Summary
Determining a staffing model for the success of your design teams is one of the key elements for driving success. By reviewing the differences between dedicated and agency (or flexible) staffing models, Alicia Mooty will walk the group through a case study of applying these types of models in her work at Adobe.
Key Insights
-
•
Dedicated staffing builds deep vertical expertise and stable relationships but limits cross-project learning.
-
•
Agency (pooled) staffing offers horizontal mastery and flexibility but requires more ramp-up time and risks shallow involvement.
-
•
Hybrid staffing models enable teams to flexibly cover critical design gaps without waiting for new hires.
-
•
Designer preferences vary: some value security of dedicated roles, others seek excitement in rotational assignments.
-
•
Clear, ongoing communication and stakeholder alignment are critical when shifting staffing models.
-
•
Design debt can accumulate if staffing shifts create under-supported teams with full product demands.
-
•
Workload splitting across multiple teams can lead to burnout and requires close oversight.
-
•
Funding models (centralized vs business unit–funded) strongly impact staffing flexibility and ownership disputes.
-
•
Early involvement of design in projects distinguishes true start from false start and improves outcomes.
-
•
Short-term agency assignments need clarity on long-term maintenance responsibilities to prevent workflow gaps.
Notable Quotes
"How do you organize a design team to work within a changing environment without freaking everybody out."
"Dedicated staffing creates deep vertical expertise, giving designers mastery and strong relationships."
"Agency style staffing gives designers horizontal mastery but doesn't always allow deep vertical mastery."
"One designer's security in dedicated roles can be another designer's stagnation."
"We covered critical gaps without waiting for headcount allocation or hiring delays."
"Creating trust and small group alignment before shifting staffing reduces resistance."
"Splitting designers across teams sometimes caused work-life balance issues requiring more oversight."
"Funding source often drives ownership tension about where designers are allocated."
"False starts happen when design is brought in too late, to fix rather than set vision and strategy."
"Agency model can feel like a fast-food assembly line if designers aren't involved early and meaningfully."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"We started doing something interesting: every Monday, instead of having a stand-up, we would journal and share."
Jennifer KanyamibwaCreating the Blueprint: Growing and Building Design Teams
November 8, 2018
"We want to create clarity because lack of clarity is why we struggle with research repositories."
Brigette Metzler Dana ChrisfieldResearch Repositories: A global project by the ResearchOps Community (Videoconference)
August 27, 2020
"Taking meeting minutes and assigning action items with director names reduced arguing and helped move things forward."
Carl TurnerYou Can Do This: Understand and Solve Organizational Problems to Jumpstart a Dead Project
March 28, 2023
"If you want to bring dots closer together, you have to constantly notice how things change in the moment."
John Mortimer Milan Guenther Lucy Ellis Patrick QuattlebaumPanel Discussion
December 3, 2024
"My superpower is to connect the dots between people, places, ideas, and opportunities."
Dante GuintuHow to Crush the Talent Crunch
September 8, 2022
"Fourth order design is about understanding the system structure and how we intervene to create new pathways of experience."
Richard BuchananCreativity and Principles in the Flourishing Enterprise
June 15, 2018
"Normally the theme leader would be talking about sleep deprivation because we’re overstimulated and excited by the talks."
Dan WillisTheme 3: Intro
January 8, 2024
"Failure cake helped us eat our feelings and provided comfort during hard moments."
Dan WardFailure Friday #1 with Dan Ward
February 7, 2025
"Let’s shake s*** up."
Chris GeisonTheme Two Intro
March 28, 2023