As a learning organization and incubator of talent and ideas, we encourage our employees to contribute to knowledge sharing throughout the firm. Anyone with an idea can propose the formation of a community of practice (CoP). Once established, a CoP can grow into a multipractice initiative that yields technical solutions, inspires news ways of thinking and creates positive shifts in our organizational culture.
During a structured reflection exercise at their annual summit, our 34 CoP leaders identified a variety of ways in which their groups’ activities help staff grow their technical, management, sales and leadership skills.
“In the exercise, each leader wrote down everything their CoP does that fits in to each competency. Until they did that, most didn’t realize they were supporting the continuous improvement and learning of the firm,” says Colin McLeod, director of knowledge and data.
We Challenge Our People to Grow
From their first day on the job, employees can begin learning by participating in programs like Thornton Tomasetti University, which in 2023 offered 20 seminars on a wide range of technical themes. And additional support is available at every step in their career journey. In 2023, 1,245 employees, across all job titles, were offered the opportunity to receive guidance through our mentor-matching program.
Many of our learning initiatives are designed to multiply and strengthen connections among our people, offices, practices and departments. This is one goal of our group coaching program, which had 125 participants in 2023. This year, it was expanded to target employees at the senior associate level, with 37 taking part for the first time. In addition to introducing members to professionals throughout the firm, it also focuses on helping each participant develop a strategy to guide them through the next step in their career.
“The coaching program is an excellent opportunity for senior associates to develop their business goals with colleagues and leaders within the firm,” says Huston Dawson, a senior principal in our Protective Design and Security practice. “They can ask questions and hone their goals into a business strategy, which will pave the way for their continued success.”
As employees progress in their careers, they may also benefit from our leadership development program. This year, 25 employees were in the first cohort of our updated program, which now includes personalized coaching and group training for leadership skills.
What Do CoPs Do?
A lot! In 2023, members of our Drones CoP gathered in Florida to demonstrate best practices for piloting uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). To ensure that our operators provide consistent service regardless of location, they brought and flew company drones. Other groups – like our Performance-Based Seismic Design CoP, which hosts discussions with academic experts, and our Embodied Carbon CoP, which produces monthly “shorts” and a related podcast – educate members through open dialogue and regularly scheduled presentations.