Most people you speak to will initially fear that they are being judged - especially if the practices being replaced originated from their own leadership. It’s essential to reinforce this truth: The assessment does not evaluate individuals. It evaluates the operating model used to produce products.
Handled well, the assessment helps people see how they can lead the next stage of change. Handled poorly, it can trigger defensiveness, attrition, or resistance from those who feel their relevance is threatened.
The organisational assessment begins with a high-level review of how products are delivered today. It then moves into a detailed evaluation of:
— required model competencies
— the skills of product people
— how those skills are applied the underlying concepts that guide delivery
Earlier chapters describe this holistic product view; here, the goal is to understand how the organisation currently works.
Origins of the Matrix
The matrix is grounded in 25 years of interviews and field observations, beginning at Silicon Graphics in the late 1990s and extending across telecom, multimedia, broadcasting, VOD services, 4K live sports, private and FX banking, aviation, and education - spanning three continents.
Our questionnaire examines business, design, and development equally, and adds lenses across communication, technology operations, and organisational integration. With input from behavioural psychology and research into different team settings - supportive, peripheral, central, integrated - we can generate a complete and actionable picture.
Before Design at Scale™ existed, we developed a precursor: Power of One - One Language, One Space, One Team, One Product. This proposition focused on measurable goals and design integration inside agile delivery cycles. It became the foundation upon which DaS™ is built.
— What the Matrix Helps You See
— Design leaders who can form strong partnerships with product.
— Average designers developing the thinking capacity to influence the organisation.
— Design managers learn to see the product in ways they never have before.
— Makers who think, solve, and decide with clarity.
— Collaboration replacing territorial dominance.
— A reshaped strategic role for design inside agile organisations.
— Leadership expressed through context, not control.
— Transparency replacing silos.
— Overprotectors evolving into informed broadcasters.
— The matrix reveals not just where you are, but how close you are to working as One Team.
3.1.2 Team of One
A “team of one” describes the independent designer operating as a freelancer, contractor, sole trader, or one-person studio. These individuals trade expertise - motion, product, animation, UX, visual design - for time and compensation. Despite working alone, they often form the backbone of future high-performing teams.
This section explores nine themes: ambition, vision, belief systems, the development of a personal design philosophy, and how to communicate expertise clearly to clients and collaborators. We examine the role of technology, automation, and interaction in daily design tasks; the essentials of managing time, legal structures, and finances; and the challenge of balancing personal and professional life when you are the business.
Teams of one frequently automate 30–60% of their operations, enabling them to serve two–five clients simultaneously. In this model, the designer becomes a self-contained “mastermind unit” - a small system capable of outsized impact.
3.1.3 Team of Ten
The “team of ten” focuses on the role of the product designer inside a delivery team - a role thrust into the spotlight during the remote-work shift of early 2020. Operating at this scale requires understanding the business landscape, building influential internal networks, and reflecting on responsibilities that directly shape delivery.
The goal is to help designers become thought leaders, not title-holders.
Revisiting daily routines can transform how designers define goals that benefit the full team. This includes improving collaboration with Product Owners and Scrum Masters, understanding evolving products and services, and taking ownership of releases. Mastery of Agile and Scrum enables designers to navigate complexity and expand their influence.
These principles are summarised through a core idea we call The Power of One. More detail is available at Design at Scale™.
3.1.4 Team of One Hundred
The “team of one hundred” centres on supporting each designer across a full Design Department. The ambition is to convert challenges into opportunities and empower every designer to become an advocate, rather than leaving them as quiet contributors.
As expectations shift, the role of design expands from rapid delivery to strategic translation and positioning. Here, we examine business structure through the Design Evaluation Matrix™, our empirical tool for measuring design quality and departmental agility. Using this standard is essential for thriving in today’s environments.
A department’s performance is tied to its adaptability, which defines organisational agility. Moving from reactive to proactive behaviour - and openly sharing knowledge - accelerates growth. Transparency strengthens both the organisation and the designers within it, fostering leadership and ownership at every level.
The goal is not simply to scale a department, but to continuously improve its people, processes, and environment for the next generation.
3.1.5 The 1% Team
These three environments - teams of one, ten, and one hundred -frame the worlds in which designers operate. Understanding them helps designers enjoy their craft, build reputation, and progress their careers. For those who choose leadership, the shift from craftsmanship to management changes both mindset and priorities.
Your world will change. You will focus less on colour, composition, and layout, and more on time, deliverables, and people. For some, this transition is gradual; for others, abrupt. Internal promotion after three to five years can create the impression of business maturity - and sometimes the illusion of leadership capability. This is often where early leaders struggle. The desire for control can overshadow the responsibility to serve, and losing a debate over a single button may impact your team far more than expected.
Consider the contrast: An illustrator may work with 200–2000 clients over a career; a Product Design Director may lead ten–20 major projects, often with one or two dominant stakeholders. The illustrator manages volume and craft; the Director stewards the entire design process, ensuring alignment and readiness across teams.
Design Leadership at Scale prioritises leaders who contribute alongside their teams, not those consumed by politics, finances, or board cycles. These leaders shape individuals, strengthen teams, and elevate how design is perceived across the entire organisation.
