Transitioning to design leadership

Don’t be afraid and keep going

Service Design is still new and exciting, whether we are working with B2C or B2B services. This is both a blessing and a curse, because there’s a lot of opportunities to learn (as well as unlearn). My intention is to help others who are in similar situation to find takeaways and ideas, and also to document my own journey.

Let me tell you something …

I realised that I was in a bubble for a very long time, working with or for designers or CX specialists was quite easy when it comes to discussing, constructing ideas, because you are almost always looking at from similar approach. My customers were also similar-minded people. At the end, they hired you. I was most comfortable when I saw people like myself. The end result was that I would repeat the same type of interactions over and over again.

But then, change of playing fields. Change of scales. I am no longer impacting other designers but the entire organisation. I needed to step up understanding organisation and management.

Working as a service designer in an organisation is a great way to go, but it isn’t without its challenges.

1. You’ll be working in an unfamiliar world

Service design is bursting with potential and opportunity, but it’s not for everyone. In fact, if you’re the type of person who finds comfort in systems and processes, or if you’re very results-driven, this might not be for you. Service design leaders can find themselves in situations where they have no idea how they’re going to get things done, or how they’re going to measure success. Other times they can find themselves trying to influence people’s behaviours — which can be difficult when people aren’t used to being influenced!

2. Your skills will change

In a world where everything is digital, there are no more print comps and press checks. Yet this doesn’t mean that designers won’t be using their visual communication skills — quite the opposite. That’s your strength!

3. You’ll be expected to do a lot more than design

As a service design leader, you’ll spend most of your time aligning, negotiating between different business units.

Not just learning the business language was enough, you needed to be connector within different business units

I was in a position that I need to contribute to the design “the new alternative organisation”. To make a change, you need to understand how the current managers, how they think and do.

Having designers who understand the language and tactics of business allows them to be more involved in strategic decisions, and therefore to have a bigger impact.

As a designer, I’m most confident in my work when I can anticipate user behaviour and have methods and tools to learn about patterns. I couldn’t anticipate what business leaders do or say. As a result, I felt intimidated, especially when meeting new people or going to meetings with my team. My confidence was shot.

Learning business is as much about anticipating needs and behaviours as it is learning terms and concepts. Business is an ecosystem in which knowledge, people, information and resources flow together to create something which has value.

To make decisions about what to do, where to go and how to get there, leaders need a map that shows them the interrelationships between these components and how they are changing over time.

4. Know your business partners:

To make your business impact as high as possible, you need to know where your business partners are, what they want to achieve, and what their viewpoints are. Then, you need to learn where your business is, where it will be in the near future, and how it can get there.

It’s fundamental to your design work to understand the models and strategies specific to your business and the people who use them. With your creative problem-solving processes you can:

• Visualise your business
• Anticipate the needs of your partners
• Analyse the effects of culture on decision-making
• Reflect on how you are or aren’t having an impact

end of Part 6/7

This is a series of seven posts on working in service design in an organisation.

I have revised, recollected and reframe my notes into these posts. Each one focusing on different perspectives. I hope you find it interesting. If you like my writing and want to read more from me please say a few words so I can understand where my interests are most appreciated.

Originally published at https://www.giraykirmizi.com on January 24, 2022.