Video: Do More With Less: Equip and Lead Design Orgs Through Adversity

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Do More With Less: Equip and Lead Design Orgs Through Adversity

Gold

Monday, October 2, 2023 • DesignOps Summit 2023

Bassel Deeb

Design Programme Lead, frog (part of Capgemini Invent)

Will Osborn

Service Design Director, frog (part of Capgemini Invent)

Summary

With the growing turbulence companies face (e.g. recent financial downturns and the pandemic before that), Design with a big D and its sub disciplines (including DesignOps) finds itself deeply and directly impacted by resource reduction and/or resource re-distribution. In this session, we will bring our years of expertise from working with companies of different shapes and forms to explore techniques that help design leadership shield Design Orgs from the impact of uncertainties and be prepared to have those tough conversation when and if needed. Furthermore, we will explore how you can manage the consequences of these events when they become inevitable, but you still need to maintain a strong Design capability.

Key Insights

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Aligning design ops goals explicitly with business values and culture reduces the risk of negative impact during layoffs or restructuring.
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Invisible cultural values in an organization often drive important but unstated priorities, such as risk avoidance in healthcare.
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Porter’s value chain framework helps design ops identify and connect their activities to business value rather than being seen as cost centers.
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Skill mapping should go beyond current delivery needs to prepare for future challenges, including developing resilience skills like comfort with ambiguity.
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Resilience in teams involves the ability to manage uncertainty, support each other, and adapt tools and working methods quickly.
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Risk planning is underutilized in design ops but can provide a structured way to anticipate and mitigate impacts of unexpected events.
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Identifying leading indicators and underlying driving forces of risks allows teams to act proactively rather than reactively.
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Breaking down risk impacts into first, second, and sometimes third order helps clarify cascading consequences on business and people.
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Having documented tools and stakeholder allies ensures design ops interests are represented even when leaders are not in the room.
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These frameworks complement each other and provide a holistic approach to conducting difficult conversations and planning strategically for uncertain futures.

Notable Quotes

"Our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant, and to face the challenge of change."

"Change is not about if it’s about when and as we can see now, change is still ongoing."

"Design ops often get cut off because it’s seen as a cost unit and the supporting activity."

"If we are able to show that we are aiming at the same target, it will inevitably lower the chances of a negative impact on your team when adversity arises."

"Skills mapping is not just about who to keep or let go, but how to grow the team’s capabilities to thrive in challenges."

"People often fill any gaps in communication with their own anxieties. Being clear and upfront is really key."

"Being comfortable with ambiguity is really, really helpful because change is rarely well planned or structured."

"You shouldn’t be expected as an individual to take on the management of everything yourself during difficult times."

"Risk planning conversations allow us to have shared understanding of what we’re worried about and what the risks are."

"When you realize the gap between your activities and business objectives, you can then connect the dotted line with metrics that prove design ops’ value."

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