Page 150 - The Design Thinking Playbook

EXPERT TIP

profile

With respect to the founding of her company, Lilly is already thinking about the future. She is not satisfied
having “only” T-shaped people on her team; she also thinks about how employees should develop. Her idea
of the ideal company size is a team of 15 to 25 employees, in which technical skills are represented multi-
ple times. This would allow her to process several projects at the same time. To be able to mix employees Breadth of knowledge
and constantly put together new teams that mutually inspire each other, the professional and human basis
just described is decisive. Within the framework of a learning organization, Lilly finds it important that her
employees constantly develop: from T-shaped people to Pi-shaped people.

This corresponds to the profile of an adaptive employee who develops further in addition to his special-
ization. Such an employee is not only able, like in the T profile, to steep himself in the discipline of his Depth of expertise
colleagues and understand it; he also has the ability to respond to challenges of everyday working life and
educate himself accordingly. In this way, he can assume multiple roles, which usually are linked to one
another in terms of content: for example, business analyst and UX designer or software developer and
support employee. Within the company, such a profile contributes to increased flexibility in the composition
of the teams, something especially relevant to smaller companies with limited resources and a quickly
fluctuating order situation.
Breadth of knowledge
Two things are vital for a successful transformation:

1. Identify gaps on the team and the development potentials of individual employees.
2. Draw up a training schedule to close gaps and promote employees.

In step 1, the company management and team leaders identify gaps and potentials and discuss personal
interests and associated development paths with the employees. Subsequently, Lilly should create a train-
ing schedule with her employees and the team leaders that is attuned to both corporate and personal goals
and verifiable by means of defined milestones.
Depth of expertise Depth of expertise
in one’s own in leadership
core competency

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