Adaptable Org Design for Resilient Times
Summary
Making design simple in siloed and dated governmental organization with a baggage of tradition and slumped public reception is not an easy task. This talk presents a case study transforming a large government-regulated gambling monopoly from the product-driven world of the past into the emergent and rapidly shifting markets where the customer is placed front and center. How to refresh an organization without causing more obstacles? Organizing for continuous learning and allowing natural competence development can be achieved with reviewing the foundations of the business model and design organization. This talk presents solutions from the presented case study.
Key Insights
-
•
A dated company vision hinders alignment and adaptability in fast-changing industries like gambling.
-
•
Co-creating vision statements with the entire design org and basing them on customer interviews improves focus.
-
•
Regulation to prevent addictive gaming can directly conflict with traditional design goals like engagement.
-
•
Organizational resilience relies heavily on fulfilling psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
-
•
Excessive meetings without clear goals decrease productivity; workshops and agendas improve focus and speed.
-
•
Trust enables transparency and information sharing, which are key to scaling design efficiency.
-
•
Remote design workshops succeed more by managing participant focus and agenda than by the tools themselves.
-
•
Low-threshold design methods and toolkits accelerate learning, confidence, and adoption across diverse teams.
-
•
Continuous customer dialogue beyond surveys drives better prioritization and product responsibility.
-
•
Flexible budgeting and continuous projects reduce knowledge loss and improve adaptability over time.
Notable Quotes
"Many obstacles we faced came from inside the organization, not just external factors."
"The red buttons are forbidden to reduce excessive engagement — that runs counter to typical design goals."
"Nobody really knew what we should be reaching for because the vision was outdated."
"People were pushed but had no idea what was expected from them — adaptability was lacking."
"Transparency can be a master source of efficiency when people are trusted to share."
"Every meeting should have a predefined agenda, at least if no clear goal is determined."
"It was not the remote tools that were the challenge, but getting people to focus."
"Organizations are made of people — resilience is an outcome of a successfully organized group."
"Autonomy means having confidence to make choices and affect ways of working."
"Low-threshold peer designing exponentially develops confidence very quickly."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Sometimes you have to give permission to yourself and your team to try something different."
JD Buckley Margot Dear Jim Kalbach Janaki KumarCOMMUNICATE: Discussion
June 14, 2018
"Choosing the right hill to die on is so important and so hard; the problems that matter come around again and again."
Leisa ReicheltOpening Keynote: Operating in Context
November 7, 2018
"If your recreational reading is about prison camp survivorship or hostage negotiations, you might have burnout."
Rebecca BuckMission: Keep Talent in Research Roles!
March 10, 2021
"Each team should talk about their core values like integrity, accountability, and respect to work together with the same mindset."
Jon Fukuda Amy Evans Ignacio Martinez Joe MeersmanThe Big Question about Innovation: A Panel Discussion
September 25, 2024
"We don’t use yesterday’s retail playbook to solve problems for today — that’s impossible."
Sara Asche Anderson Jamie KaspszakNot Your Ordinary Re-Brand: Design's Path to Driving Customer Obsession at Best Buy
January 8, 2024
"Disability is less about a person and more about a person’s interaction with the environment and processes."
Samuel ProulxFrom Standards to Innovation: Why Inclusive Design Wins
November 19, 2025
"Governance participation isn’t optional if you want to avoid reactive impositions down the line."
Lisa WelchmanCleaning Up Our Mess: Digital Governance for Designers
June 14, 2018
"Trust is hard to find but essential; we hire smart people so let’s all trust and move forward."
Scher Foord Corey Greenltch Sarah RoweTurn the Ship Around: How to Apply Design Thinking Across Your Organization
June 10, 2021
"Some of the most impactful insights come from data analytics and user research collaborating to find behaviors seen in real people and aggregate data."
Eduardo Ortiz Robin Beers Rachael Dietkus, LCSW Bruce Gillespie Jess Greco Marieke McCloskey Renee ReidDay 3 Theme Panel
March 13, 2025
