Teaching Design Practice in Organisations

I provided design training and skills workshops for corporate and government clients as part of my work at the strategy design firm, 2nd Road. Much of the firm’s work involves design transformation programs where design culture and practices are installed inside organisations. These programs typically include a combination of participatory learning in demonstration projects led by professional designers, competency building in focused learning modules, and ongoing coaching as individuals deploy their learning independently.




Competency Building


The competency building took the form of dedicated training courses that provided instruction in the design process and user-centred methods, with a focus on case-study and interactive, experienced-based learning. Usually taking place over two days, the design training was targeted to introduce design thinking and practices to business people, and so it was important to provide an introduction to design language and core concepts, as well as a practical and relevant approach to tools and process. Unlike many forms of corporate training that are Powerpoint and manual-based, we instead utilised a design studio approach, using whiteboards for live diagramming and facilitating discussion and group exercises that brought design activities to life.


The goal of the courses was to provide a basic competency in design approaches that would allow leaders, managers, and staff to apply design thinking and design methods to key projects and foster a broader design sensibility within the organisation. At one design transformation client, a top-5 Australian financial services company, I delivered training to more than 500 people, across more than twenty 2-day training workshops.




Design Coaching


Another component of installing design competency in organisations is making sure that leadership, management and internal teams have ongoing support and learning opportunities as they do the difficult work of transforming their business using design.


One of the biggest challenges faced by individuals who are trying to deploy and embed design practices in their organisations is the inevitable resistance they encounter, both from other people within their organisation and the systems and processes that reinforce certain ways of working and that often run at cross purposes with design. A coaching relationship allows a business design practitioner to be supported as they take on new challenges and to have access to expertise on an as-needed basis.


I have spent many years of helping clients to plan, staff and manage their own design projects. I have provided direct coaching support for specific design activities and to help practitioners reflect and improve on their skills. I have worked with a variety people at different organisational levels and I have provided advice and support in tackling a wide range of design problems. I am particularly interested in  supporting collaboration and cooperative design efforts.

 

Portfolio > Design Education > Teaching and Coaching

Client: Corporate and Governmental Organisations


My Role: Consultant