Why change by design?

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We asked everyone at Ink Strategy why Change by Design is such a powerful approach to transformation innovation an change management withing organizations and this is what they said…

Martijn Schreuder Goedheijt

Change by design combines two of my core values:

Change which is about growth. About knowing who you are today (as an organisation, team or individual), taking time to define what you want to be and finding the courage to go become it.

Design which is about elegance. About knowing who and what you are designing for and co-creating the most beautiful and effective shape to reach your change management goals.

Applying change by design in organisational transformation is so powerful to me because all of our interventions are designed in such a way that they embody the desired change. Our co-creative processes build ownership from the start. Our visuals show the essence of behavioural dynamics to beat and the desired future as if it was already there. Our experience-based workshops

Jesper Habraken

I believe the only constant in life is change. We inherently need change management in order to adapt, grow and thrive. Without forethought, change catches us unexpectedly and can create unwanted situations. Through Change by Design, we pre-emptively design the changes according to our own wishes and requirements. This allows us to be more prepared and to navigate your business, organization and even your personal life in the desired direction.

Tristan Ozero

I got into design thinking in change management about a decade ago when it was still an emerging concept. Since then I’ve seen a full industry develop around applying design thinking to help organizations create sustainable change. We see it in product design, service design, strategy and vision design, and now more commonly in behaviour design.

Human-centred design is so powerful because it helps change managemenet in problem-solving; aiding them in becoming more creative and innovative in the long run. This is sustainable behavioural change and the type of change I love to see in the projects we do. I truly believe that design thinking can be infused in every level of organizations to facilitate sustainable change.

Charlotte Soedjak

Now, I would like to ask you: What’s faster? Watching the movie, or reading the book? There you go. That’s why change needs design. That ‘aha!’-moment when you see a visual. This is what we do at Ink Strategy. This is what I love, to help organisations see the bigger picture, to help it ‘click’ for others. I see this as the most efficient way to achieve change.

Mart Veeken

The traditional approach to change management starts with looking at current systems and processes. After analysis, decisions are made to make it better, cheaper, faster. This analytical approach uses numbers and data. When the new ‘model’ is set, the humans must fit in. But often there is a huge mismatch between the analytical theory and the more complex human reality. Investment is then needed to ‘fix’ this error; in many cases without success. Change by design takes a reverse approach. We look at the human first. What drives them, what makes them thrive and what do they need? If that is clear, some processes may need to be changed, added or potentially left as they are. This process stays fluid and improves all the time.

The bottom line is that it is easy to change processes but very hard to change humans.

Xanna Bijvoet

Think back to your childhood. Remember how curious, playful, creative and free you were? How you eager you were to feel, see and smell new things? Children come up with the most awesome new ideas, because they aren’t constrained by the responsibilities and life experiences that come with adulthood. Ink Strategy’s approach of combining design, visual thinking and co-creation ensure that our clients unlock their ‘inner child mindset’ again within their change management approach. Our strength is helping our clients experience being playful and creative, but in the business context to create sustainable change in their organisations.

If you would like to apply human centric design principles in your change management environment get in contact with us at Ink Strategy or read more about some of our services.

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Strategic Visual Designer

Tristan Ozero

Tristan Ozero is one of the founding partners at Ink Strategy and has been working in changing environments for more than a decade. His passion is applying human-centered design thinking to help organizations innovate and do things differently from the start.

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