Breaking down silos with human-centered design

Leaders dream of teams working together seamlessly, like a dragon boat crew rowing in unison. But in big companies, people often struggle to understand one another because of differences in roles, expertise, and motivations. This lack of mutual understanding can hinder consensus-building and make collaboration difficult.

Because navigating these internal dynamics is challenging, organizations often default to one of two extremes: either ignoring the disconnect and continuing with business as usual, or opting for drastic, disruptive change. We believe there’s a middle ground—a more thoughtful, human approach that can enable better communication and collaboration across teams.

Over the years, our work with large organizations has reinforced the value of applying human-centered design not only to uncover consumer behaviors but also to enhance ways of working within companies.

Here's one story of how we applied design thinking methodologies to find the middle ground and bridge the gap between leadership and product design departments in a prominent consumer products company.

“The design feels soulless”

Initially, our project appeared to be a straightforward product development assignment.

Our client, a well-known consumer productscompany, wanted to upgrade its high-end product line. The goal was to unify the aesthetic and experience, ultimately encouraging consumers to buy a complete set rather than individual pieces.

With the launch date set, it seemed to be a typical race against the clock to complete development and production.

But an initial round of internal interviews revealed a deeper layer of complexity.

Two separate teams managed the product suite, each overseeing its own independent product line while juggling daily responsibilities. Before IDEO came on board, the teams had tried to collaborate but fell short of meeting the expectations of Mr. Zhang, the project sponsor. His verdict: “The design feels soulless.”

Mr. Zhang wanted the teams to align and deliver a truly cohesive experience. But even with these directives, the teams interpreted his expectations differently, resulting in misaligned efforts.

By the time the IDEO team joined the project, it had stalled.

‍The soul-searching “why”

Mr. Zhang was a well-respected senior executive. His strategic oversight spanned multiple core product lines, leaving him far removed from day-to-day design details. While his teams admired him, an inevitable gap had formed between management levels.

To move past his “soulless” critique, we needed to get to the root of Mr. Zhang’s expectations.

What did he mean by “soul,” and why was it missing?

Instead of reliving the same conversation, we invited him to adopt a designer’s perspective. By stepping into a different role, we hoped to spark fresh insights and unlock honest dialogue.

We brought a designer’s favorite tool into his office: an oversized mood board filled with product details, material samples, and structural diagrams.

“Today, we’d like you to think like a designer,” we said. “Take a look at this board and choose the materials, textures, and structures you feel best represent the future of this product suite. Go with your gut—you don’t need to overthink it.”

The visual prompts quickly shifted his mindset, transforming a strategic discussion into a candid conversation. He shared his doubts about some concepts, his curiosity about others, and his alignment with certain ideas.

Breaking the ice in this way facilitated a sincere dialogue—one between people, not job titles.

As the session drew to a close, he asked pointedly: “Did the product leads also do this exercise? Let me guess—they probably each pushed you to prioritize designs that would make their own product line shine, didn’t they?” he said, laughing.

His intuition was spot on. They were each focused on their own wish lists for their product lines, rather than working together to create a cohesive narrative that would make the product suite appeal to customers, the “soul” he was looking for. That narrative was not only critical to the product suite’s success but also to the company’s broader strategic goals.

At that moment, we felt the shift from external consultants to trusted collaborators.

Mr. Zhang also shared more about why it mattered to him. With the market shifting from growth to saturation and consumer demand waning, the stakes were high. A compelling product suite could sustain growth in a challenging landscape, while fostering cross-functional collaboration would strengthen the organization for future innovation.

Connecting strategy and products through real consumer needs

In many large organizations, concerns and perspectives often fail to connect across roles.

In this project, Mr. Zhang was focused on long-term survival strategies, while the individual product teams were consumed by immediate development pressures. Swapping perspectives wasn’t realistic, but the shifting macroeconomic landscape demanded a solution.

Our immediate question became: How can we anchor the project in shared goals to propel it forward?

The answer: Focus on the product and its users.

We visited potential consumers in their homes to observe their interior design preferences and see how they combined various products.

One clear insight emerged: consumers see their homes as extensions of their identity. Coordinated home collections help them express themselves and create signature moments they’re proud of when hosting guests.

They weren’t just looking for beautiful, functional objects. They wanted a cohesive narrative—a product suite that would harmonize with their space, align with their lifestyle, and reflect their individuality.

When a collection comes together to create something more than the sum of its parts, we discovered, consumers are far more likely to buy into the entire suite.

These consumer insights resonated with the executive’s strategic vision and served as a unifying force for the teams. Quickly,  “1+1>2.”

Finally, the formerly stalled project had new momentum.

Innovating beyond the traditional “Made in China” model  

In an increasingly competitive landscape, many business leaders recognize the need to break out of existing frameworks to drive innovation. Yet the organizations they lead are often large and rigid, with complex hierarchies and functions that were originally structured around single-category production and sales goals under the ‘Made in China’ model. These very structures have now become major obstacles to innovation.

Design, by nature, is inclusive, open, and egalitarian. It has the power to transcend organizational silos and hierarchies, communicating effectively through a shared language that everyone can understand. By doing so, it creates a more open, collaborative platform for all participants in the innovation process—enabling tangible results and carving out new space for innovation within even the most entrenched organizational systems.

“The Making of” is a series of behind-the-scenes articles written by IDEO China designers about our innovation methods and work with major clients across industries in China.