How we work

Our way of working revolves around professional autonomy and leadership, personal connections, hospitality, clear boundaries, consistency, and resilience. We embrace the idea of learning from mistakes. Our students, staff, alumni and partners feel safe, welcome and connected on our Breda campus. Below are the main principles.

We clearly demonstrate professional autonomy and leadership 

Leadership in our community is all about facilitating. In our work, we act autonomously, take initiative, experiment, make informed decisions, and give constructive feedback. These are the BUas Skills for Life that we set as an example for our students. 

We embrace the principle of failing forward 

Quick adaptation and development suggests that we are open to experiences of falling down, getting up, and doing better. This is how we learn. The environment that best supports this principle is one where experimentation is encouraged, failure is seen as an opportunity to learn, and experiences can be shared openly and safely. 

We aim for staff engagement 

We strive for a high level of trust and accountability. Engagement occurs when people give each other space to take initiative, experiment, and organise their own work with the bigger picture in mind. 

We are consistent

Formulating a strategy means nothing without following through. It means ‘living our values’ and ‘walking our talk’. It also means doing what our choices imply. 

We are resilient 

Living, studying and working in an ever-changing world implies living and dealing with constant change and uncertainty. The small-scale character of BUas and our close-knit community allow us to respond quickly and effectively to changing demands and circumstances.

We promote a strong sense of community 

Our campus in Breda brings us together and connects us – everything is aimed at facilitation, interaction, cooperation, and promoting vitality and creativity.

We operate within clear boundaries 

Facilitative leadership is all about professional autonomy within clear boundaries, a certain degree of standardised processes across all academies, and transparent decision making.