From the president: Change

Design Management Journal, Spring 2003 by Powell, Earl N

We are all confronted with change individually, in organizations, and within industries. Change is constant, and it's simply a part of our personal and professional lives.

Change is also stressful, of course. I have observed, though, that in some cases what seems to be a large change causes only a small amount of stress, while minor changes can bring on what seems a disproportionate amount. And while there are many techniques and programs designed to relieve stress, these are frequently more curative than preventive. It seems as if there should be an approach or an organizational framework that could help us embrace change and take it in our stride.

One of the core values of DMI since its founding in 1975 has been interaction-the interaction of design managers with their peers, certainly, but also interaction with other kinds of managers in the organization, as well as interaction between design and organizational strategies. Interaction along these dimensions is a powerful tool. Lately, however, I sense much more interest in the concept of integration.

The idea of integration fosters consistency and the construction of strong platforms for all aspects of an organization, making communications more effective and processes more efficient. However, interaction among managers and leaders is what leads to broader knowledge and understanding of organizational purpose, strategy, and direction. To survive and even thrive in these times of constant challenge, floods of information, and continuous change requires even more interaction.

Moving from interaction to integration provides a strong platform for any organization to make decisions and meet the challenges at hand. However, I believe it is the idea of fusion that provides the last step. When the core values, strategies, mission, and vision of an organization are fused with its attitudes and behaviors, that organization gains more capacity to cope with change, and more flexibility and freedom to make decisions. And design managers can facilitate fusion through their propensity to look at problems and situations from a variety of perspectives.

Although these are abstract ideas, I hope the notion of moving from interaction to integration to fusion offers a perspective that puts design in its proper place as part of the strategic management of an organization. With any luck, the authors writing in this issue of the Design Management Journal will help with that process.