Service Design Show Service Design Show

Embedding design into an existing organization often feels like... trying to cram a square peg through a round hole. Right?

In our attempts we often need to bend and shape design in ways that make it lose some of its most important qualities.

Just think about how the holistic nature disappears when design becomes siloed across different departments. Which almost always happens.

… and then people wonder why design isn't delivering on it's promise :-/

I recently had the pleasure to interview Naomi Stanford for the Show. Naomi is an authority in the field of organization design (just published her 8th book).

In the conversation you’re about to hear we discuss the role of legacy and heritage, whether embedding design should be a top down or bottom up approach and whose responsibility is it anyway.

As I found out myself, if you're a service design professional and haven't been exposed to organization design then you're absolutely missing out.

Naomi is a great storyteller and brings up tons of inspiring examples on how these two fields strengthen each other. Click the link below to get in on all the details.

I always love conversations with people who are on the fringes of service design. They expand my idea of what's possible.

--- [ GUIDE ] -—

00:00 Welcome to episode 141
04:55 Who is Naomi
07:45 60 second rapid fire
10:45 A different way to look at design
14:15 The relationship to management
17:15 Look at how work gets done
22:30 What's the downside
25:15 The role of incentives
27:45 Making the leap
32:15 Corporate rebels
39:15 When leadership needs to step in
43:00 What are you going to do
46:15 Showing the organisational benefits
50:00 Embedding change
53:00 Recommended resources
55:15 Final thoughts

--- [ LINKS ] ---

* https://naomistanford.com/
* https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-stanford-54373b2/

* The Every (book) - https://amzn.to/33NTAPg
* Tempered Radicals (book) - https://amzn.to/3KlbHNj

* https://www.openlawlab.com/

* https://naomistanford.com/2021/11/08/organisation-design-odile-the-organisation-designer/
* https://naomistanford.com/2021/11/22/organisation-design-odile-the-organisation-designer-part-2/
* https://naomistanford.com/2021/12/06/organisation-design-odile-the-organisation-designer-part-3/
* https://naomistanford.com/2021/12/20/organisation-design-odile-the-organisation-designer-part-4/

* https://naomistanford.com/2008/10/26/organizational-horseholding/
* https://naomistanford.com/2017/12/27/designing-brave/
* https://naomistanford.com/2018/02/14/organization-design-a-toolkit-of-toolkits/
* https://naomistanford.com/2021/12/13/the-right-word/

--- [ HOW TO EXPLAIN SERVICE DESIGN ] ---
Learn what it takes to get your clients, colleagues, managers, CEOs and even grandmas as excited about service design as you are.

https://servicedesignshow.com/free-course

How do you keep growing as a mid / senior level service design professional?

It's mostly likely less and less through formal theory and education.

Once you reach a certain level of maturity in your craft suddenly the small details and nuances start to make a big difference. But you won't find those things on Google.

These learnings are hidden in the lived experiences from other professionals and communicated through rich stories.

Until recently there wasn't a place where you could get exposed to these stories on a regular basis.

That's why in the summer of 2021 I started an experiment called the Circle. The Circle is a community of and for in-house service designers. We gather on a monthly basis to learn from each other around different topics.

The goal with the Circle was to create a safe space where it's okay to talk about the messy parts of our work. A place where you can go deep into the practice. Yes, nerding out on service design if you will :)

Now, half a year later, it was time to evaluate this experiment and define it's next iteration. Of course this happened in co-creation with the current participants.

In this short podcast episode you get a sneak peak inside the Circle.

You'll learn what's working and what isn't. The exciting plans we have for this year. And if a community like this could be right for you.

If you're currently not working in-house and still made it to the end of this email... let me know if you'd be interested in a community like this but for independent and agency folks.

--- [ CIRCLE ] -—

Join our community of in-house service design professionals at the Circle.

https://www.servicedesignshow.com/circle/

What is it that truly matters?

Let's go back to the moment you first learned about service design. You know, when you entered the rabbit hole.

There is so much to learn and to explore. It can easily become very complex and overwhelming.

But if you want to become a service design practitioner you have to start somewhere. Right?

You have to find a way to develop your skills without getting discouraged about all the things you don't know yet.

And you know what the worst part is when you're getting started? That you always get the answer "It depends" when you seek advice from experienced service design professionals.

Of course they are right. There is no fixed recipe on how to use the tools, methods and frameworks. But that doesn't really help you move forward.

So how do you figure this stuff out as a working professional who is transitioning into this field?

Today I want to share a unique story with you.

Usually the guests you hear on the show already have some kind of track record in service design.

You rarely hear the stories of people who are just getting started. And that's exactly what this episode is about.

Herb Sawyer is at the start of his journey into service design. And he came onto the Show to share his experience so far.

What I find so valuable about this conversation is that it inspires you to adopt a beginner's mind again.

I hope that after listening to Herb's story you'll start thinking about the things you take for granted in your practice today. Things that maybe deserve more of your attention.

We started with the question "What is it that truly matters?".

This episode gives you some practical guidance on how to figure out what the answer is for you.

--- [ GUIDE ] -—

00:00 Welcome to episode 140
05:15 Who is Herb
06:00 Rapid fire question round
09:30 Becoming one of them
13:45 How did we get here
19:30 Applying for a service design job
27:00 What's still missing
32:00 Tools versus process
34:30 How to grow and get better
39:30 The a-ha moments!
44:15 The challenging parts
47:45 The big questions
50:00 Fast forwarding one year ahead
52:00 Words of advice
56:15 Final thoughts

--- [ LINKS ] ---

* https://www.linkedin.com/in/herbsawyer/

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Learn how to Sell Service Design with Confidence

https://servicedesignshow.com/selling/

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"Design and business only work together if there is common ground."

That's one of the quotes from the conversation I recently had with David Dunne.

But finding this common ground is easier said than done.

These days it's still the school of management that's driving most companies.

And I think you'll agree that design and management don't necessarily share the same world view, beliefs and approaches.

These differences create tensions. These tensions prevent both sides from achieving the best possible outcomes.

What David Dunne and his colleagues are doing is creating a shared language around these tensions (they refer to them as double binds).

This shared language is essential! Because that helps to make these tensions tangible.

And once they are tangible it becomes much easier to create mutual understanding and find constructive ways to work with each other.

In this episode David shares the 6 double binds he uncovered through his research. I'm sure you'll recognize a few ;)

Want to finally break through some of that stubborn resistance you meet when trying to embed design within your organization?

Then this episode is just for you!

--- [ EPISODE GUIDE ] -—

00:00 Welcome to the Show
04:15 Who is David Dunne
06:00 What are double binds
08:45 Why is this important
10:30 Creativity in organisations
12:30 Examples of double binds
14:45 How do you know you're in a double bind
20:00 General principles to the solutions
27:00 Humility and reflection
28:45 Other examples
30:30 Who needs to hear this
33:45 Lessons from the Circle
35:45 What is the risk
39:00 Reaching out to David
39:30 Open questions
41:30 Closing thoughts

--- [ CIRCLE ] -—

Join our community of in-house service design professionals at the Circle.

https://www.servicedesignshow.com/circle/

Regardless of where you are today in your career, at some point you'll want to work on new challenges, learn new things and be exposed to new experiences.

When you start to get this itch it's important to recognize that it's a pivotal moment.

At this point one might take the approach where they grab the best next opportunity that presents itself on the journey.

This opportunistic approach will probably lead you to some interesting adventures, but it also comes with a significant risk.

When you let your career be determined by the direction of the wind you might end up drifting away from the things you love to do.

And the longer you stay in this position the harder it will be to let go of the lifestyle that comes with it.

This is exactly what happened to Alessandra Canella, our guest in this episode. Her career took a path which is similar to many service design professionals.

Starting out as a practitioner she slowly worked her way "up" to being a lead, managing a design team.

But what if you discover that you don't enjoy management, at all? What if you realize that your true passion is to stay close to the actual practice?

Are there still any growth opportunities left for you as a service design professional? This was the burning question Alessandra needed to find an answer to.

In this episode of the Show we discuss how she took a designerly career development approach and managed to reignite the fire within her.

You can't guarantee that every step in your career will work out the way you hope. But there's definitely a lot you can do to increase the likelihood.

--- [ GUIDE ] -—

00:00 Welcome to episode 139
04:20 Who is Alessandra
05:00 60 second rapid fire
07:15 Career paths in service design
09:00 Key moments
15:15 Deliberate or organic path
18:45 The expectation
24:45 A lateral move
30:15 It's not for every organisation
33:00 How to stay on track
39:15 Finding the courage
42:15 The right moment to move
47:00 Recognizing the signals
53:00 Closing thoughts

--- [ LINKS ] ---

* https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandracanella/

--- [ HOW TO EXPLAIN SERVICE DESIGN ] ---
Learn what it takes to get your clients, colleagues, managers, CEOs and even grandmas as excited about service design as you are.

https://servicedesignshow.com/free-course

Looking for practical service design tips and tricks? Who doesn't right :)

So in this episode you'll hear four commited service design professionals open up and share their best practices with you.

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For more best practices join the upcoming cohort of our Selling Service Design with Confidence program.

https://servicedesignshow.com/selling/

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These best practices focus on how you can get buy-in and support for your work (especially from non-designers). Which, as you probably have experienced, is not a trivial task.

To understand where these best practices are coming from we also discuss the challenges these professionals were running into, the lessons they learned the hard way and of course... what they are doing differently today to be more successful.

Is it mostly about the small details? Or is a bigger mindset shift needed?

Enjoy the episode and if you have any best practices on this topic I'd love to know!

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Learn how to Sell Service Design with Confidence. Join the upcoming cohort!

https://servicedesignshow.com/selling/

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