Organization dynamic is a life study. People make the organization what it is. Success is driven when people with extraordinary passion work together. This leads to greatness. Greatness afterall can be achieved by one. But if you're not a genius or you haven't managed to enter the fame and fortune club by way of independent brains and brawn then get a team. And like other great organizations get a team of people who are smarter and more expert in areas that you are not. The organization leverages the combined efforts of many. In a design business the functional duties among the team need to be aligned but we face unique challenges. The challeges we face include and are not limited to the following examples:
-technology changes
-intensive learning curves dealing with different opportunities
-content management
The technology change in the last few years is disruptive but positive disruptive. Online versus traditional has added a fascinating dimension to the design managers landscape. Our design universe simply compounded by a huge multiple. This has blind sided many design firms leaving them in a predicament. Alginment of skills and education in support of design for online media is the new baseline for sustaining a competitve position. Of course it doesn't hurt to have a couple of geeks in the mix who are brilliant software engineers and can develop code and applications that the formal design/creative hasn't the slightest desire to muck around on. Today in summary the information architect has 3 tools.
1.Picture,
2.Word,
3.Geek
You gotta have interpersonal skill people. This trade is not for sheepish wallflowers or people with a Moses complex. This is a trade that requires a brilliant approach to collaboration, listening and responding with strategic intent. This again is where you get a huge dividend by having those smart cohorts who have joined your team in the mix.
You can't get a better life experience then in the design business. Clients turn over to you their organization's most important function. They employ you to channel their corporate communications to their target audience. This responsibility is upheld between you and your client by one word trust. So the agenda has to be about understanding the organization unique paradigm. Now in one day as a trusted design junkee you can respond to mandates for a Federal government organization, A world class Aboriginal people and round it off with an Investment Management company that has to get a return on a multi billion dollar pension fund. Add a bevy of other design enterprising smart people and you have an unmatched dynamic of powerful interpersonal engagements that can be extremely energizing long before you hit Starbucks in the morning sustained throughout the day while the clock ticks past five into the evening.
Organization is a fascinating thing. Organization as team and organzation as controlled order. Are you organized?
If yes proceed into this business. If no check out the other trades. Organization is critical on so many fronts Its the basis for a book that could be reference for the design organization. Our business tightens up gaps annually. We recognize the great clients we have ultimately want extraordinary content management. Versions, proofreading, standards, colour calibration, cataloguing. This boils down to disorganization equals empty. Organization equals capacity. Some thoughts on this next time... Thanks for reading!
