In a recent episode, the Project Runway contestants were each paired with a new divorcee who hoped to have her wedding gown transformed into a garment suitable for her new life (previous seasons have offered alternative versions of this same challenge – asking the designers to re-construct clothes belonging to women who had lost a great deal of weight, for example). After the euphoria of the initial meeting, when designer and client equally anticipate the potential of what could be, difficulties in the relationship begin to arise. Tensions mount between the expression of artistic vision (the reason the designer was hired) and the fulfillment of client needs (also the reason the designer was hired). By the second or third meeting to discuss the status of the project, both client and designer are often wishing they were working with someone else.

To the viewing audience it would seem that designers are happiest when provided minimal direction and then be released to go off and work, in their own time and in their own way, engaging the client only when the project was ready for the “tah-dah” moment.  At which point the client would be floored by the designer’s brilliance and fully satisfied with the results.

Nice – but a fantasy, for sure. Clients do get involved. They provide feedback and suggestions or requests, sometimes getting so caught up in the fun of designing themselves that they discover a latent desire to more regularly exercise their own right brain. And why shouldn’t they, when they are funding the project (at least in the non-televised version).

So who should be taking the lead here? Who needs to be pleased? Designers seek to express their creative identify through the product, and the fashions produced for Project Runway are often a one-off that only need to express the style of a unique client. But this is a model more reminiscent of a time like the Renaissance, when clients were devoted and long-standing patrons of individual artisans who worked directly for them.

The reality is that most designers seek commercial success, which requires a one-to-many (not just a one-to-one) sensibility. From architecture to product development, the outputs of the design process must have wide public usefulness and appeal. In this case the end consumer is not physically present in the design studio, in the dual role as client. Project Runway offered up this scenario when Macy’s asked the designers to create an addition to one of their signature product lines. With no obvious means of connecting with the prospective consumer for either inspiration or feedback, the designers were left to their own imaginations. The client played no role in aiding in their interpretation, though presumably they could have.

The bottom line is that designers and clients need each other, and each must take active responsibility for making a project successful. Designers must balance the confidence to express themselves with the humility to address the needs of others. And clients must develop ways to stay productively and knowledgably involved throughout the process. For more on that, please see my “How to be a good client” blog entry on 10/7/09.

One of the classic wrenches thrown into the weekly design challenge presented on the show is when the competitors are told that they will be paired with one of their colleagues to complete that week’s project.  As observers of the cringe-inducing verbal barbs and eye-rolls that result as the comrades-turned-rivals try to produce something fabulous together, we recognize the difficulty of forcing two egos to work as one.  We may even feel sorry for them, asking ourselves why a program that is about discovering individual artistic expression is smothering all that talent for the sake of a plot twist. 

The truth is, design – indeed, any creative endeavor – that achieves commercial success is almost always the result of some kind of collaborative effort.  It may not always be a collaboration between design minds (although that is how many fashion houses actually operate).  Collaboration across multiple disciplines and functions – design, business strategy, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, etc, etc - is critical to “making it work” (to paraphrase the program’s mentor, Tim Gunn). So we see that during the program’s final critique, the Project Runway judges’ commentary inevitably addresses the designers’ team dynamics in addition to the fashions that were produced for the runway. 

Lest anyone think that pairing up designers in a design competition is just another way to stir up conflict in the workroom in order to create compelling entertainment, it’s important to remember that collaboration among peers – even between rivals – is an important element in the management of a creative enterprise.  And it’s probably one of the few times that “reality” is constructively introduced into reality television.

Ok, enough stereotyping.

There’s no arguing that consulting is by definition a professional service that requires a lot of high-quality personal interactions in order to successfully impart expert know-how to client organizations.  But is the burden of best practices borne by the consultant alone?  I would suggest not.  The best forms of consulting are enjoyable and rewarding collaborations that thrive on dialogue, not just monologue. This is even truer when the consultant is advising on something that is not typically part of daily operations at Client Co.  Design, for example.  For most organizations seeking to integrate design as a strategic innovation tool into their business world, the mysterious nature of what design consultants do can make the prospect of working with them confusing, risky, or even frightening to those who sign the check. 

So if you’re in a business that’s contemplating working with a design consultancy, here’s what you can do to embrace a ‘design thinking’ philosophy and have a valuable experience in the process:

Don’t wait until the fire trucks show up.  Don’t wait for a competitive crisis to think about innovation.  Start these conversations early, not only within your organization but also with a potential design partner.  The goal should be to provide enough lead time to ensure that the scope of work both meets your budgetary and time frame requirements.  And as anyone who is familiar with the consulting business knows, getting the right resources in place at the right time is an efficiency expert’s worst nightmare.  So be proactive, not reactive.  Needing something “yesterday” is so, um, yesterday.

Acknowledge your agenda.  It’s important to be honest about why you’ve decided to work with a design consultant as opposed to any other type of consultant.  What was the trigger?  What is your need?  It usually has something to do with growth.  Most would admit that they wish to know their customers better, in order to develop new products or services for them or to find new ways of more meaningfully interacting with them.  Others might be seeking new tools for bringing innovation capabilities in-house and making it a sustainable skill.  There are many consultants out there who can assist with these kinds of goals, but they may utilize different tools and processes, and require different modes of client participation as well.  Design consultants are a great partner if you believe that growth opportunities are not just about producing a new ‘thing’ but about appealing to the human values associated with experiencing the thing.  Think of the brilliant MasterCard ad campaign – it’s the human experience, not the individual things, that is ‘priceless’.   A purely analytical approach and a PowerPoint presentation probably aren’t enough to get you there.

Envision an outcome.  Know your innovation needs.  It’s important to have a sense of what kind of results you would like to see at the end of a consulting engagement, even before you start.  When you discuss these with a consultant, try to articulate in as precise terms as possible what you hope to come away with.  You’ll know it’s the right outcome for you if the deliverables are actionable or, at the very least, help inform your next steps.  Gone are the days when the only type of projects designers were involved with resulted in a toaster (as in, “Please design us a new toaster.”).  Now designers are just as likely to be asked to explore “the future of the cooking experience”, a challenge whose outcome could take any number of forms.  Giving some thought to this in advance and sharing it with your design partner will help them develop the best approach to meeting your needs.

Avoid being absent.   Design consultants are more like nurses than brain surgeons.  We need to be able to ask you questions and you should be available to answer them throughout the procedure if we’re going to make progress.  Whether you’re physically in the room with us or not, you’ll benefit from being an active participant in the process.  This is true for two reasons – first, who better than you can provide relevant information about your business? The other is that you will have a better understanding of where some of our insights came from.  Yes, time is scarce, but if you’re able to consistently commit an appropriate number of influential stakeholders to the engagement the odds are in your favor that the project will have real impact. 

Keep your eyes open.  To truly realize the value of working with a design partner requires that you see the world as they do.  In one respect this is accomplished by initially (and temporarily) stepping away from all that you believe to be true about your business and its enablers or barriers.  Abandon what I call the Field of Dreams strategy (yes, the one that states “if we build, it they will come”) and look at the world through the eyes of your consumers or customers.   How well do you really know them?  Re-examine the obvious to perhaps see the not-so-obvious.  Armed with an understanding of human needs, your business and technology decisions will become more grounded.  Taken seriously, this more integrated approach to innovation will be the lasting benefit long after the formal consulting engagement has ended.

Embrace messiness.  Lots of things about design are messy – the process and the workspaces, to name two.  An important contributor to this messiness is the fact that we don’t know everything, and that’s to your benefit.  We’re able to see most problems with a beginner’s mind on the one hand and as an expert integrator of seemingly disparate ideas on the other.  Unlike some forms of classical problem solving that rely on empirical thinking, design is an art not a science, and thus often follows a circuitous path before achieving its goal. Some clients who are uncomfortable with the ambiguity that characterizes many elements of this process react by rushing too quickly towards a solution.  We’ll often address this impulse by introducing something called a ‘mood meter’, a simple graphic tool that predicts relative levels of client enthusiasm and frustration at various engagement milestones.  It’s important to take that leap of faith; it’s also important to know that others have jumped before you and survived. 

Have someone ready for the hand-off.  Designers do not hold a monopoly on good ideas.  In fact, it is you, the client, who holds all the cards when it comes to bringing innovation to life.  History will show that the most powerful innovations in the world happen as a result of exceptional execution not simply good ideation.  Who are the key players inside your organization that will be responsible for taking the outcomes of a design engagement and making something happen?  Have they been invited into the project at an appropriate time?  Have they been positioned to not only share their wisdom about what’s going to happen to your business down the road but also serve as stewards who can help clear potential roadblocks?  Make sure you’ve got  the right people in the room at all times so that when you receive that hand-off from your design partner you’ll be prepared to run the next leg.

Appreciate that there is no silver bullet.  Innovation is hard. And it takes time.  Believing that a single engagement with your design partner (even a substantial one) will guarantee immediate success is unrealistic.  This is an ‘event-based’ view of innovation and it’s a set up for disappointment.  Instead, adopt a ‘continuous’ approach to innovation.  A little here, a little there.  Make it easier to try some things out and re-direct your focus if necessary.  Some of these things you’ll be able to do yourself and other things will require outside assistance or expertise.  So think of your design partner as an accelerator pedal to be deployed as needed over time to help you move in a new direction. 

Just don’t wait for the fire trucks to show up to get started.