Titles create efficiency in a company and streamline decision-making, which is wonderful for issues that require critical thinking. In the design industry, however, titles sometimes get in the way of bringing a project to life.
The ZURB team
tried the Marshmallow Experiment recently and learned that great results depend less on an established hierarchy and more on collaboration among team members that have a great track record of working together. During this problem-solving strategy session, the strengths and talents of each team member rose to the surface and it quickly became evident that a person's role in the group played a more vital part than their title within our company.
Good managers know when and how to empower their teams to figure out problems, even if it means temporarily throwing the organizational chart out the window. Great managers empower their teams to do this all the time, particularly when problems are vague or undefined. It's tempting to want to grab the reins and dictate solutions, especially whey your job title gives you the authority to do so, but asking your design team what kind of support they need to get the job done is a hallmark of collaborative design thinking.