Design Archives - Page 4 of 4

Pandemic Pivot How is Your Company Looking to the Future

Pamela Ayuso June 1, 2020

“Pandemic Pivot”: I recently heard this phrase from a friend, and I loved it – it acknowledges the situation, yet it puts a positive spin on it. As I have mentioned in the past couple of weeks, COVID-19 is forcing a change. We can resist it, or we can embrace it to push us to a new direction.

A pandemic pivot can be personal, and it can also apply to our companies. How will your company need to change to leverage the changes that COVID-19 is forcing? How can we grow stronger? It is worthwhile to look at a pivot from a variety of perspectives.

Maintaining and Improving Your Company Capabilities

Pamela Ayuso May 25, 2020

The COVID-19 situation has completely altered work patterns. Regardless of how accustomed we were to a way of operating, the pandemic has forced us to change how we work. This period is a time to make sure everything we have built in our companies is carefully maintained and updated. A company is a living organism that needs to keep active. Very easily, we could regress and lose precious ground, but instead, we can maintain our company infrastructure and even improve it as we go.

A company’s organizational structure is the skeleton over which its operations are built. The configuration should be good fit between your company’s capabilities and its external environment. This structure evolves with the company, so what might have worked at one point may no longer be relevant.

Visiting Our Past to Help Us Through Our Present

Pamela Ayuso May 18, 2020

As I am writing this piece, I am listening to Yanni Live at the Acropolis. I used to listen to this record nonstop when I was in high school, ready to graduate and go off to college into the great unknown. It was a scary time of my life, not unlike now.

I was a seventeen-year-old in Honduras, about to relocate to Ithaca College in upstate New York. I had never seen snow before, and I was so excited yet terrified at the same time. For some reason, Yanni’s music touched my spirit, inspired me, and prepared me for what was coming, which was not easy. I had to learn to live alone and find my way, eventually graduating and working in New York City after college. I ultimately did it, loved it, and grew throughout it.

Planning and Looking to the Future

Pamela Ayuso May 11, 2020

The coronavirus has caused widespread health and economic problems; no one has been spared from its impact in some way or another. It has created a daily rollercoaster of emotions.

Yet, in the middle of it all, I am ready to start thinking about the future, about hope and beauty. I am taking the COVID-19 pandemic as a forced break to slow down and reassess, and even reinvent my life. Once I am out of this necessary hibernation, I want my life to align with my dreams and ideals more closely, so I am doing a few things to meet those aspirations.

How to Reinvent Your Company Post-COVID 19

Pamela Ayuso May 4, 2020

We are living through a situation that nobody predicted. An event of this magnitude, however, does come with certain advantages: it brings to light problems/opportunities that were previously hidden, and it also gives us time and space to pause and invest. So, why not take this opportunity to reinvent your company?

One of the main takeaways of this situation is recognizing the importance of the ability to operate everything in your company digitally. If you have not moved your information systems to the cloud, I would recommend you start working in that direction as soon as possible.

The Value of Designing Your Firm as an Oasis

Pamela Ayuso March 2, 2020

I recently received the best compliment I have received in a long time. I was talking with one of my company’s service providers, who said that she trusted our company implicitly. She is aware of how we manage the company, along with its processes and systems, and knows that she can rely on us to take care of our common interests.

As an example, she mentioned our many years of working together without any issues. She recalled a payment we were scheduled to make a year after a completed service, about which she had forgotten. Even though we did not receive a bill from her, we still called her to drop off the bill and pick up her check. We made the payment because it is a part of our process.

Why Formatting is Beneficial for Your Company and Its Growth

Pamela Ayuso November 25, 2019

How we format the documents that we use to work with daily can have an enormous impact on our productivity. Formatting is one of those elements that, although hidden, can have a considerable effect on our workflow. Consistent guidelines for document configuration save time and produce better results.

The less time we spend trying to understand how something works, the more time we have available to focus on the content itself. Consistent formatting also helps us work more quickly because we know and identify the general guidelines. It also helps us regularly produce better results. If you multiply this concept throughout an organization, valuable time will be saved to do better work.

In the Midst of Nature: Finding Inspiration for Work

Pamela Ayuso October 21, 2019

I’m sitting, writing in a house that is surrounded by a forest. There are so many trees that you could almost call it a forest, except it is not. I can see a bird with a yellow body and a black head from my window as it flies from tree to tree. It hung upside down for a moment and then flew away. I see other birds in the distance, and I can hear many others still. Another bird with a red streak in its head and a brown body came to the same tree; this seems to be a very popular tree.

I see more of the yellow birds in the distance. They are playful and easy to find thanks to their bright, rich color. I can see at least five or six different birds right now. I started writing with my earphones on because when I am in my office, I always need music to block out external distractions. When I realized I could hear the birds singing, I took them off. It seemed ridiculous to be wearing earphones when I could instead be listening to the birds’ song.

Category: Design