Organisational awareness. How designers can use their skills to maximise impact_
Big organisations can be quite confronting for anyone starting a career or migrating into one after years in small companies.
Speaking with designers who have just started working in-house, I notice most of them feeling quite overwhelmed and confused about everything that is happening.
Layers and layers of hierarchy, a constant flow of internal communications, strategies, vision, purpose, objectives, values, etc., the list of new things to get used to is long and complicated. Add on top of that all the new people you meet and the unwritten ground rules that drive the real culture of organisations, and you have a recipe for stress.
And don’t forget to hit the ground running and start delivering as soon as possible!
Facing organisation complexity is not a “privilege” for designers. Everyone that changes jobs has to learn a new organisation. The difference is that most designers already have the skills that can help them succeed and thrive in big organisations.
Designers, be it graphic, web, UX, interior, industrial, or any other specialisation, are known for having an acute level of empathy. Empathy is embedded in the way they work and on their way of thinking and solving problems.
Different from many business folks, who tend to see the world from a more logical and rational perspective, designers are great in noticing nuances and behavioural patterns that influence complex systems.
Instead of restricting this applied empathy to the design of products or experiences, designers should have a deliberate approach to understanding their work environment. Being able to see what is around them can be a massive difference in how far you can go in your career.
I’m not only talking about promotions and senior leadership but mainly impact, being able to work on more strategic projects and helping your company make a difference in the lives of the customers it is serving.
When you limit your awareness about what is happening around you in a big organisation, it is tough to explore and see opportunities beyond traditional tasks designers are hired to do.
After spending many years working in more traditional business jobs, like product management, strategy and consulting, I decided to study strategic and business design and transition my career to the innovation space.
After a short stint working in design agencies, I got my first job back in a big organisation to kick off a brand new innovation function in a large retail company.
I have to admit that my business experience helped me not to feel completely lost in the new job, but as always, learning the new corporate language was going to take time which unfortunately I didn’t have.
I was hired under a 12-month contract and had to start delivering results as quick as possible. Sometimes it’s hard to shake out old habits, and my first “delivery” was a beautiful slide deck that didn’t make any sense to what the company was looking for
Luckily for me, my boss was great and encouraged me to go all in the “design stuff”. My second attempt was more successful, and the first thing I did was to understand the company from the inside.
In a retail business, there is no better way to do this than living inside a store. I moved to a backroom inside one of the stores and was able to apply extreme empathy every day. Not only towards customers but mainly towards the team members and managers who made the business run. In just a few weeks, I was fluent in the company’s language and able to identify countless opportunities to innovate (and also see how ridiculous my first proposal was).
That perspective led me to develop several projects that changed the course of the company in many areas and allowed me to stay there for five years.
Don’t be intimidated by a different environment. Designers have superpowers that can be extremely valuable in big organisations. Bring your whole self to work. Don’t leave your tools at home!
You can make a difference and businesses need you!