Design Is the Canary in the Culture Coal Mine — What HR Still Hasn’t Learned with Peter Merholz

Most organizations still don’t know what to do with design. Peter Merholz thinks that’s telling—and a warning sign for HR. Nearly a decade after his book Org Design for Design Orgs first made the case for scaling design teams with intention, he’s still seeing the same gaps in how companies support “human-first” functions.

In this episode of Great Mondays Radio, Peter joins Josh Levine to explore the surprising parallels between UX and People teams, why both struggle to prove their value, and how immature leadership keeps them stuck in reactive mode. They dig into the difference between stewardship and true leadership, the long value chain that makes culture work so vulnerable, and the simple communication strategy that can keep your team from the chopping block. This isn’t about adding perks—it’s about making the case for change before the next budget cut. If you’ve ever wondered how to protect your function and help it thrive, this conversation is your blueprint.

To learn more about Peter's work as a design leader and working with design leaders, you can check out his website, petermerholtz.com.

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Watch Great Mondays Radio episodes on YouTube. Want to learn more about Josh's work at Great Mondays? Check out his website at https://www.greatmondays.com/.