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Design leadership · Expert · Lesson 91 of 99 · 43 min video, then about 2 hours of practice
Design leadership as organisational design
After this you can describe how design teams are structured, how leaders create the conditions for good work, and what changes as a leader's span grows.
Why it matters
Whether you manage or lead as an IC, at this level you shape the system design work happens in: how designers are embedded in product teams, career frameworks, how quality is reviewed, how design earns a seat in planning. Focus on the idea that the leader's product is the team and its environment, not the designs. Trap: managers who keep designing and starve their team of attention, and ICs who avoid organisational problems because they are 'not design'. Both cap their impact.
How to use this resource
A Nielsen Norman Group conversation with the co-author of 'Org Design for Design Orgs' on design leadership and team structure. Recent, substantive, and the clearest free overview of the subject.