Summary
As designers, we all know that the majority of our time is spent on people, not on designing. Nearly every designer has experienced some kind of “people problem” at work - such as a cross-functional partner that won’t collaborate. In this talk, Alla will offer an introduction to relationships - what they are, how they work, and how designers can create relationship interfaces so they can be 10 times more effective at work.
Key Insights
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75% of cross-functional teams are dysfunctional due to perpetuated silos.
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Relationships are crucial for productivity; disconnection breeds conflict.
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Connection involves feeling seen, heard, and valued in relationships.
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Transactional interactions often dominate, limiting connection.
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Relationships go through cycles: connection, disconnection, and repair.
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Effective repairs prevent negativity from escalating.
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Personality assessments can deepen understanding and compassion.
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Explicitly designing relationship expectations can improve collaboration.
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Conflict is a natural but manageable part of relationships.
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Time spent on building connections is crucial for future productivity.
Notable Quotes
"All human relationships are messy, often painful, and hard."
"Work gets done through our relationships."
"Disconnection is the breeding ground for conflict."
"We don't have time to connect. We don't have time not to do that."
"You can run this activity with your team and cross-functional partners."
"Repair in relational terms is less about fixing what is broken and more about coming back into connection."
"Many of our work relationships are transactional; we need to avoid just passing around information."
"If people are disconnected and in conflict, we start to objectify them as obstacles."
"Establishing a design alliance early on can prevent future disconnections."
"Work gets done in connected relationships."
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