LSI Architects is an award-winning architectural practice, with offices based in Norwich and London, which undertakes projects for all types of clients across the UK. Being in the ‘Best 100 Small Companies To Work For’ since 2015 and Gold accredited by Investors In People, the company strives for its people to be happy and healthy, as well as highly trained and motivated. We recently spoke to Katrina Parsons, Human Resources Manager from LSI Architects to learn more about her experiences of working with us.

How did LSI Architects find out about Jarrold Training and the Insights Discovery course?

I joined LSI Architects in 2014, but the company has used the Insights Discovery programme with Jarrold Training since 2009. We have built a strong, positive relationship with Jarrold Training in those 15 years because the company understands our staff and our culture – and its team’s expertise, knowledge and ongoing partnership with LSI Architects is invaluable.

Over the years, the Insights Discovery programme has grown into an important part of our office culture. We share each employee’s profile around the team to demonstrate to new team members how and why people respond differently to certain situations, as well as to recognise and value these different approaches. We find that this makes our new team members feel welcome and quickly accepted as part of the team.

What impresses you the most about Insights Discovery?

Insights Discovery is more than just a professional development course for our company – we have actually used the results as a communication tool too. For example, by sharing Insights Discovery profiles with other team members, no matter what the job role or position, we’ve enabled them to adapt their working style and communicate with colleagues more efficiently. Insights Discovery has also allowed our staff to have a strong understanding of how individuals like to work, which has improved cooperation and built lasting productivity and creativity within teams.

How many people at LSI Architects use the Insights Discovery training?

We have around 70 employees and all of them have participated in Jarrold Training’s Insights Discovery programme. The course is part of our formal training process for all new staff members at LSI Architects because we recognise how vital the programme is in helping new employees understand themselves and their colleagues.

How is Insights Discovery delivered to LSI Architects?

We utilise the colour-coded online profiles, but also the follow up in-person workshops and coaching sessions which complement the online profiles and allow the team to explore their behaviour and learning in more detail. These additional sessions also give our employees the opportunity to reflect and discuss key areas of interest such as how to utilise a strength or how to develop an area of weakness.

What impact do you see once staff have completed their online profiles?

Ultimately, we see team members interact more effectively as part of a productive, collaborative team. Our team also enjoys sharing experiences of the Insights Discovery programme, it’s a guaranteed conversation starter and ice-breaker for new staff members!

Do you have any plans to further embed Insights Discovery learning?

We are continuing to enrol our new employees on the course and also considering refreshing the programme for our long term employees to see if the way they work has changed significantly since they first took the course – I suspect it probably has!

Would you recommend Jarrold Training to others?

I would absolutely recommend Jarrold Training! Firstly, its trainers are excellent at what they do and they have helped to make the LSI Architects team a fantastic team to be a part of. Also, the range of courses the company offers is so impressive; I’ve been on a Team Leader Development programme and we have members of our team who also go on Excel courses, and Microsoft Project courses.