Summary
As designers, we all know that the majority of our time is spent on people, not on designing. Nearly every designer has experienced some kind of “people problem” at work - such as a cross-functional partner that won’t collaborate. In this talk, Alla will offer an introduction to relationships - what they are, how they work, and how designers can create relationship interfaces so they can be 10 times more effective at work.
Key Insights
-
•
75% of cross-functional teams are dysfunctional mainly due to persisting silos despite team integration efforts.
-
•
Cross-functional dysfunction often stems from competing priorities, miscommunication, and lack of shared goals.
-
•
A relationship cycle includes connection, disconnection, and repair; skipping repair can end relationships.
-
•
Connection means feeling seen, heard, and valued, which is essential for true collaboration.
-
•
Most work relationships are transactional, lacking connection, leading to conflict and lower productivity.
-
•
Conflict emerges from disconnection, and defensive reactions escalate it; repair attempts can break this cycle.
-
•
Repair is any action that prevents negativity from escalating, not necessarily fixing something broken.
-
•
Using personality tools like the Enneagram can quickly build connection and understanding cross-functionally.
-
•
Designed alliances that explicitly state expectations and communication norms help prevent dysfunction.
-
•
Leadership must protect time for relational work because connected relationships drive productivity and reduce burnout.
Notable Quotes
"75% of cross-functional teams are dysfunctional because silos tend to perpetuate themselves."
"A relationship is similar to breathing—it has a form and goes through connection, disconnection, and repair."
"Connection is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued."
"Most of our work relationships are transactional; we pass things over the wall without really seeing each other."
"Disconnection is the breeding ground for conflict."
"Work gets done through our relationships, and this becomes more true as you advance in your career."
"A repair attempt is any action that prevents negativity from spiraling out of control."
"The quickest way to create connection I found is through the Enneagram personality assessment."
"Designed alliances make explicit the implicit ways relationships work and feel to produce healthy partnerships."
"You don’t have time not to connect; lack of connection actually makes work take longer."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Restoration is not just about replanting trees; it’s about rebuilding entire ecosystems."
Alex Hurworth Bonnie John Fahd Arshad Antoine MarinDesigning a Contact Tracing App for Universal Access
October 23, 2020
"Sometimes doing working sessions together to strategize and solve problems can be really beneficial for these new practitioners."
Laine Riley Prokay Lisa GordonCarving a Path for Early Career DesignOps Practitioners
September 9, 2022
"TripAdvisor is really nine major business units each thinking like sub companies instead of one end-to-end user experience."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"If your budgets don’t connect to strategy goals, maybe those budget items shouldn’t exist."
Nathan ShedroffDouble Your Mileage: Use Your Research Strategically
March 31, 2020
"Mobile devices not only have built-in screen readers but also pitch-to-zoom and magnification settings out of the box."
Sam ProulxMobile Accessibility: Why Moving Accessibility Beyond the Desktop is Critical in a Mobile-first World
November 17, 2022
"At LinkedIn, rapid research uncovered trends across products that helped reduce duplicate work."
Feleesha SterlingBuilding a Rapid Research Program (Videoconference)
May 18, 2023
"Overlaying cultural dialogue on journey maps reveals impactful insights that need to be validated but are promising."
Neil BarrieWidening the Aperture: The Case for Taking a Broader Lens to the Dialogue between Products and Culture
March 25, 2024
"Design systems help bridge the gap between design and development, but collaboration remains key."
John DevanneyThe Design Management Office
November 6, 2017
"The most important thing is producing something that gives a perspective nobody else in the organization can bring."
Katy MogalBut Do Your Insights Scale?
March 12, 2021