Page 149 - The Design Thinking Playbook

HOW MIGHT WE...
formulate simple rules for collaboration on
interdisciplinary teams?

The sooner the strengths of each individual team member can be experienced, the more interdisciplinary teams are able to benefit from the
skills of the others in order to achieve the common goal. Putting teams together with people not only from various disciplines and departments,
but also from different hierarchical levels, has proven to be of particular help in practice. Besides the exchange of specialist knowledge and
methodological expertise, it also gives the team access to a broad knowledge and the necessary problem-solving skills. As a by-product, the
new interdisciplinary approach will spread faster and transversally throughout the whole company, so this type of collaboration will be better
understood on all levels.

Six simple rules for a successful interdisciplinary team:

5. Only those who know the expectations and to what extent
1. The team has a common vision that must be fulfilled as a team. In the best case
scenario, it will be an answer to the “How might we . . .” question. they can be met can become better. The more compre-
hensible the feedback of the team is, the more specific
will be the way in which the entire team and its individual
members become better and ultimately act in common.
2. Every step in the design thinking process is led by the respective expert (vertical
bar in the T profile) on the team, who suggests a clear direction and tried-and-
tested methods while offering support in the implementation.

3. The team has adopted common values. They have been developed
together and are visible by everybody at all times. The brainstorming
rules, for example, are a good basis on which collaboration on the
team can be adapted and expanded.

4. There is an atmosphere of trust in which everybody has respect for 6. Shared common processes and quality standards
and accepts the experience of the next person—at least when the role are determined, so that everybody always knows the
of expert is taken on. procedure and the necessary requirements for the
desired result and can orient themselves to them.
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