Enterprise Wide Design : a cultural shift - DRIVENxDESIGN

A cultural shift has occurred in design. In leading organisations design now takes place at an organisational level, across all business units, and increases value for stakeholders.

This transformation is Enterprise Wide Design.

In this model, design has moved out of the department and into the boardroom. Design now drives strategy at the very top of the level of the organisation and flows through service delivery to customer experience and retention.

Enterprise Wide Design puts people first. The result is better outcomes for both customers and shareholders.

Moving design beyond a practice-specific output to a enterprise wide culture explains the success of the largest companies in the world. However simply spending money on design is not enough, to get the most out of design, a shift in the organisation is required.

Over the last 5 years a common brief to the design studio has been “we want to be like Apple”. The challenge here is not whether the designer can produce outstanding work, but rather whether the organisation has the readiness and culture to support product transformation and innovate through all business units.

Crucially, Enterprise Wide Design prioritizes the customer experience - from the first point of contact through purchase to ongoing service. It makes sure the experience matches the promise. This can only be achieved by an organisational culture that is made for people rather than one which is made for companies.

Airbnb are BETTER FUTURE. Facebook are BETTER FUTURE. The worlds most influential brands and largest companies are all DRIVENxDESGIN. Their success can be explained by the fostering of an Enterprise Wide Design culture. By prioritising users and their needs, rather than repackaging existing offerings, one-times tech-startups disrupt their industries and seemingly reach mass adoption overnight.

They demonstrate that great customer experiences, delivered through streamlined processes, drive company profits, brand differentiation and increase market value.

If this strikes a chord with you, get involved and join the community accelerating transformation through design.