Summary
Scaling a design organization can introduce changes that may increase feelings of instability if not done thoughtfully. And when attrition and burnout levels are at a high, it is especially important to focus those changes on processes and structures that provide stability and growth for designers. Based on her experiences building teams at Amplitude and Adobe, Courtney’s talk will give you tools to scale your team while investing in individual designer’s career growth. Even if DesignOps is not your full-time job, this talk will show how small changes can make a big difference in the designer experience. Hear Courtney interviewed on the Rosenfeld Review Podcast: The Rosenfeld Review Podcast (Rosenfeld Media) · Scale Your Org and Grow Your Designers
Key Insights
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Scaling a design organization necessitates focusing on the emotional and psychological growth of designers.
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Psychological safety is critical for enabling open communication and innovation within design teams.
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Creating a charter for both individual career growth and team mission fosters engagement and reduces turnover.
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Implementing structured operational processes enhances accountability and transparency within design teams.
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Low-effort activities like icebreakers and video usage can significantly improve team cohesion and psychological safety.
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Retrospectives allow teams to provide valuable feedback on processes and relationships, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
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Developing a clear career ladder helps designers navigate their growth and aligns organizational and individual goals.
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Team charters provide a unifying mission and purpose, particularly vital during uncertain times.
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Compassionate leadership helps build resilience within teams facing external challenges and organizational changes.
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Utilizing planning tools like Jira and spreadsheets improves visibility and organization, helping teams manage their workload more effectively.
Notable Quotes
"Since the pandemic, there's been a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide according to the WHO."
"In a hybrid world, everyone puts their video on during design crit; it's the simplest way to build psychological safety."
"People need hope; they should feel like they're active participants in creating a better future."
"Psychological safety is a belief that no one will be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, or concerns."
"Providing structure and processes helps bring stability and exists in service of reaching the charter."
"Hope is a powerful tool to get through uncertainty and instability."
"Having a clear career ladder is important for helping designers own their career journey."
"Creating a team charter gave our growing team purpose; it showed everyone why our design work was needed."
"Structure brings stability by providing a consistent way of working with equal accountability and transparency."
"Our most important role is to grow the people on our team and help them develop their natural resiliency."
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