Design Leadership Overhaul: Embrace the Overlap
A groundbreaking framework for design leadership is challenging the long-held belief that Design Managers and Lead Designers should operate in strictly separate silos. The new model, described as a "design organism," argues that the overlap between these roles—rather than being a source of conflict—is actually the engine of a high-functioning team. Skip to Background
"The magic happens when you embrace the overlap instead of fighting it," said Alex Chen, lead author of the framework and a design leadership consultant. "You can’t have a healthy person without both mind and body working in harmony. The same is true for a design org: the manager tends to the mind, the lead designer tends to the body, but they must co-regulate."
Background: The Myth of Clean Org Charts
Traditionally, companies have drawn sharp lines on org charts: the Design Manager handles people, career growth, and workload; the Lead Designer owns craft, quality, and hands-on execution. But according to Chen, these lines are a fantasy. In reality, both roles care deeply about team health, design quality, and shipping great work. The result is often confusion, overlap, or the "too many cooks" scenario.
The new framework, based on years of observing healthy design teams, identifies three critical systems that require both roles to work together. One system—the Nervous System—is detailed as the primary example.
The Nervous System: People & Psychology
Primary caretaker: Design Manager | Supporting role: Lead Designer
This system governs signals, feedback, and psychological safety. When healthy, information flows freely, people take risks, and the team adapts quickly. The Design Manager acts as the primary caretaker—monitoring pulse, ensuring feedback loops, managing career conversations, and preventing burnout.
However, the Lead Designer plays a crucial supporting role by spotting craft stagnation and identifying growth opportunities the manager may miss. "The Lead Designer provides sensory input about craft development needs," Chen explained. "They see when a designer’s skills are plateauing, often before the manager does."
The Design Manager’s responsibilities under this system include:
- Career conversations and growth planning
- Team psychological safety and dynamics
- Workload management and resource allocation
The Lead Designer, meanwhile, focuses on:
- Identifying craft development needs
- Setting design standards and quality benchmarks
- Mentoring on hands-on skills
What This Means for Design Teams
The framework signals a shift from rigid hierarchy to fluid collaboration. Instead of asking "who owns what?" teams should ask "how do we co-own this system?" This reduces friction and empowers both roles to leverage their unique lenses on the same problem.
Crucially, it validates the messy conversations that happen in real meetings—where one person talks about skills and another about user needs. That overlap is not a sign of dysfunction but of a mature design organism. Return to background
For HR and design leaders, the implication is clear: stop trying to eliminate overlap and start designing for it. Job descriptions, performance reviews, and team structures should explicitly acknowledge shared responsibilities, especially around psychological safety and craft growth.