Design Leadership Chronicles / An exploration into leading change at scale.
“From 30,000 feet high to understand the forest…
…Down to the ground zero of the composing elements of basic design.
And everything in between.”
This is how Jaakko Tammela, former Design Executive at DASA—a major healthcare provider in Brazil—described his experience leading design on a large scale. It’s a sentiment shared by many leaders striving to drive change within large organisations. Managing a range of responsibilities—from high-level strategy to overseeing execution—can often feel like an endless balancing act.
This is one of the challenges I delve into in my new book, Design Leadership Chronicles. While it’s structured as a business book, it’s also a graphic novel. This visual format allows me to convey complex concepts more effectively, helping them resonate and linger in readers’ minds. Visual storytelling is particularly inclusive, reaching a broader audience, including creatives who may find visuals more accessible and memorable than text alone.
The book shares the stories of nine design leaders and is divided into three core sections:
Making Sense of the Status Quo: This section explores how leaders use design principles to map out an organisation’s products and services, assess customer experiences, and understand delivery mechanisms.
Seeking Change: Here, we look at how leaders initiate and manage change. They weigh how much transformation is productive versus disruptive, examining how to maintain momentum and keep changes meaningful over time.
Envisioning Alternative Futures: This part focuses on how leaders use design to create compelling visions for their organisations’ futures, charting a path toward these aspirational visions.
These stories offer more than just success tales—they also shine a light on the moments of doubt, stress, and setbacks that can challenge even the most resilient leaders. Sometimes, these struggles lead to breaking points or even decisions to walk away.
Let’s return to Jaakko’s story. He experienced a period of rapid growth within his team, expanding from just a few designers to over a hundred in a single year. This growth, though impressive, came with a cost. The business was demanding more design support in ways Jaakko felt were increasingly misaligned with strategic priorities. His team was no team, just a collection of individuals. He found himself caught between high-level engagement with the CEO and the board to connect design decisions to business objectives, and the need to support his team in executing tactical work.
So, what did he do? Jaakko hit the brakes. He stopped hiring, allowing the team size to stabilise naturally over time. He invested in building and a strong leadership team and enabling a cohesive team culture. He focused on meaningful relationships with stakeholders to understand their true design needs. This allowed him to anticipate demands proactively, rather than merely reacting to tactical requests. His journey reveals invaluable lessons on resilience and learning through challenges.
Key Takeaways from Jaakko’s Story:
Ensure there’s a platform where design decisions can be linked to business objectives and discussed with senior leadership.
Be clear on the level of change that is beneficial, versus the point where change becomes counterproductive.
Build partnerships with key stakeholders to understand and shape the demand for strategic design.
Have the courage to “stop the boat” when you realise you’re off course, and pivot decisively.
Does this resonate with you? Have you ever found yourself in the midst of unchecked or unsustainable growth? How did you respond?
If you’re interested in learning more, Design Leadership Chronicles is now available through BIS Publishers Join our official book launch webinar on November 21st at 5 pm CET, where I’ll discuss the book alongside two of the featured leaders, diving into their stories in depth. Register here.
