Professional development of the individual in a workplace environment, regardless of their role or age demographic, can offer significant and far-reaching benefits across a company, provided an open learning culture is encouraged.

This has been the experience of Australian architecture firm BVN since undertaking an annual leadership program with team members.

In 2008, after doubling in size within two years, the firm established the 12 month Team Skills Program to address the cultural change caused by this rapid growth and to further develop staff’s leadership skills and general self awareness.

According to BVN Brisbane studio director David Kelly, the firm is committed to investing in professional development across the business, as it believes this contributes to offering stronger, more capable project teams.

While the experience was unique for each individual, he said the development of last year’s participants had been visible across the practice, with many taking a proactive role to improve communication, problem solving and foster a culture of learning within their own project teams.

“By giving our people the tools to be aware of their own behaviours, strengths and areas for development, we are developing an open culture of learning across the practice,” Mr Kelly said.

“The Team Skills Programme was established to recognise the potential in our people, regardless of their role within the company.

“We aim to create opportunities for learning to anyone who shows commitment, passion and an enthusiasm for contributing to the BVN culture.”

Twelve months on, BVN Brisbane studio associate Jessica McConochie - who was one of 15 staff to participate in last year’s Team Skills Program - has gained enormous insight and tools which will assist her in her future role as a project team leader.

“Over the year we’ve learnt how to recognise and develop emotional language, identify ineffective behaviours and habits and change our responses,” Ms McConochie said.

“It can be difficult leading a team with varying personalities, but I’ve realised through changing your own behaviour and actions you can influence and potentially change other team member’s actions and participation levels.

“One of the tools we have learnt is ‘Stop-Think-Reframe-Act’, which helps you become more conscious of your behaviour and govern your response, rather than letting emotions get in the way.”

Ms McConochie said all participants were encouraged to share their learnings with other team members, which had resulted in a flow on benefit and created a more positive and inclusive working environment.

Performance Frontiers director Gretel Bakker developed BVN’s leadership program and said in contemporary workplaces managers were recognising the importance of understanding themselves before they can lead others.

“It is also our goal to build leaders that are facilitators and this assists them in achieving better responses from their teams as they are more collaborative and embrace a ‘one company approach’.”

In 2009, BVN’s Team Skills Program has grown to include 18 participants of varying ages from all cross-sections of the practice.

BVN is a collaborative architecture practice which has grown to become one of Australia’s largest and most respected design firms with over 80 years experience. It has studios in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra.