When leading design teams, the framework we establish for our team's skills can be as influential as the designs we produce. In the intricate dance of building a high-functioning product design team, we face a delicate balance: allowing team members to specialize in their natural strengths versus reskilling them in areas that may not be their inherent forte. This tension is both a challenge and an opportunity. There are a few considerations that I think make striking this balance well feel more tangible.
Defining a Skills Framework
A skills framework is akin to a well-crafted blueprint. It outlines the competencies and proficiencies required for various roles, providing a clear path for professional development. This framework ensures everyone knows the expectations and development goals, aligning individual growth with the team's objectives.
The Tension: Specialization vs. Reskilling
Specialization can be a double-edged sword. While it boosts efficiency and quality, it may limit flexibility. On the flip side, reskilling can meet evolving market needs but may lead to resistance and slower learning curves. So, how do we strike a balance that maximizes both individual and team potential?
Benefits of Specialization
Specialization offers clear advantages:
Increased Efficiency: Leveraging individual strengths can lead to faster project completion and higher-quality output.
Higher Quality: Specialized skills typically result in superior work.
Job Satisfaction: People are generally happier and more motivated when they do what they excel at.
Challenges of Reskilling
However, reskilling is not without its challenges:
Resistance to Change: Team members might resist roles that don't align with their interests or strengths.
Slower Learning Curves: New skills take time to develop, which can slow down project timelines.
Decreased Morale: Pushing individuals too far out of their comfort zones can lead to frustration.
Finding the Balance: Strategies for Success
To balance specialization and reskilling, consider these strategies:
Conduct Skills Assessments: Regularly assess skills to identify strengths and areas for growth, enabling informed decisions.
Offer Professional Development: Provide ongoing training opportunities, such as workshops, courses, and conferences.
Encourage Knowledge Sharing: Foster a culture where team members share expertise and learn from each other, broadening the overall skill set.
Provide Mentorship: Pair less experienced members with mentors to guide their skill development.
In my role as Head of Design at 100 Shapes, I faced this challenge by being ever cognisant of the growth of each individual. For example, one particular project required more advanced UX skills with comfort using a very specific type of SaaS platform. I was able to provide the challenge to one of my most senior designers, whose strengths already complimented the majority of the client's needs while their experience made me confident that the challenge of reskilling to deliver wireframes in a new format could still be met. I also paired this senior UX tactician with a more junior designer whose eyes were more set on the development of UI and visual-based skills. The senior was allowed the opportunity to grow while being strengthened by their existing specialised skills and share those with a growing junior designer. The junior designer was able to round out their "t-shaped" general skills with the added experience and support a more senior member of the team with their astute attention to UI details, the very nature of which was new for the senior in using the new SaaS platform.
In this way, I was able to use strategic placement and collaboration to strike the fine balance of healthy growth (which I've completely stolen from Todd Henry btw) where there is equal parts of healthy:
Stability vs. Challenge
The tension between specialization and reskilling is a common challenge in product design teams. By adopting a balanced approach and implementing thoughtful strategies, we can harness our team's strengths while fostering growth and adaptability. How do you manage skills frameworks within your teams?
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please share your experiences and strategies for balancing specialization and reskilling in the comments below. Let’s learn from each other and continue to grow as a community.
