Theme 3 Discussion
Summary
Shameless opens the conversation addressing the difficulty of synchronizing remote teams across time zones, likening collaboration to dance and emphasizing the need to replicate energy and nonverbal cues asynchronously. Anthony Arman Derraz and Michelle highlight the complexity of designers working between agency and in-house cultures, underscoring code-switching and mutual respect to maintain both identities. Darryl differentiates handling toxic relationships from inside versus outside perspectives, noting internal conversations can be easier but carry more risk. Solomon and others emphasize the importance of clarifying expectations early and fostering open conversations to bridge gaps between client demands and what consultants can deliver. Charzade shares positive outcomes from the pandemic, including increased trust, closer teams despite physical distance, and a more human approach to client relationships. Darian and others reflect on cultural aspects and the uncertain future of remote work, debating whether the new trust and flexibility will last after the pandemic.
Key Insights
-
•
Remote collaboration benefits from adopting dance-like cues to signal and synchronize asynchronous communication.
-
•
Maintaining two distinct organizational cultures requires intentional routines, mutual respect, and one-on-ones between teams.
-
•
Code-switching between company languages helps embedded agency designers effectively integrate without losing identity.
-
•
Outside consultants can exit toxic relationships cleanly, while insiders face more complex, riskier navigation.
-
•
Explicit conversations about project expectations reduce gaps between client demands and consultancy deliverables.
-
•
Pandemic conditions unexpectedly strengthened trust and personal connections among remote teams.
-
•
Being transparent about not knowing everything upfront helps agencies set realistic expectations with clients.
-
•
Workplace cultures that respect personal time and avoid long hours improve collaborative outcomes.
-
•
Remote work humanizes professional relationships by blending personal and business contexts.
-
•
The future of agency work may require evolving beyond traditional models due to economic and global shifts.
Notable Quotes
"I gave birth to two things at once: my talk and my son Mateo within two days."
"How do we dance at a distance? That is the real tricky part of remote teamwork."
"When I was at IBM, embedded designers were expected to fit in seamlessly, which was an honor."
"Code-switching between your native tongue and someone else’s helps foster better connection."
"The happier their team is, the better the work they deliver for me will be."
"When you’re on the outside, there’s always an end to the relationship; it’s very clear and clean."
"Sometimes you need somebody else to tell you something obvious, like consultants should not be expected to know everything upfront."
"The pandemic pulled our remote team much closer—being physically apart made us feel closer."
"A real test of trust happened where I could confidently step away from micromanaging after we shifted online."
"We are all becoming more human in work, stripping away masks and fronts, which strengthens relationships."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"We created separate tracks so people can self-organize, leverage the right skills, and grow their careers in focused ways."
Rachel Posman John CalhounA Closer Look at Team Ops and Product Ops (Two Sides of the DesignOps Coin)
November 19, 2020
"Meeting people where they are means recognizing what’s going on in their life and their context."
Melissa Eggleston Maya Israni Florence Kasule Owen Seely Andrea SchneiderPractical People Skills for Building Trust on Teams and with Partners
December 9, 2021
"Mirror neurons are triggered when we listen to a story, allowing us to empathize by identifying shared commonalities."
Bilan HashiThe Tension Between Story Collecting and Story Telling in Research
March 10, 2021
"You want to get really deep in the weeds with one team first, then move into a facilitation role to scale across teams."
Cassandra PiesterDeveloping and Deploying Your Design Operations Strategy
September 24, 2024
"What's weak feedback? Vague, off target, or late stuff like make it pop or opinions with no owner or next step."
Vanessa VarinFeedback: The Other F-Word
September 10, 2025
"UX mindset lets you see where the friction and gaps are to create value inside and outside organizations."
Dolly ParikhExit Interview #7: Journey of a Social Entrepreneur
May 21, 2026
"High-performing cross-functional teams self-organize around shared goals even with ambiguous roles."
Matt LeMayYou Don’t “Get” Anyone to Do Anything
December 6, 2022
"How might we has become like a church—untouchable and sanctimonious instead of a flexible tool."
Tricia WangThe most popular design thinking strategy is BS
January 27, 2022
"They thought if we build system functionality and send people to training, it will just work. Spoiler: it didn’t."
Dan WillisFilling the Void
November 7, 2018
