How to Crush the Talent Crunch
Summary
Quite bluntly, all of you are fierce competitors — for design talent. From start-up to established companies, we're all feeling the effects of the Great Resignation. But what happens when it's discovered that internal processes sandbag efforts to acquire designers, onboard, promote, and retain them? Join us as we uncover some cringe-worthy problems and share practical takeaways for outsized success. Dante won’t be offering cookie-cutter solutions since, as he puts it, “many eggs were cracked in this messy process. This is not for the faint of heart — dirty laundry could be aired!” Takeaways How to hire, onboard, and retain designers How to tackle dysfunction in your org as a decentralized practitioner
Key Insights
-
•
IBM's design team grew from a few hundred to over 3,000 designers globally under Phil Gilbert's leadership before the pandemic reversed this trend.
-
•
High turnover during the pandemic involved even long-tenured and new hires leaving within months.
-
•
Design Ops at IBM operates under a hybrid model with centralized design leadership and decentralized team support.
-
•
Hiring challenges include long periods of radio silence for candidates and recruiters lacking specialized knowledge about design roles.
-
•
Onboarding suffers from information overload due to multiple overlapping checklists from HR, design, and business units.
-
•
Only 12% of employees strongly agree their company does well at onboarding, and only 29% feel fully prepared when starting their role according to Gallup data.
-
•
Consolidating onboarding materials and creating timelines to spread knowledge transfer improves new hire experiences.
-
•
Peer-to-peer coaching programs matched designers from different domains to promote cross-team skill sharing and engagement.
-
•
Engagement is the common denominator affecting hiring success, onboarding effectiveness, and retention of design talent.
-
•
Design Ops leaders must embrace discomfort and uncertainty while learning to focus on high-impact activities that truly move the needle.
Notable Quotes
"My superpower is to connect the dots between people, places, ideas, and opportunities."
"The pandemic flipped the equation, and IBM became the place that design talent left."
"Candidates sometimes got rejected within hours despite active recruiting efforts, and recruiters lacked visibility into the system issues."
"Lead with empathy because a lot of solutions will live outside of your wheelhouse."
"Onboarding is a marathon, not a sprint. Spread knowledge transfer over a feasible timeline."
"Only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job onboarding new employees."
"Employees with exceptional onboarding are 2.6 times more likely to be extremely satisfied with their workplace."
"We matched designers with new peer buddies outside their usual domains to encourage learning and networking."
"Engagement at hiring, onboarding, and growth stages prevents talent churn."
"The hardest lesson is being comfortable when you're uncomfortable and finding the best use of your time to create impact."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Seeking out new connections beyond your silo can reveal new opportunities."
Nick CochranGrowing in Enterprise Design through Making Connections
June 20, 2019
"85% of Netflix users opt for captions, showing how accessibility features benefit everyone, not just those with disabilities."
Amber KnablEmpowering innovation: The critical role of inclusive product development in the AI era
June 4, 2024
"The self-service model works best for projects with concrete and well-defined design objectives at the surface layers."
Nora Tejeda Giovanna AlonsoScaling Design Capabilities at BBVA Through a Self-service Design Model
June 10, 2021
"Value gets exchanged only in the context of a relationship. Without a relationship, value isn’t exchanged."
Nathan ShedroffRedefining Value: Bridging the Innovation Culture Divide
May 14, 2015
"You don’t have to be a designer to participate; over 90% of our community are not design professionals."
Lona MooreScaling Design Beyond Designers
June 11, 2021
"Dane helps us understand that psychology is not just about the mind, but also deeply held in the body."
Jemma AhmedTheme 2 Intro
March 26, 2024
"Customer value outcomes should drive empowered product teams rather than technical outputs or budgets."
Sabrina Mach Nina WainwrightHow to Design Your Design Operating Model
September 29, 2021
"Project management is the ecosystem connecting everyone to deliver the best branded dog communication technology."
Kevin M. HoffmanTheme 2: Enterprise Team Journey
June 3, 2019
"We made a very intentional choice to build in five minute breaks after every talk based on feedback and experience."
Bria Alexander Louis RosenfeldWelcome
January 8, 2024
