Zebra companies
I love learning, whether reading an article, listening to a podcast, or attending a class. And one of the good things brought by this pandemics is that it has opened up access to seminars and talks that would otherwise have happened face-to-face on the other end of the planet.
Since we launched Design Sapient, all this learning has been directed towards strengthening our ideas and building community. Very eye-opening has been putting a name to ideas and talks I had had with Komlan. I have learned about systems design and planet-centric design. I had both studied and applied similar concepts while working on sustainable development. And now, I have reinforced them with a design framework. I have also attended a couple of masterclasses on ethics design and the future role of designers. These topics have sparked conversations with friends and colleagues about the importance of choosing the right kind of projects and how our decisions affect the users of our designs and the planet as a whole.
Design Sapient is not only a strategic design company; it is also my first entrepreneurial experience. Therefore, I have learned about Business Models, Market Research, Strategic Marketing, and Emotional Intelligence Skills. One of the most interesting concepts I’ve come across is Zebra Companies.
Most of us know about Unicorn StartUps and how they change the field by rapidly attracting capital and promising exponential growth. Zebra Companies, however, work together and, while striving for profitability, their values are set to improve society. And in these groups, besides focusing on creating community with collaboration, they create sustainable outcomes aiming for customer success. And suppose you remember my blogpost redesigning for success. In that case, wicked problems are characterized by their complexity and require multiple approaches to be solved, like a dazzle of zebras working together in their Serengeti migration.
Picture "Zebras everywhere!" by BrianScottImages is licensed with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
