Introduction
What is a navigator? What is its relationship with a design manager? What does this description entail?
This blog post will be looking at a design manager as a navigator. I will first look upon the definition of a navigator, how it refers to a design manager as well as research to justify the points through my essay. Furthermore, I will be considering advantages and disadvantages of a navigator, and what are the solutions to the disadvantages, moreover researching into the future predictions of a design manager, will the definition of navigator change or develop further as we progress into the future? And is a navigator the only characteristic to a design manager or there more to it?
This topic is of pivotal importance to the skills and characteristic a design manager may need, and so developing my knowledge as well as informing the reader is of significance to be able to look further into what it takes to be a design manager. A navigator could be one of many things however through my paper I will be consistently looking through design leadership as one of the main concepts of design manager as a navigator.
My conclusion will be looking through all the points I discuss in this post and generate outcomes into what a design manager as a navigator is and what I have deduced from my research as well as experience in working in a team for the location design management practices module at UAL.
1.0 What is a navigator? How does it relate back to a Design Manager?
From looking at the definition of the meaning ‘a navigator is a person whose job is to steer the ship. The navigator plans and charts the course and then points the boat in the right direction’ (‘Navigator - Dictionary Definition’, no date). From a design point of view, this can be acknowledged as the navigator being in charge and finding solutions to problems as well as directing a project with a team behind them. But what is the justification and relation to a design manager? This section will focus on the Design Manager as a Navigator.
In the group work that I have recently participated in, I believe we were all in some part a navigator. (Best, 2015) refers to design managers developing design proposals, working in a team and being able to be successful in doing the tasks a designer, thus, demonstrates co-ordination within a team as well as being organised with what each team member is doing to create the final and successful design proposal. Being an active navigator in my group lead to lots of initiative in leading the project and implementing the right actions to be able to have a successful project brief.
According to (Best, 2015) a navigator can be designated the role of a project manager, in the sense that they must make the correct decisions that are necessary as well as balance the cost, time and performance in the result. Without a project manager, there are often high costs and delays. This is significant as being a project manager often includes “strong leadership, good judgement and ability to make informed decisions…” (Best,2015) as evident through the brief that I was given, all these points valid as design manager as a navigator.
Moreover, “Start-ups must be Ready to Pivot” (Bajwa et al., 2017) implies that as a designer being able to adapt to new situations and be successful in problem-solving, this can be interpreted into design manager as a navigator because ‘pivoting’ meaning to move in a certain setting to be successful in a business. For example, social media platform Instagram ‘pivoted’ its focus as originally a location-based service to a photo-sharing application to meet user needs. (Macmanus, 2012)
2.0 What are the Benefits & Drawbacks of being a Navigator?
The characteristics identified as a navigator means that as a design manager, having initiative as well as being confident in the role in which leadership takes place. One of the benefits of a design manager as a navigator is that it is the most powerful role in generating new ideas (Topalian, 2002) for the project with the help of research and considering the audience/client.
Communication with various people is a fundamental part of being a navigator, educating the clients and understanding business goals and challenges to be able to carry out a successful project. If you as a navigator, appreciate what motivates decision-making in the business where you serve, you will be able to help package the proposal you want to share. The more designers do this, the more you hammer home the point that a strategy dialogue without design is incomplete.
A drawback of being a design manager as a navigator is that when working in a team, you may not see eye-to-eye. Because of the different members of the group, there may be a difference in ideas or concepts, disputes between the two may occur and so time-wasting, and lack of productivity will arise. Design manager as a navigator must have “strong interpersonal abilities” (Small Business - Chron.com, 2011) and be able to change their leadership styles to suit the characteristics of the people they are working with.
A navigator can delegate tasks effectively, they can help improve worker efficiency. Good navigators can identify the strengths and limitations of various workers and “delegate work accordingly.” (Small Business - Chron.com, 2011) Efficient labour division can result in increased job productivity, which leads to increased sales and benefit. On the other hand, ineffective navigator, may have a negative impact on efficiency.
Being a navigator has its advantages and disadvantages but being accommodating with clients and the design team, I believe is what will make an effective and successful design manager as a navigator. There are many skills with being a navigator however, some skills come naturally and cannot always be learnt through training but from the experience of leadership, this concluding this section in saying that with experience of leadership comes the great success of a navigator.
3.0 What are the future predictions of a Navigator? Is a Design Manager only a Navigator?
From the several readings that I have come across, in my judgement, being a navigator will always a significant and crucial element of design management, as it entails, leadership, strong communication skills and having initiative when it comes to achieving a successful project from a brief.
My future predictions of being a navigator are that it will always occur when being in a team for a brief. (Topalian, 2002), includes a list for “Best Practices in Organisational Communication” which reflects on 6 key points that occur in a business, most of which can be linked to design management as navigator. This mention engaging employees and the team, having strategic communication and so on. For the future, I do not think these will ever change due to the undoubtedly, essential role of leadership in a business. Nevertheless, (Laker, 2020) describes the fact that a leader in the future will need to “possess a new arsenal of skills and mindsets to lead effectively” this is correct, and I consider this as businesses will be evolving and change in the future. The article mentions a keynote and bestseller Jacob Morgan and in his book of ‘The Future Leadership’ talks about the 4 mindsets and 5 skills that leaders should have. Some of the points mention justifying my reasoning of what is a navigator. However, some of these points, because they can be reflected in a navigator, it suggests the minimal change of this type of characteristic in a design manager and so, could potentially connote an already successful leadership element in a navigator.
Controversy, when reading Jacob Morgan’s top skill points, he states that having the “translator” skill is important “Listening and communication are two timeless aspects of great leadership…” (Laker, 2020) this could imply that design manager as navigator could also be a translator in that communication is a key aspect of being a leader, but, on the other hand, it could show an overlap of which a design manager can be a navigator and translator.
Although, (Topalian, 2002) proposes a different idea in that “innovation are design” implying that being a design manager being able to be innovative in a project and thinking creatively, could be derived as a design manager as a craftsperson. Being a creative navigator could be important when handling a brief and being a problem solver.
Additionally, from my perspective of working in a team with a brief a design manager can be a translator, navigator, craftsperson, and detective due to the leadership a person may have as well as the research they may have to do in finding solutions in the brief and a translator with working with clients and listening and understanding people in the group. Being a design manager encompasses all these characteristics and all play a role hand in hand with each other to be a successful design manager.
Conclusion
Through my development of ‘design manager as a navigator,’ a navigator is a crucial element in being a design manager, it allows for strong leadership skills, communication within the team and the client also, being able to make an informed decision on a project to achieve the aims and objectives in a brief.
There are many advantages and disadvantage to being a navigator, however as seen through this blog post, with experience a design manager can be a successful navigator through time as a navigator.
Although, overall, being a design manager is not only about being a navigator but also a detective, translator, and craftsperson. With all these characteristics, it enables the design manager to be efficacious when working in a team or clients and achieve a successful brief.
Bibliography
Bajwa, S. S. et al. (2017) ‘Start-Ups Must Be Ready to Pivot’, IEEE Software, 34(3), pp. 18–22. doi: 10.1109/MS.2017.84.
Best, K. (2015) ‘Design Management: Managing Design Strategy, Process, and Implementation’, in Design Management: Managing Design Strategy, Process, and Implementation. 2nd Edition. London: Bloomsbury, p. 50. Available at: http://www.bloomsburyappliedvisualarts.com.arts.idm.oclc.org/bava/encyclopedia-chapter (Accessed: 22 May 2021).
Doorley, J. and Garcia, H. F. (2010) Reputation Management : The Key to Successful Public Relations and Corporate Communication. 2nd edn. London, UNITED STATES: Taylor & Francis Group. Available at: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ual/detail.action?docID=684052 (Accessed: 23 May 2021).
Koutsikouri, D., Dainty, A. and Austin, S. (no date) ‘CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY ENGINEERING PROJECTS’, p. 10.
Laker, B. (2020) This Is What Leadership Will Be In 2030, Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2020/08/05/this-is-what-leadership-will-be-in-2030/ (Accessed: 25 May 2021).
Macmanus, R. (2012) ‘To Pivot Or Not To Pivot: Instagram vs. Pinterest’, ReadWrite, 10 April. Available at: https://readwrite.com/2012/04/10/to_pivot_or_not_to_pivot_instagram_vs_pinterest/ (Accessed: 21 May 2021).
‘Navigator - Dictionary Definition’ (no date) Vocabulary.com. Available at: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/navigator (Accessed: 24 May 2021).
Topalian, A. (2002) ‘Promoting design leadership through skills development programs’, Design Management Journal (Former Series), 13(3), pp. 10–18. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1948-7169.2002.tb00313.x.
What Are the Advantages & Disadvantages in Leadership in a Company or Business? (no date) Small Business - Chron.com. Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-leadership-company-business-35547.html (Accessed: 25 May 2021).
Comentários