Steal This Idea: Culture Quiz
Culture Quiz
By Marty Neumeier, author of The Designful Company
Transformation is in the air. Business leaders across industries are recognizing that “old school” management isn’t up to the task of nonstop innovation. As a result, companies that were once run from the top down are steadily shifting to a more networked style of management in which employees and customers play a greater role in driving innovation. Networked cultures tend to be more creative, more agile, and better able to anticipate the needs of customers.
How do you create a culture of innovation? By recognizing one simple fact: If you want to innovate, you’ve got to design. Design and design thinking are the tools that create new products, new services, new business models, new markets, and new industries. The best way to leverage innovation—as outlined in my latest book—is to build a “designful company”. (Buy the book.)
To find out where you are on the culture curve, take this simple test: Share a total of 10 points across each of the 10 pairs below. For example, if your company is more siloed than collaborative, you might score it 6 and 4. When you’ve finished, add up the two columns to measure your progress. If your totals come out to 60 and 40, for example, you could say that you’re 40% along the path to an innovative culture.
18 Comments so far
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Cool! Thank You! Another great diagnostic tool to share with clients…
Just wondering why some of the following criteria were not included in the right column:
1. Criticism vs. Acceptance
2. Procrastination vs enthusiasm to try
3. Objectives vs. Vision
Hi Ishan—acceptance, enthusiasm, and vision are most certainly attributes of a designful culture.
Amazing! As always, Marty Neumeier brings us new ways of thinking about business management.
I wonder why outsourcing brands has been described as opposed to brands managed in-house? Should’t there be a kind of in-house/out-house collaboration in a designful company?
Hi Nejdeh
You caught a serious typo—the in-house and out-house should have be reversed. My mistake!
Maybe open/transparent vs. closed too? Great work.
it depends on the type of business/organization.. Tell the military to be a designful company/organizations (to be collaborative) and see what happens??
Steal This Idea: Culture Quiz…
Steal This Idea: Culture Quiz…
Nitesh—Actually, the military has been making great strides towards designfulness. Today troops and leaders expected to collaborate not only internally but with various allies and local military groups. Soldiers are “empowered” to make decisions on the ground without specific instructions from above. And technology such as cell phones and laptops are allowing tighter communications and better visibility into the front-line activities. In fact, I understand that highly effective militaries such as Israel’s have very compressed hierarchies. Since the military has to make life-and-death decisions everyday, they may be learning faster than most companies. I can’t think of an organization or company or solopreneur today that wouldn’t benefit from more designfulness in an era of fast-moving competition.
Marty — Could you please tell me what speaking engagements you have coming up, and for what audiences? Thank you, Christy
While I appreciate your recognition of the military and how they have operated for years, where does morality fit in to business?
I’ve seen to many companies that are willing to sell there soul just to make a buck. How can we fit personal morality in with business ethics and not lose anything?
The graphic looks identical to what marketing genius Regis McKenna did for Apple back in the eighties.
Was that really 30 years ago?
Which just goes to show good old ideas never go out of style, and that there’s nothing new under the sun.
Anyway, always good to be reminded of a great idea from long ago.
Hello Mark:
It would be great to see the graphic you mention in your comment.
I don’t remember seeing it. Can you share it with us?
Thanks.
Alfredo Muccino
Chief Creative Officer
Liquid Agency
[…] models, new markets, and new industries. The best way to leverage innovation—as outlined in Marty Neumeier´s latest book—is to build a “designful […]
Hi Alfredo,
Yes it is a version of the one Regis McKenna developed many years ago. I emailed him after reading Mark’s post and he sent me some charts which are similar. He has also offered to send me his book. I presume the book might have references to what Mark is referring to.
in Regis’s own words:
“Sridhar – to look for the original chart mentioned in the article, I would have to go back and look at my archives of some 30 –35 years ago. I will enclose two charts that are similar but more recent. One from 1994 and one from 2005. I hope they help. If you send me your address, I will send you my book, “Total Access.”
Cheers,
Sridhar Ryalie
Advisor
Thailand Creative & Design Center
Bangkok
I always use Adobe illustrator at work because i work in an animation studio. this is really a serious tool for the graphic artist.-*`