UX for Business

Company Culture Versus You

It’s Not You, It’s Them (Probably)

When I was starting to write this book, I asked a group of my senior UX friends, most of whom have worked in very large enterprises more than me, “What do you think designers need to know about working with other people?”

Their answer surprised me.

Rather than saying anything about stakeholders or taking feedback or collaboration, they all gave me some version of “don’t take a job if the company culture works against you.” They had different perspectives on that idea, such as not working for companies that don’t respect you as a person, not working at companies where your personality is a bad fit for the company’s values, or not staying at a company if you don’t agree with what they do ethically—but they all went there first.

When I asked a little more, they explained that many people, especially younger or inexperienced people, don’t have enough experience (professionally or maybe in general) to realize that it’s not their fault. They will continue to work at terrible jobs or in cultures that totally clash with their own lives or characters because they think they are the part that isn’t working.

So, although this whole section deals with all the ways you can gain or struggle with various people and stakeholder situations, keep that in mind: sometimes, you should consider leaving or not taking a job in the first place.

“How Do I Persuade Stakeholders?”

The question I get most is definitely this one, so let’s ...