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Leading Design Through Reorganization

Design Ops

TL;DR

Problem:

During a company-wide reorganization, our Head of Design departed. The design team was split across multiple brands and time zones. Ownership was unclear, priorities clashed, and regional conflict in Israel affected work schedules and team wellbeing.

Role:

I stepped in as acting co-lead alongside another Design Manager. I owned Design Operations for the entire organization while continuing to manage several design teams (Growth, Visual, Product, and Motion). I created the interim structure, mentored junior managers, and rebuilt the team's operating model.

What I did:

Mapped ownership by stream. Established weekly syncs for visibility. Ran 1:1 mentoring with junior managers. Redefined roles and responsibilities across the department. Aligned design work with product and marketing to reduce friction.

Results:

Team role clarity: 40% to 95% (+137%)
Manager confidence in resourcing and scope: 45% to 88%
Employee satisfaction (eNPS): +30%
Team retention: 100% of direct reports retained throughout my tenure as design leader
Cross-discipline collaboration: +43%

Timeline:

One quarter (Q2 2024)

Sources:

Pulse surveys, HR retention data, delivery dashboards

The Problem

Our Head of Design departed during a company-wide reorganization. The design team was distributed across multiple brands and time zones with no clear ownership structure. Priorities between brands often conflicted.

At the same time, regional conflict in Israel disrupted normal operations. Work schedules became inconsistent due to security situations. The team moved between office and remote work unpredictably. Stress levels were high.

The immediate risk was attrition. Uncertainty about roles, reporting lines, and priorities could push people to leave during an already difficult period.

What I Did

Interim leadership structure

I stepped in as acting co-lead alongside another Design Manager.

I established stability through clear ownership:

Mapped ownership zones by stream (UX, visual, product, motion, brand)
Held weekly department syncs for visibility and alignment across time zones
Ran 1:1 mentoring sessions with junior managers to support their decisions and growth
Took ownership of hiring and onboarding to maintain team capacity

This gave the team clarity on who owned what without waiting for permanent leadership to be appointed.

Rebuilt the operating model

With day-to-day stability in place, I led a department-wide restructure of how we worked:

Defined roles and responsibilities across every stream
Balanced brand-specific execution with shared cross-brand initiatives
Created visual diagrams and documentation to align teams on ownership and decision-making
Aligned design work with product and marketing to reduce redundancy

Made it stick

I embedded the changes into daily workflows:

Updated job scopes with HR and team leads
Added all documentation to Confluence and onboarding materials
Aligned career pathing and hiring plans with the updated structure
Kept the team informed through department-wide updates and async documentation

Results

All metrics from pulse surveys, HR retention data, and delivery dashboards. Period: Q2 2024.

Clarity and confidence:

Team role clarity: 40% to 95% (+137%)
Manager confidence in resourcing and scope: 45% to 88%

Team health:

Employee satisfaction (eNPS): +30%
Team retention: 100% of direct reports retained throughout my entire tenure as design leader at Kape Technologies
Cross-discipline collaboration rating: +43%

What Made It Work

Clear ownership and consistent communication reduced uncertainty during a difficult period. Weekly syncs and 1:1 mentoring gave managers support without micromanagement. Documenting everything in Confluence meant decisions were visible and accessible.

The 100% retention during this period came from providing stability when circumstances were unstable. People knew their roles, had support from leadership, and could see a path forward.