a Modern Learning Organization?
Building on the previous discussion, we’ll introduce a working definition of the modern learning organization—one that designs for continuous learning and unlearning, integrates knowledge, learning, and technology, and becomes smarter over time through its work.

12 PM | Lunch (@ Greens) 

1 PM | Experiments in Modern Learning Experiences
A creative, exploratory session focused on how firms are reimagining learning experiences themselves. We’ll look at real examples of experimentation across the industry: hybrid and flipped learning models, short modular content, authentic expert-led video, AI-supported content creation and retrieval, learning paths, and alternatives to the traditional “live training, recorded and archived” approach.

Some examples will come from participants in the room; others will be shared by the Knowledge Architecture team to illustrate emerging patterns and possibilities. The focus is not on prescribing a single model, but on expanding what leaders believe is possible.

3 PM | Discussion: What These Experiments Enable
Together, we’ll explore what these modern learning experiences make possible: faster onboarding, better decision-making, accelerated expertise, stronger knowledge continuity, and more adaptive practices. This session connects creative experimentation to real organizational impact.

4:30 PM | Day One Reflections
We’ll close the day by reflecting on what we’ve surfaced together—key insights, emerging opportunities, and questions worth carrying into Day Two.

6 PM | Dinner (@ TBD)
An informal evening to continue conversations and build relationships among peers.

Day 2 (Thursday, March 19th)

8 AM | Breakfast (@ Greens)

9 AM | Technology as an Enabler: An Executive-Level View
We’ll begin Day Two with a forward-looking, executive-level overview of the integrated knowledge management, learning & development, and AI technologies being developed by Knowledge Architecture to support modern learning organizations.

This roadmap session will be followed by a group discussion on technology’s role in enabling—and accelerating—the shifts discussed on Day One.

10:30 AM | From Vision to Reality: People, Process, and Culture
A facilitated discussion focused on what gets in the way. We’ll explore the practical obstacles firms face as they try to modernize learning: resourcing, prioritization, governance, cultural resistance, leadership alignment, and the realities of billable environments. Participants will work in small groups to identify their most pressing challenges and the strategies they’re considering to address them.

12 PM | Lunch (@ Greens) 

1 PM | Deep Dives: Topics from the Room
Using themes and questions captured over the two days, participants will self-select into small breakout groups to explore specific topics in more depth—such as staffing models, governance approaches, AI readiness, content strategy, or organizational change. Groups will reconvene to share insights and perspectives with the full group.

3 PM | Reflection and Integration: What This Means for My Firm
Dedicated time for individual and small-group reflection. Participants will step back from discussion to synthesize what they’ve learned, reflect on how it applies to their own firm, and consider what actions or experiments feel most important to pursue next.

4:30 PM | What’s Next: Closing Reflections
We’ll close with a final group conversation focused on takeaways and next steps, helping translate two days of reflection and dialogue into forward momentum.

6 PM | Dinner (@ TBD)
An informal evening to continue conversations and build relationships among peers.

Workshop Ends

Register for the Leveling Up as Learning Organizations | Executive Workshop 2026