What we do is evolving. The star designer does not breeze in and out while a tribe of assistants labours over the latest creation. Most design companies are based on a single individual and fail when the individual moves on. Other studios are based on confrontation. But design studios work best with open critiques of people's work.
People invest something of themselves in their work.
The design studio, as practised at IDEO, is an organisational model in tune with our times. It is small and creative for a start. It is also low on hierarchy, big on communication and requires a minimum of ego. IDEO's designers may take the starring role in a particular project and then find themselves back in the chorus on the next project. Sustaining this culture requires dedication rather than innovative wackiness.