I recently had the chance to check-in with Jono Hey, a good friend and former colleague, who not long ago returned to the UK after working with us in California. On our call, Jono had some great insights to share regarding the challenges faced by the British economy, and so I asked him to contribute a post to the hybrid thinking community. As usual, Jono’s response was quick and on point, and now it is shared below…

Back in September of this year, at the DMI London conference, the always engaging Kevin Mcullagh ended his talk with a short story about a recent hire named Sally. With a degree from Oxford, she had started her career at an ad agency. However, Sally was deeply unsatisfied by the work, and left her position to pursue something she considered more interesting – a degree in design. Sally is now involved in design strategy and planning at Plan, the firm run by Mr. Mcullagh.

Although stories about young college grads switching careers is certainly nothing new, I found the tale highly compelling for two important reasons. First, this story is significant because it shows that some of our best people are now turning to design and strategy as the place to apply their talents. And second, Sally represents just the kind of hybrid thinker the British economy so clearly needs.

Having recently returned to the UK from a long stint on the West Coast, it's been interesting to compare what companies are looking for on different sides of the pond. My observations so far are that too often job postings and organizational structures in the UK still reflect a traditional siloed thinking mindset. People are required to slot into disciplinary buckets rather than being seen for the impact they can provide to the business as a whole. Innovation teams responsible for designing and developing new products and services as part of a strategy based on social research need more than the plugging-in of each discipline at appropriate points in the process.

To lead to the depth of insight needed to continue turning the economy around what is needed is more highly integrated thinking from people, like Sally, who can connect the dots across multiple disciplines themselves. In order for these people to find a place, firms need to be creating organizational roles that these people can fill, with appropriate reporting structures and managers who appreciate the cross-silo role these people can play. Of course, strong expertise in a core discipline remains essential to providing maximum value for a company, but the skills of seeing and contributing across disciplinary boundaries is something that is still sorely underappreciated in most UK-based businesses.

Some firms, like Kevin McCullagh's Plan, service design firms like Engine, and programs like Design London are leading the way in developing, valuing and recruiting hybrid talent in the UK. The trouble is, there are not yet enough firms following their lead. My guess is that the firms mentioned above will be among those best poised to get the most from these hybrid thinkers. Thus, they will likely take a leading role in providing the surge in innovation needed to get Britain's economy back near the top.



Jono Hey is a freelance design and innovation strategist based in London. He holds a Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley, where he studied what makes great design teams work. Jono has worked in design and strategy roles in both Europe and the U.S., including with Jump Associates. You can find Jono on Twitter at @palojono or via email at jono.hey@gmail.com.