{"id":8544,"date":"2017-04-20T14:10:19","date_gmt":"2017-04-20T13:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marvel7077.wpengine.com\/?p=8544"},"modified":"2017-04-20T14:24:45","modified_gmt":"2017-04-20T13:24:45","slug":"struggles-innovators-old-school-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marvelapp.com\/blog\/struggles-innovators-old-school-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"The Struggles of Innovators in Old-School Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Work is work and will always be. Some people love it, some just roll with it. Like a service, the impressions we have about our jobs is based on how well the company culture, relationships, and work environment contribute to achieving our goals.<\/p>\n

As design professionals, we know that not every company praises the value provided by design-oriented approaches. Production-oriented companies are focused on efficiency over quality. This approach can limit opportunities for change, frustrating their employees.<\/p>\n

Criticism towards company cultures is fairly common when it doesn\u2019t align with our personal goals.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/svg><\/div>

\"Designers tend to have a hard time inside strict enterprise environments.\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

Designers are valuable assets for a business. They have the ability to push entire teams and processes towards new horizons (and also drive people mad, sometimes<\/em>).<\/p>\n

This is a profile that some companies don\u2019t really know how to handle. Old-school managers tend to have a hard time dealing with these argumentative, out of the box thinkers that seem to have an attitude towards authority.<\/p>\n

One way of explaining this culture clash is based on the theory of disruption. Let\u2019s have a look.<\/p>\n

A word on disruption and collaboration<\/h3>\n

Quoting an adapted definition from Professor Clayton Christensen,<\/a> disruptive individuals are those who are able to develop new ways of approaching problems that are simpler and more innovative than the current solutions available.<\/p>\n

They introduce different ways for collaboration by sharing new ideas that others may not be aware of or have the skills and authority alone to execute. This behavior allows people from different areas to interact and learn more effectively, which leads to new relationships and fuels personal and professional growth.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/svg><\/div>

\"Disruptive individuals are those who develop simpler and more innovative ways to approach problems\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

The problem lies with the fact that for some companies it is unattractive to have these professionals aboard due to the abrupt changes they can cause on the company\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n

Most of the time, the end result is somewhat predictable: Either the person quits, or gets fired. Harsh.<\/p>\n

The struggles<\/h1>\n

Designers tend to have a hard time inside strict enterprise environments. As their mind constantly looks for a fresh point of view, a set of standards based on old-school management feels like a prison for creativity.<\/p>\n

The most common struggles can be roughly categorized into three topics:<\/p>\n

Abiding by the\u00a0rules<\/h2>\n

Getting there on time, dressing accordingly and talking to your superiors like everyone else can be kinda difficult.<\/p>\n

Timetables are a pain for everyone. Designers like to collaborate and learn new things, so it's easy for them to lose track of time while dedicating themselves to solving a problem. Please clarify the consequences for arriving late, but don't drag people down when it happens. Lots of different events can cause unexpected changes in timetables (e.g traffic<\/em>), so try to avoid applying penalties without letting the person give an explanation first.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/svg><\/div>

\"It\u2019s easy for designers to lose track of time while dedicating themselves to solving a problem.\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

It is often said that during work hours you\u2019re representing the company you work for. That includes everything from behavior to clothing and even speech patterns, but not everyone is comfortable with this. It doesn\u2019t feel natural if you\u2019re not used to acting in a certain way.<\/p>\n

Some people don\u2019t like office wear and this is not just superficial. For some people, it is physically uncomfortable, while for others it can affect how they feel. This impacts performance and creativity, therefore the results won't be as great as they could be.<\/p>\n

If they're not in one of the touchpoints of your product or service, perhaps considering a less strict code of conduct, even if it's a small change like allowing people to dress casually on a Friday, certainly makes a difference.<\/p>\n

Lastly, have you ever heard from your peers' something like \u201cHow can you question the boss? So crazy!\u201d or \u201cYou won\u2019t last very long acting this way\u201d? If so, you know how it feels. I\u2019ve heard both phrases a couple times myself, and it\u2019s a bit upsetting.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/svg><\/div>

\"Designers just wanna understand the reasons behind the decisions so they can maybe offer a different approach\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

Designers don\u2019t mean to be stubborn (except when pixels are misaligned<\/em>), they just wanna understand the reasons behind the decisions so they can maybe offer a different approach. Please, don\u2019t crucify them for doing so.<\/p>\n

Innovation and creativity freedom<\/h2>\n

Old companies have been through a lot. Technology changes in an insanely fast pace and professionals must keep up with it, but sadly it doesn\u2019t apply to the business as a whole.<\/p>\n

Companies tend to renew their technologies without reviewing their internal processes, causing people to create workarounds in order to keep things running.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
<\/svg><\/div>

\"Companies tend to renew their technologies without reviewing their internal processes\"<\/p><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

The major complaints on this topic emerge from two different situations:<\/p>\n