be able to design on a daily basis in an innovative organization

I've been working for the Quebec innovation gas pedal movement for 8 months now, with the aim of applying design methods and practices to the creation of new projects or the improvement of existing projects or services.

just before joining mainI was finishing my bachelor's degree in product design at université laval. a course that made me fall in love with design. it completely changed the way I look at the world and the way I interact with it.

well, it's worth mentioning that just after university, i also left for a long hike of several months on theappalachian trail. it was on my return that my former entrepreneurship lecturer, louis-félix binette, contacted me to find out more about what i'd been through, as he himself had been on a similar adventure in the past. we quickly got back in touch and he ended up explaining that he wanted to integrate design practices into the organization he runs. it was the start of a new adventure.

it's hard enough to explain to my family and friends what design is, I guarantee that explaining what I do at main is a challenge in itself, but a particularly interesting one.

living design every day

for me, design is more than just a problem-solving process, it's everywhere and lives in simple objects as well as complex systems. design is a powerful force for change and progress.

as a designer, the expectation may be that i'll be creative. however, being creative isn't something i can simply do. i deeply believe that creativity lies in the act of making connections. after all, that's how we innovate. by combining things that weren't before. so it's with a creative posture that i allow myself to question, to dig and to learn on a daily basis at home. main.

I recently had the opportunity to lead a design-thinking activity during our strategic team retreat at the Augustine monastery in Quebec City. The aim of this activity was to present what design is and the methodology behind it, so that my 16 colleagues could familiarize themselves with my world.
The activity proved to be very enriching, but above all it brought to light a question that's been on my mind ever since I arrived:

what are the ingredients of an enriching design culture in an environment where design is not the primary vocation?

By "ingredients", I'm referring to all the activities, initiatives, contexts, postures, atmospheres and tools that can be used to foster this kind of culture. And by "design culture", I'm thinking of everything to do with innovation, creativity and more.

in a non-profit organization like est mainWe have to be creative in our approach if we are to succeed in carrying out our projects.

to go further, I realize that a complete design approach can sometimes be particularly complex to achieve in this kind of context, where projects multiply rapidly.

I ask myself: how is it possible to include design when it's not possible to use a large-scale methodology that includes all the steps of design-thinking?

I throw these questions out into the universe. we all have a role to play in our organizational cultures, so we all have interesting answers. the very purpose of my questions is to include everyone in the reflection. i'm curious to hear what you have to say on this subject.

after all, questioning in this way is part of my daily practice, both in my work and in my personal life. as a designer, i spend my time asking questions and looking for solutions. and i think i've found in main an environment where I can ask myself these questions - and contribute to being an agent of change.

- nicolas delisle-jubinville, project manager - strategic design @ main