Strategies for Positioning Design as an Equal Business Partner / Scott Zimmer / Ep. #187

Oct 27, 2023

Scott Zimmer, an experienced executive leader, shares strategies for positioning design as an equal partner within organizations. He emphasizes the importance of building bridges between business and design, crafting stories that resonate with business partners, and earning respect for design. Zimmer also discusses the tipping point in changing the narrative about design at Capital One and the lessons in bravery and sticking to one's values. Curiosity, respect, and gratitude towards the future of design are highlighted as well.

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Introduction

00:00 • 5min

Introduction and Background

05:24 • 4min

Earning Respect for Design

09:19 • 27min

Earning Respect as a Design Professional

35:51 • 10min

Lessons in Bravery and Sticking to Your Values

45:37 • 2min

The Tipping Point: Changing the Narrative about Design at Capital One

47:52 • 14min

Curiosity, Respect, and Gratitude

01:02:12 • 3min

Let's face it... In many organizations, human-centered design, unfortunately isn't yet woven into the cultural fabric.

This means that design often still needs to earn its stripes before it gets fully accepted inside an environment that's dominated by a different mindset.

And the stakes are high. Either design's influence grows, and investments shift toward it, or it risks fading into insignificance.

Right now, there's a strong debate going on in our field: How can we earn this respect without losing our design essence, the very source of our effectiveness?

Scott Zimmer, our guest this week, brings a wealth of insights on what it takes to persuade organizations to make substantial (financial) investments in design. Through his experiences in executive leadership roles, he successfully championed design, building environments where it was regarded as an equal partner rather than a replaceable resource.

In this conversation, we delve into the strategies for building bridges between business and design, ensuring mutual understanding and appreciation.

As you'll hear, Scott offers practical, actionable steps to drive change within your organization, from the influence of job titles to crafting stories that resonate with your business partners.

So, if you're interested in learning what really moves the needle in favor of design from someone who's been at the very top, make sure you don't miss this one!

One key takeaway from my discussion with Scott is that we should hold firmly to our principles and not doubt the value we bring to the table.

We can be both brave and humble.

~ Marc

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to Episode 187

05:45 Who is Scott

09:00 Lightning Round

10:30 Designers seeking respect

16:30 Respect revered

18:30 How to earn the respect

26:00 Valuing what designers put into the table

30:15 What it means to be an equal partner

36:30 Making a positive impression

39:45 The status quo

44:30 Bragging rights in your favor

47:00 Lessons learned

56:00 It's a bet

59:15 What's next for Scott

1:04:30 Final takeaway

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sczimmer/

Org Design for Design Orgs by Peter Merholz (book) - https://orgdesignfordesignorgs.com/

Join the waitlist - https://www.tmpt.me

--- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---

Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle