As the world reacts to the anthropocene and pandemic crisis, science has provided data and solutions. Design has a huge opportunity to shape people’s future behaviour and balance the human, social and systemic with science to create safer outcomes for all. Design has slipped in the rush to react to fast-changing situations, Design Leadership will look at how to re-establish and lead massive projects, ensure inclusivity, governance and create new forms of creative leadership.
MRes Research:
Francesco Memo and Yurie Suzuki
“the action of leading a group of people or an organization”
(New Oxford Dictionary of English, 2020)
Leadership as an ability to create & lead a movement: Despite classical theory or format of leadership, we consider the term of Leadership as an ability to create & lead a movement which brings proactive solution or preferable future for one’s belonging community.
Figure 1 - Leadership = ability to create & lead a movement (components)
The Classical Myths and Biases
Leaders: Classical Ideas:
- are the flawless person at the top (& complete)
- do command & control
- are charisma who can propose perfect vision of the future.
Leaders - Today’s Understanding:
- can be incomplete and aware of their both strength & weakness
- cultivate & coordinate
- are not only charisma but those who can illustrate compelling vision of future through collaborative process
Leadership and Resilience Interconnections
In the context of the community’s resilience, the role of leadership is a driving force of movement (*movement can be projects, campaign, solutions) which helps a community to rapidly respond to a disruptive event or change. It indirectly improves the resilience of the community under disruptive event by creating & leading a movement.
Role of the first follower:
“It is first follower that turns someone into a leader, and there is no movement without first follower“ (Derek Sivers, 2014)
5 Key Issues
1) What can designers bring to leadership?
Can we design alternative tools/ re-invented framework that helps someone to start a movement, take leadership?
2) Can we design leaders?(frame work, concept, products...)
Are we obliged to have a human leader? (can a leader be non-human?)
3) What is designer’s value for leadership?
Can creative leadership application be expanded to other fields? (e.g. policy, public service, education etc)? not just a business purpose?
“Design is an agent of change. It touches minds and hearts, and changes behaviours too.The essence and value of design for leaders is captured beautifully by Tim Brown in his book Change by Design. He brings to light the power and potential of design thinking – a
collaborative, human-centred approach to problem-solving – as a catalyst for more creative, inclusive and effective solutions to business and societal problems at scale.
(Emma Benameur, 2020)
4) What is designer’s value for leadership?
How can design research technique advance crafting public/private policies that govern technology access more user friendly?
5) How can designer shape trend of leadership?
How can we advance global trend of designer’s involvement in management for a better world?
Palindrome approach
design for leadership - leadership - design for safety - safety (and vice versa)
The diagram has been intentionally designed with a palindrome approach: this means that it can be read from the more specific theme of “design for leadership” to the wider “safety” topic (passying through “leadership” and “design for safety”) and vice versa. This approach helps the generation of several connections and links that don’t prevent you to do anything: you can choose the path you feel more suitable for you and for the design process you are going to start.
Reading List:
[1] Intelligence.weforum.org. 2020. Adaptive Leadership. [online] Available at <https://intelligence.weforum.org/topics/a1G0X000004Q9aRUAS?tab=publications>
[Accessed 6 November 2020].
[2] Ancona, D., Malone, T., Orlikowski, W. and M. Senge, P., 2020. In Praise Of The Incomplete Leader. [online] Harvard Business Review. Available at:<https://hbr.org/2007/02/inpraise-of-the-incomplete-leader> [Accessed 4 November 2020].
[3] Benameur, E., 2020. 4 Types Of Leadership That Will Define The Future. [online] World
Economic Forum. Available at: <https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/design-leadershiplessons/>[Accessed 10 November 2020].
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