It was about 10 years ago that we started writing Org Design for Design Orgs. Since then, I've continued to develop org design and leadership development material, first as an executive, then as an independent consultant, but haven't found the time or the right means for sharing this more broadly. Occasionally I've posted stuff on my blog, or taught a masterclass, but it was not collected and organized.
Moving my site from WordPress to Ghost opens up new publishing models for me. So I'm announcing Design Org Dimensions as a new subscription publication. With subscription, you'll have access not only to a series of detailed posts on different aspects of organizational design and leadership development, but thanks to the miracle of ✨digital publishing✨, I can also include downloadable tools, templates, and even video to augment what I'm sharing.
This is not meant to supplant Org Design for Design Orgs—much of that book still holds (except for the career framework stuff... that makes me cringe when I look back). Instead, this is mostly new thinking, often jumping off from the book, but taking it in new or deeper directions.
This does mean that some things I have written are now behind a paywall. This may upset some of you, but creators gotta get paid! The only way I can continue to develop and share this material with such detail and rigor is if I can literally make it worth the time.
While much of what's currently available in Design Org Dimensions was previously published, to demonstrate my commitment, I'm offering three new pieces:
Understanding Design as a Function of the Firm
Currently the first post in Design Org Dimensions, it outlines how considering Design as a function (not a craft, activity, or practice) makes evident why it's doesn't 'fit' within most companies. This is also the one freely accessible post, both because I think its thesis is important to share, and as a way to familiarize with how the digital book works.
UX/Design Health Org Assessment
Being able to share this is very much why I wanted to create Design Org Dimensions. It's a lengthy piece on the specifics of a survey to probe the health of your design organization, and includes an editable version of the form so you can conduct the survey straightaway. I believe this to be a valuable tool that will both save time while delivering rich insights, and thus something worth paying for!
Recruiting Process and Interview Guides
Most UX/Design interview processes lack the rigor, clarity, and coordination to enable the team to hire the best-fit candidates. Having supported a number of orgs as they staffed up, I created the linked guide to provide clear, step-by-step instructions for managing the recruiting process, pretty much everything after a candidate is sourced to right before determining whether to make an offer. AND NO DESIGN EXERCISES.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or comments about Design Org Dimensions. This is all very new, and I know it will get better thanks to input from readers.
UX and Design Organizational Health Survey–Still Open
I continue to field my global UX and Design Organizational Health Survey, where I seek to better understand the state of our industry in terms of how our organizations are performing in terms of creating healthy environments for people to do their best work. I will leave it open for another week.
If you need encouragement to fill it out, 5 respondents will be randomly chosen to receive either a $100 gift card, or an hour of consulting/coaching with me.
