Some weeks ago I’ve received an email from Traci Fenton, Founder & CEO of WorldBlu, Inc./Washington, DC. As Traci puts it on their website:
“WorldBlu™ is a leadership and business design studio elevating the human spirit and inspiring freedom through organizational democracy and freedom-centered leadership.”
It turned out that Mike Wagner has recommended my blog to Traci as he thought that there might be some interesting potential to exchange views and opportunities; and Traci and I did so via a subsequent Skype call. It has been a great conversation!
Interestingly like Traci herself (when she’s been confronted with the concept of democracy in her college days) as well as I did not feel ‘too excited’ about the term even though we are true believers in democracy as the basis of modern societies. While the conversation continued Traci told me how much she feels attracted by the idea of ‘Design Management’ and ‘Design Thinking’ as means to give organisations a shape, vision, purpose, tool, metaphor, … and add aspects of ‘organizational democracy’ as well.
After having studied WorldBlu’s website I’ve felt a similar kind attraction by the concept of organizational democracy and how it might serve as
“ … both an organizational strategy for companies and a leadership style. It is achieved when a company uses the principles of democracy to design the way it operates daily, cultivating a company that enhances employee potential, thereby achieving its business goals and positively impacting the community.”
At that time (well it’s only 4 weeks ago ;-) I’ve just formulated the idea to set up the ‘Design Thinking Institute (DTI)’ inspired by all the discussions currently going on. After all I’ve released the initial result of my deliberations on DTI’s virtual platform this week. As I’ve written in my welcome posting on the new website it’s quite too early to provide a comprehensive definition what ‘Design Thinking’ actually comprises. Having talked with various people about it in the meantime and by following the conversations on various blogs as well I get new insights each and every day which makes my mind ‘racing’.
However and this is one of the insights I’ve gained from the dialogue with Traci, ‘WorldBlu’ and the ‘Design Thinking Institute’ share the basic notions on ‘Organizational Democracy’. The chart below is taken from the WorldBlu Website and gives a short overview on what ‘Organizational Democracy’ is about:
Without commenting every single issue of this table and by referring to my earlier post about ‘Design Thinking and the management of tensions’ I can see clear linkages between elements mentioned above and the form & the meta concept of the Institute. Let me just highlight the most relevant according to my perception:
My ongoing investment in this blog and the similar efforts of others out there demonstrate the power of ‘conversations’. While there are a reasonable number of blogs out there in the area of design, innovation, creativity each author or community is adding their special perspective (which does not necessarily reflect consensus) to the discussion. By the same token ‘Design’ is about conversations and accordingly successful design is always embedded in the conversation (let it be directly/indirectly) with the customer/user context. Usability (Can I use it?), Usefulness (Would I use it?) and Emotion (Do I want to use it?) of a product or service are the ultimate benchmark criteria. On the other hand ‘Design thinking’ stimulates issues on Feasibility (Can we produce it?), Suitability (Should we produce it) and Acceptability (Do we want to produce it?)
Furthermore all of what is being said about ‘Web 2.0’ and ‘Decentralized Networks’ these days is already in action as well: The Institute so far is represented by the blog and its content. Therefore by the same token systems like Wikipedia are kept alive by the input of their users different groups/stakeholders contribute in different ways and on platforms to the formation of a bigger picture about ‘Design Thinking’. You might want to consider visiting Steve Portigal’s and Niti Bhan’s (among others) brainchild ‘Does Size Matter’ in this context as well. They investigate
“ …whether large full service companies are better than smaller specialized firms in a loosely knit alliance, sourcing design, innovation, strategy and the answer to “Where do we go buy some innovation?”
Another great source on how organizations might change in the future is David Pollard’s blogposting ‘The Changing Behaviour of Organizations’ where David observes how changed needs of customers, employees and other stakeholders will have an impact on the behaviour of organizations. Simply scan the table he’s assembled in his posting and you can see clear links to design and democratic patterns.
Finally by accepting (strategic) issues as paradoxes you are to a large degree ‘Giving up the delusion that you’re in control’. More than ever the customer is a ‘volatile’ variable in the game. Again David Pollard describes it very well by comparing today’s with tomorrow’s organizational behaviour on how to sell services and products:
“Today: Selling aggressively, using researsed persuasive techniques – Tomorrow: Conversing with customers to discover, and then respond to, articulated customer needs”
People from various design disciplines product, graphic, interaction, ethnographic help to build and understand this conversation together with marketing and PR. However beside the promising praisal on the power of ‘Design Thinking’ the concept, attitude or movement still has a long way to go in order to be seen on the same level of the corporate agenda as the latter two disciplines. After all: this is work in progress!
At the end of our conversation I’ve felt honoured that Traci invited me to share some of the ideas around ‘Design Thinking’ at the WorldBlu forum next week in Washington, DC. Honoured because I see myself more as a facilitator and/or mulitplicator of ‘decentralized ideas’ which emerge out there rather than being the authority in the field. Consequently by attending the forum I hope to spread the message about the ideas we are developing these days and I hope to add some value to our ideas by putting them in the context of ‘Organizational Democracy’. On the other what I hope to learn from the other experts at the forum is to understand in which particular ways ‘Design Thinking’ might add value by making organizations more democratic?! Consequently I will share any insights in what needs to be done to refine the concept of ‘Design Thinking’ with you as well. Please wish me good luck ;-)
