Scale Your Organization and Grow Your Designers

Key Insights

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  Design organizations scale best when focusing on designer growth and emotional well-being, not just output.

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  Psychological safety, defined by Amy Edmondson as speaking up without fear, is critical for design teams due to subjective critique.

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  In hybrid meetings, enforcing video use increases inclusion, visibility, and participation for remote team members.

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  Low-effort rituals like icebreakers and retrospectives build trust and uncover process improvements.

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  A team skills workshop using strength assessments can bolster self-awareness, camaraderie, and complementary hiring decisions.

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  Creating individual and team charters provides hope and clarity, reducing churn especially during periods of uncertainty.

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  Aligning career ladders with shared operational principles helps designers own their career growth and managers have structured development conversations.

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  Introducing tools like Jira for design work, separate from engineering, enhances transparency but requires consistent usage and training.

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  Quarterly planning spreadsheets support realistic workload commitments and aid in prioritization without overburdening designers.

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  Compassionate leadership acknowledging human hardships is essential to successfully navigate scaling amidst rapid change and external crises.

Notable Quotes