Orchestrating Progress through Competitive Collaboration
LET GO OF YOUR EGO
Patrick Quattlebaum (PQ)

Harmonic Design, USA

@ptquattlebaum
Service Design Global Conference | October 11, 2018 | Dublin, Ireland
HELLO,

DUBLIN.
Co-Author, Orchestrating Experiences
Co-Founder & CEO, Harmonic Design


Founder, studioPQ
Head of Service Design, Capital One
Managing Director, Adaptive Path


Chief Experience Officer, Macquarium
Patrick Quattlebaum (PQ)
SAVIOR
GENIUS
HERO
CONFIDENT?
COMPLEX
S%*T
AGILE
LEAN
SIX SIGMA
LEAN SIX SIGMALEAN SERVICES
BPM
DESIGN THINKING
JOBS TO BE DONE
GOOGLE DESIGN SPRINTS
TRIBES
TOOLS
MY TRIBE
LOVE
TRIBE

THERAPY
The Audience: Irish Writers – Blue by Mia Funk, 2009
Ever tried. Ever failed.

No matter. Try Again.

Fail again. Fail better.
Future review of this presentation
The Audience: Irish Writers – Blue by Mia Funk, 2009
WHAT?
DESIGNING TO DELIVER
SO MUCH
IMPROVED TOUCHPOINTS
INNOVATIVE SERVICES
BETTER CONNECTIONS
MORE EFFICIENT SERVICES
BETTER JOURNEYS
DESIGNING TO DELIVER
NEW TOUCHPOINTS
RELATIONSHIPS
NEW VALUE
A BETTER DAY AT WORK
WHO?
DESIGNING TO DELIVER
SO MANY
DESIGNING TO DELIVER
SOURCE: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Changchun_1932_-_Plan_2.jpg
BE CONFIDENT KEEP EGO IN CHECKYET
BE CONFIDENT
PLAY NICE
KEEP EGO IN CHECK
REWRITE THE RULES
YET
BUT
BE CONFIDENT
PLAY NICE
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
KEEP EGO IN CHECK
REWRITE THE RULES
SYSTEMIC CHANGE
YET
BUT
AND
My mistakes are my life.
THE ORGANIZATION
SD
THE ORGANIZATION
DT
SD
SD
THE ORGANIZATION
DT
Product
Customer

Empathy
Innovation
Participant

Empathy
All Horizons
Service
DESIGN THINKINGDT SERVICE DESIGNSD
DT SD
DT SD
DT SD
DT SD
DT SD
SD
DT
DT SD
DT SD
DT SD
SELF-IDENTITY
SELF-PRESERVATION
GOE
L T IT
GOT TO
GOE
They were most correct, 

according to their god.
The Roots of Ethnicity by Ronald R. Atkinson
CFO
CIO/CTO
COO
CMO
CFO
CIO/CTO
COO
CMO
CFO
CIO/CTO COO CMO
We need to be thoughtful in how we use our
resources. A plague or famine could be on the
horizon. Another organization could take
advantage of a weak financial position.

CFO
CIO/CTO
COO CMO
It’s an arms race. We needs to be bold and
invest. We need the latest tools to compete
and gain territory. 

CFO
COO
CMO
We must have clear policies and rules to govern.
We need to conserve our energy and do only
what we must do and what is valuable.
CIO/CTO
CFO
CMO
We must make ourselves desirable to others so
that we gain influence and attract new followers.
We must grow or we will die.
CIO/CTO COO
CFO
CIO/CTO
COO
CMO
Agile
Lean
Lean UX
Google Sprints
Lean Six Sigma
Lean Services
BPM
Innovation
Portfolios
Integrated
planning
CX

Management
Lifecycle

Marketing
Agile
Lean
Lean UX
Google Sprints
Lean Six Sigma
Lean Services
BPM
Service

Design
Innovation
Portfolios
Integrated
planning
Design

Thinking
CX

Management
Lifecycle

Marketing
Violence
CHIEFDOM STRATEGIES
Alliance by Marriage
New Rituals & Idols
Rainmaking
Generosity Adopt Language
The Roots of Ethnicity by Ronald R. Atkinson
VIOLENCE
That’s not your job!
ALLIANCE
DESIGN AGILE
RAINMAKER
CHEAPER!LONG TERM VALUE!
AGILE LEANDESIGN
FASTER!
DESIGN
GENEROSITY
RITUALS & IDOLS
SPRINTS! KANBAN!
CRITIQUES!
FLARE!
FOCUS!
SCRUM OF SCRUMS!
SERVICE DESIGN

WORKSHOPS!
IMMERSION!
CONFERENCE ROOM PILOTS! SCRUMS!
Who says we’re 

doing what now?
VELOCITY!
ADOPT LANGUAGE
Incentivize…I think she’s 

one of us…
We call them sprints. Maybe we need 

design sprints.
Violence
ACHOLI CHIEFDOM STRATEGIES
Alliance by Marriage
Generosity
Rainmaking
New Rituals & Idols Adopt Language
The Roots of Ethnicity by Ronald R. Atkinson
Agile
Lean
Lean UX
Google Sprints
Lean Six Sigma
Lean Services
BPM
Service

Design
Innovation
Portfolios
Integrated
planning
Design

Thinking
CX

Management
Lifecycle

Marketing
To contrive a little kingdom, 

in the midst of the universal muck.
DIFFERENT LANDS
ESTABLISH IDENTITY
Service Design!
Product
Agile
UX
Business

Strategy
Service
Design
goes where?
Design

Thinking
Business Process

Design
Brand

Strategy
FIND YOUR FIT
NOT YET!
SITUATIONS
NO TIME
I want to… There’s no time…
NOT YET! IS THIS REAL?
SITUATIONS
NO VALUE
We do this now… What’s the value?
Go team!
NOT YET! IS THIS REAL? WE DID IT!
SITUATIONS
NOT ENOUGH DELIVERY
meanwhile…
Did you hear something?
DELIVERYSERVICE DESIGN
Let’s do it! Let’s do it!
Let’s do it!
DOING IT OUR WAY
What does this mean for
what we do?
BATTLES
WARS
DAMAGED TRUST
DUPLICATE ACTIVITIES
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
SLOW PROGRESS
CONUNDRUM
WE ARE COMPETING
WE ARE LOOKING 

FOR CONVERTS
NOT EVERYONE 

WANTS TO JUMP
ONBOARD
WE DON’T HAVE ALL 

THE ANSWERS
BUT WE HAVE 

SOME OF THEM
AND SO DO THEY
To find a form that
accommodates the mess…
COMPETITIVE

COLLABORATION
BACK THEN… …NOW
and
Samsung makes $100
off every iPhone X.
ISSUES
ONE-SIDED RISK AVERSION SURFACE LEVEL
You first… This is higher

than I thought…
That’s far enough…
COMMON

THREAT
Alliance for
Responsible Denim

(Amsterdam)
PRE-
COMPETITIVE
Accelerating Medicines
Partnership (AMP)
COLLABORATIVE

COMPETITION GRID
BY

THE NETWORK FOR BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY

COMPETITOR COLLABORATION GRID
SOURCE: Collaborating with Competitors to Advance Sustainability
Cooperative
Competitive
FormalInformal
COMPETITOR COLLABORATION GRID
SOURCE: Collaborating with Competitors to Advance Sustainability
Cooperative
Competitive
FormalInformal
IDEALISTS ENTHUSIASTS
PERSUADEDOBSERVERS
IDEALISTS
SOURCE: Collaborating with Competitors to Advance Sustainability
Competitive
FormalInformal
IDEALISTS
Cooperative
Collaborative orientation
Shared urgency
Leverage informal relationships
IDEALISTS
PEANUT

BUTTER JELLY
ENTHUSIASTS
SOURCE: Collaborating with Competitors to Advance Sustainability
Competitive
FormalInformal
ENTHUSIASTS
Cooperative
Collaboration orientation
Bias – move fast
Formal rules & relationships
ENTHUSIASTS
THIRD WAY!
OBSERVERS
SOURCE: Collaborating with Competitors to Advance Sustainability
Competitive
FormalInformal
OBSERVERS
Cooperative
Passive collaboration
Less urgency
Diverse interests
OBSERVERS
PERSUADED
SOURCE: Collaborating with Competitors to Advance Sustainability
Competitive
FormalInformal
PERSUADED
Cooperative
Competitive orientation
Formal structures
Low on passion, stakes
PERSUADED
If you say so…
COMPETITOR COLLABORATION GRID
SOURCE: Collaborating with Competitors to Advance Sustainability
Cooperative
Competitive
FormalInformal
IDEALISTS ENTHUSIASTS
PERSUADEDOBSERVERS PERSUADEDOBSERVERS
CHALLENGES
Having a cooperative orientation

Taking the first step

Being intentional

Building trust

Reducing duplicative efforts

Staying focused on common outcomes
I did my best to go in a circle, 

hoping to go in a straight line.
DESIGNING

TO

DELIVER
THE MATERIAL OF 

SERVICE DESIGN IS 

THE ORGANIZATION
Stephen Taylor, Harmonic Design
Evangelizing our approaches
SET ASIDE (FOR THE MOMENT)
Pushing our tools
Teaching others our way
Creating new converts
Building our tribe
All tribes want their world view to be relevant
TRY THIS FRAME ON
“Do it with me my way” is not collaboration
No tribe has the whole answer
Every tribe is part of the solution
The organization is a marketplace of tribes
EVANGELIST
TEACHER
COACH
SEEKER
LEARNER
APPRENTICE
AND
AND
AND
DESIGNER ORCHESTRATORAND
BALANCE
FIGHTER MONK
1 + 1 = 3
NOT JUST THIS THIS
SD
BEHAVIORS
Learn, then teach

Be intentional

Take the first step

Dig into language

Go on missions
LEARN,

THEN TEACH
WARM WATERS FEEL GOOD…
….BUT COLD WATERS WAKE YOU UP
BURST YOUR BUBBLE
CROSS TRAIN
GET LIT DO YOUR HOMEWORK APPRENTICE
TEACH THE TRIBE
Here are some useful concepts…
BE
INTENTIONAL
TRIBAL MAP
SD
LEAN
DT
BPM
AGILE
CATEGORIZE
IDEALISTS ENTHUSIASTS
PERSUADEDOBSERVERS
CATEGORIZE
IDEALISTS ENTHUSIASTS
PERSUADEDOBSERVERS
IDEALISTS ENTHUSIASTS
TAKE THE

FIRST STEP
CHOOSE CAREFULLY
CHOOSE CAREFULLY
SPARRING PARTNERS
BE OPEN
Here’s where I’m
coming from…
My biggest concern is…
BE EXPLICIT
What would make you
comfortable?
DIG INTO

LANGUAGE
VALUE
*SOURCE: Blind Spot: Illuminating the Hidden Value of Business 

by Steve Diller, Nathan Shedroff, & Sean Sauber
Value is what a person is 

willing to pay for.
Functional

Financial

Emotional

Identity

Meaningful*
WASTE
The two wastes I think 

we should address are 

waiting and skills.
It’s as if she’s 

reading my mind.
TIME
Every minute I remove 

saves millions of dollars…
Process
Adding this minute creates 
a better relationship…
GO ON

MISSIONS
HELP IT
We can help you make that

service more efficient…
HACK IT
VALUE STREAM 2.0
DEDUPE IT
HOW DO YOU SEQUENCE?
HARMONIZE IT
Let’s try it!
Third Way
The creation of the world 

did not take place once and for all time, 

but takes place every day.
BE CONFIDENT
PLAY NICE
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
KEEP EGO IN CHECK
REWRITE THE RULES
SYSTEMIC CHANGE
YET
BUT
AND
OUR MISSION
SHAMELESS PLUG
Orchestrating Experiences:
Collaborative Design for Complexity

by Chris Risdon & Patrick Quattlebaum
Get a copy today!
https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/orchestrating-experiences/


Orchestrating Progress through Competitive Collaboration
LET GO OF YOUR EGO
Patrick Quattlebaum (PQ)

Harmonic Design, USA

@ptquattlebaum
Service Design Global Conference | October 11, 2018 | Dublin, Ireland

Let Go of Your Ego: Orchestrating Progress through Competitive Collaboration