Four fits to make people-first interests crucial at your company

The Four Fits of Design Org Value, The features investors want are not the ones your users need, and doing office politics on your own terms.

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👋 Hey, I'm Ryan. Welcome to the Second Wave Dive newsletter. Each week, I share insights about leading design teams, being an entrepreneur at a company of one, and growing confidence without losing your soul.

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There's a palpable tension between design and business. And many of us are feeling it right now. We can feel it every time a company makes a decision. Today, we have a few posts that lean into this tension.

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In this newsletter, we cover:

• The Four Fits of Design Org Value
• The features investors want are not the ones your users need.
• Improving your "relationship currency" and "political" savvy

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Four Fits to make design crucial at your company while pushing for people-first interests.

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For a long time, I’ve been examining the difference between design teams that have become crucial to their company’s success and teams that are considered “nice-to-have” but not necessary.

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While this is entirely anecdotal, there is a pattern I see:

• The crucial design teams consistently calculate (and recalculate) how and where design and the design team fit within the company.
• The teams considered “optional” wait for the company to define their place.

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In this article, I share a framework to help the leaders who oversee design organizations consistently calculate (and recalculate) how and where design and their team fit within the business using four critical dimensions:

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• Model ↔ Practice Fit
• Practice ↔ Partnerships Fit
• Partnerships ↔ Positioning Fit
• Positioning ↔ Model Fit

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The features investors want are not the ones your users need.

In the wake of widespread tech layoffs, this insightful article by Lindsey M. West Wallace, delves into the complex relationship between UX practices and business priorities, urging a balanced approach that values people-first interests without losing sight of the company's capitalist imperatives. Wallace explores the tension between designing for user needs and catering to investor demands. Through candid discussions and personal reflections, the article highlights the pitfalls of overemphasizing business objectives at the expense of user-centric innovation.

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Doing office politics on your terms

​Niven Postma initially believed that office politics were beneath them, but getting laid off unexpectedly was a harsh wake-up call to the importance of growing political intelligence in the workplace. Through intensive self-education and professional guidance, Niven uncovered the myths surrounding office politics, learning that it's not about manipulation but influence, relationships, and navigating organizational dynamics effectively.

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🧐 I've finally gotten around to sharing some quick videos on Tiktok. These are quick video responses to a lot of the questions I've gotten or lessons I've learned over my career. Today's video is about one good way to get execs to listen to your feedback.

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Have a good weekend, and I'm proud of you. If you can, get some time away from your feeds and streams.

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Cheers,
Ryan

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P.S. Do you want to find credible evidence that your decisions make sense and are having an impact? I'm leading a rare live course starting February 26. It's called Metrics and Scorecards for Product Teams, and it's lining up to be a good one. Watch a 3-minute video that explains what we'll be doing.