What the Sex Pistols taught me about Design Operations
Anarchy in the U.K.
I was in High School when I discovered the Sex Pistols. They appealed to my teenage angst. The song that was most likely to get me thrashing around my bedroom was “Anarchy in the UK.” I loved that song so much that I started using an Anarchy symbol Ⓐ as the “A” in Linda. When I was assigned to write a term paper on a political movement, I chose the bewildering chaos of Anarchism that I had glimpsed through the explosive voice of Johnny Rotten.
Through my research, I discovered that Anarchism wasn’t precisely the chaotic and violent philosophy implied by the Sex Pistols song. It was in fact, an ideology that matured during the Enlightenment; Anarchy is defined by its belief that humans can develop social mechanisms that can be sustained without government intervention. Anarchism perhaps upholds an idealized view of humanity that doesn’t scale. Nonetheless, I found this perspective inspiring. In some ways, it has influenced my personal and professional life to this day (although I did stop signing my name with an Anarchy symbol).
What does that mean?
I believe that problems can be solved through deep listening and collaboration. Often solutions exist in the challenge itself. In other words, if you made the problem, you can probably solve it. I disagree with consultants who evaluate from afar, applying pre-made principles to solve unique problems. That’s not how I work.
People aren’t the problem.
They’re the solution.
I’ve been honored to work with University Presses as a Design Operations consultant, evaluating ways of working and department structures. My first action is always to communicate with everyone in the affected departments — staff and managers. I also speak to their colleagues in other departments, stakeholders, and any suppliers or vendors involved externally. The communication involves one-on-one talks, surveys, and facilitated group discussions. Through this listening exercise, I can identify critical issues. The next step is to work with the teams to evaluate the challenge and define what success would look like. Then, once we are in agreement, we begin to work towards those goals.
In one instance, I helped the University Press of Kentucky develop and hire an inaugural Design position. I supported the Press in defining the role, responsibilities, and reporting structure for that new Design position. I oversaw the advertising for the position, identified appropriate candidates, conducted first-round interviews, and once the position was filled, I participated in the onboarding and short-term mentoring.
For Johns Hopkins University Press, I thoroughly reviewed their book publishing workflow during the summer of 2020. Studiolo Secondari guided them through this process, applying the Organizational Design approach to question assumptions about how to develop, design, and produce books. Studiolo Secondari produced a detailed report with immediately actionable steps JHUP could take to achieve operational efficiencies with business and staffing benefits. Read the case study to learn more!
All these solutions were derived from respect for the collaborative process and the belief that, as human beings, we can forge solutions when everyone in the process is respected.
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What are you doing this summer?
I’ll be heading to Washington DC next week to attend the Association of University Presses Annual Meeting. I am excited to see everyone IRL! You can find me at the Westchester Publishing Services table in the Exhibit Hall (thanks for letting me bunk, guys!) If you’d like to grab some time to talk about Design Operations, ask me — what is a Fractional Creative Director?, or learn more about my "A Pandemic of Meetings " Workshops, please schedule some time.
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Westchester Words Podcast
Listen to the great conversation I had with Westchester Publishing Services' Nicole Tomassi. Guess what we talked about? Meetings! I shared strategies you can use to make your meetings more effective and less frequent, putting time back in your day to get other items checked off your to-do list.
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Looking to maximize profitability and efficiency? (Who isn’t?) Through organizational design, I take a humanistic approach to how your business operates, developing systems that make work more streamlined, productive, and enjoyable for your users and your staff.
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