How to deploy design to ‘change the way you change?’
Design addresses the human factors that often make or break change initiatives. When people resist change, design helps bridge the gap.
If you’re already convinced about the value of design, the next question is how to effectively integrate it into your organisation to guide change. Design thinking is often new territory for many businesses – so how do you set up a design capability that enables success?
Design is objectively valuable…
The objective case for design creating tangible value for organisations is strong. In fact, research from design authorities like the Design Management Institute shows:
“Design-driven companies outperform the S&P 500 by 228%” Good Design Drives Shareholder Value, Jeneanne Rae, DMI 2015
Even traditional management consultancies like McKinsey have confirmed design’s impact:
“Top-quartile MDI (McKinsey Design Index) scorers increased their revenues and total returns to shareholders (TRS) substantially faster than their industry counterparts did over a five-year period—32 percentage points higher revenue growth and 56 percentage points higher TRS growth for the period as a whole.” McKinsey Quarterly, Business Value of Design, October 2018
The business case is clear. But as we all know, proving value on paper doesn’t guarantee success in the real world.
Traditionally change can be pretty chaotic. Each department has their own budgets and change agenda making it very difficult to navigate change effectively and towards an end-state that delivers value to both customers, employees and the business.
…how to deploy design is not well understood.
Despite its proven value, many organisations struggle to implement design effectively. Design thinking differs fundamentally from traditional business approaches and requires people to work in new ways. So it helps to understand what this difference is and be prepared.
We’ve found success with two complementary approaches: vertical integration and horizontal alignment. In practice, these two approaches are both valuable and connected – but we will describe them separately.
Vertical integration enables design to connect throughout an organisation’s hierarchy. It translates executive strategy into practical action on the frontlines where customers experience the difference.
Design succeeds here because it speaks both languages – addressing strategic priorities with the clarity executives need while providing specialists with the specific guidance to deliver meaningful results.
Vertical integration
Imagine your business has a strategic priority – let’s choose ‘customer centricity’ as it’s something close to our hearts. You believe this focus will help you succeed in your market.
The key challenge? Translating this high-level concept into clear direction across all levels: from executives through managers to delivery teams. What does customer centricity actually mean in practice?
Design makes customer centric intentions concrete and actionable. It transforms abstract strategy into specific actions and guides these through the organisation to the people who implement them.
Working with delivery teams, we structure these initiatives effectively. What makes design unique is its two-way approach – not only translating strategy downward but also carrying frontline insights back to executives. This creates a continuous cycle of implementation and learning.
Design as a connector of high level strategic to detailed operational realities.
Design also works horizontally across departments and silos. Its real value is bringing different perspectives together and coordinating change. We deliberately connect across the organisation, tackle problems caused by silos, and help each department work better.
Horizontal integration
The most powerful changes cut across the entire organisation – rarely limited to just one department. Take a Digital Strategy for example – it spans from marketing to customer support. Success here demands alignment across departments, with customers as the shared focus.
Change like this needs a common thread connecting everyone. Often, this thread is the customer journey – the path that customers follow across different departments, experiencing any disconnects firsthand.
This customer story becomes the connecting element for everyone. A customer journey framework – essentially a living collection of customer experiences – serves as a single source of truth across the organisation.
For lasting impact, this horizontal perspective must be woven into organisational routines, practices and structures. It should influence how change is approached, decisions are made and teams are managed.
Change becomes business as usual.
Design has the ability to cut across siloed departments and provide an aligned view for coordinated
So, in summary – the deployment challenge for design is:
We believe in design’s power to transform organisations because we’ve seen it create clarity where confusion once reigned. We’ve witnessed teams find new energy and purpose when they connect their work to real human needs.
Ready to make design your guide for successful change?
I am a founding partner of Livework having set-up the company in 2001. My focus on keeping Livework at the forefront of service design practice and ensuring we continue to create value for our clients.
