{"id":24965,"date":"2025-03-06T15:12:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T14:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kooku.de\/recruiting-blog\/design-entwicklung\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T17:04:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T16:04:08","slug":"design-entwicklung","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/en\/recruiting-blog\/design-entwicklung\/","title":{"rendered":"Design in Transition: Part 3 &#8211; The growing role of ICs and fractional leads"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"24965\" class=\"elementor elementor-24965 elementor-24947\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4abd7e0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4abd7e0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a5dd1ce elementor-hidden-mobile elementor-widget elementor-widget-author-box\" data-id=\"a5dd1ce\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"author-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-author-box\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/janpautsch\/\" class=\"elementor-author-box__avatar\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Unbenannt-294x300.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of Jan Pautsch\" loading=\"lazy\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-author-box__text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/janpautsch\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-author-box__name\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJan Pautsch\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-author-box__bio\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Director Kooku X, the expert search service of Kooku Recruiting Partners.  <\/p>\n<p>As a global design headhunter based in Berlin, I offer deep insights into the German and international design markets. In many discussions with industry experts, topics such as the evolution of the role of the product designer, the challenges of design leadership and new working models came up. In this three-part series, I explore developments in design. Welcome to the third and final part of this series: The growing role of Individual Contributors (ICs) and Fractional Leads.   <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1376547 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"1376547\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2a5fe56 elementor-hidden-desktop elementor-hidden-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2a5fe56\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW187129513 BCX8\" lang=\"DE-DE\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW187129513 BCX8\">From Jan <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW187129513 BCX8\">Pautsch<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW187129513 BCX8\" lang=\"DE-DE\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW187129513 BCX8\">, <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW187129513 BCX8\">Director<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW187129513 BCX8\">Kooku<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW187129513 BCX8\"> X, the<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW187129513 BCX8\">em <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW187129513 BCX8\">Expert Search Service from <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW187129513 BCX8\">Kooku<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW187129513 BCX8\"> Recruiting Partners.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW187129513 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\"> <\/span><\/p><p>As a global design headhunter based in Berlin, I offer deep insights into the German and international design markets. In many discussions with industry experts, topics such as the evolution of the role of the product designer, the challenges of design leadership and new working models came up. In this three-part series, I explore developments in design. Welcome to the third and final part of this series: The growing role of Individual Contributors (ICs) and Fractional Leads.   <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f58983 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"3f58983\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;],&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;No headings were found on this page.&quot;,&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;numbers&quot;,&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tThe growing role of ICs and fractional leads  \t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__3f58983\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-chevron-down\"><\/i><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__3f58983\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-chevron-up\"><\/i><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__3f58983\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<i class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-200bd07 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"200bd07\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2716a2a2 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2716a2a2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2a88bd72 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2a88bd72\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><strong>From Gap to Growth: The Role of ICs and Fractional Leads<\/strong> <\/h2><p>With the increasing introduction of flexible and holocratic models in design organizations, design leadership and team development are changing fundamentally. These models promise adaptability and quick decision-making, but they also bring challenges. What does this mean for the long-term development of design teams and the role of design leadership?    <\/p><p>A growing trend shows that companies are reducing management positions in design and often integrating design teams under product or tech departments. This increases the importance of <strong>individual contributors (ICs)<\/strong> and <strong>fractional leads<\/strong> to bridge management gaps. However, these cost-saving measures often overburden design teams, require the use of freelancers at peak times and lead to frequent organizational changes that jeopardize continuity and innovation.    <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"wp-image-24950\" src=\"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-7.png\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><h2><strong>The role of ICs: balance between craftsmanship and strategic influence<\/strong> <\/h2><p>In an environment where management positions are being reduced, <strong>ICs<\/strong> are taking on an increasingly important role. These highly skilled designers specialize in areas such as UX\/UI design, prototyping or <strong>design systems<\/strong>. They work closely with other departments to develop, test and implement solutions while serving as experts in their fields.    <\/p><p>Although ICs make excellent contributions in operational tasks, this model also harbors risks. The focus on short-term operational goals can crowd out strategic thinking and long-term vision. As a result, teams may achieve short-term success but struggle to sustain innovation in the long term &#8211; a risk that is particularly prevalent in organizations without strong leadership structures.    <\/p><p><i>&#8220;Great ICs aren&#8217;t just there to execute tasks &#8211; they take ownership of the design story (and the user story) within an organization.&#8221;<\/i> &#8211; Steven Busuttil, Head of Product Design at Xaver  <\/p><p>Organizations that promote <strong>individual contributors<\/strong> as craft and strategy experts can unleash their full potential and ensure innovation, even in leaner management structures.  <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"wp-image-24957\" src=\"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-10.png\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><h2><strong>Fractional design leadership: flexibility for growth phases<\/strong> <\/h2><p>Companies are often faced with the decision of promoting less experienced designers internally or hiring experienced leaders on a temporary basis when the need does not justify a full-time position. <strong>Fractional Design Leads<\/strong> offer a strategic solution. These experienced leaders are hired on a project basis or for fixed periods of time (6 to 12 months) to build teams, optimize processes and influence design decisions over the long term.   <\/p><p>One clear advantage of fractional leads is their flexibility: they offer access to top expertise without long-term commitments or high fixed costs. Particularly in growth or restructuring phases, they close the gap between operational implementation and strategic management.   <\/p><p><em>&#8220;Fractional design leads play a crucial role, but their presence can often disrupt continuity and unsettle ICs.&#8221;<\/em> &#8211; Steven Busuttil  <\/p><p>To overcome these challenges, fractional leads should not only provide operational support, but also create an environment in which teams can grow, build trust and drive innovation.  <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"wp-image-24948\" src=\"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-5.png\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><h2><strong>Summary of the series: Design in Transition<\/strong> <\/h2><ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"1\"><li><strong>From aesthetics to strategy:<\/strong> the role of <strong>product designers<\/strong> is evolving. In addition to user-centered design, strategic thinking, technical tools such as <strong>design systems<\/strong> and AI as well as close collaboration with product and technology teams are becoming increasingly important. More in <a href=\"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/en\/recruiting-blog\/design-in-transition-teil-1-die-transformation-der-rolle-des-product-designers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">part 1<\/a>.    <\/li><\/ol><ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"2\"><li><strong>From Vision to Void:<\/strong> Leadership deficits in product design undermine innovation and team cohesion. The lack of gender equality in management positions further exacerbates these problems. These topics are examined in more detail in <a href=\"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/en\/recruiting-blog\/design-leadership-in-der-entwicklung\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Part 2<\/a>.    <\/li><\/ol><ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"3\"><li><strong>From Gap to Growth:<\/strong> <strong>Individual Contributors<\/strong> and <strong>Fractional Leads<\/strong> are increasingly shaping team structures. While ICs move between craft and strategy, fractional leads offer flexible management options. However, continuity and long-term orientation remain challenges.    <\/li><\/ol><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"wp-image-24949\" src=\"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-6.png\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><h2><strong>Outlook: Navigating Design in Transition<\/strong> <\/h2><p>The design industry is undergoing profound changes that bring both exciting opportunities and complex challenges. AI and automation are transforming workflows, while leadership gaps and a focus on business numbers often leave teams without clear direction.   <\/p><p>However, these challenges offer opportunities for growth: By using technology responsibly, promoting diversity and closing leadership gaps, design can grow into a stronger and more impactful discipline.  <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"wp-image-24951\" src=\"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image-8.png\" alt=\"\"><\/figure><h2><strong>Your recruiting solution for design and product<\/strong> <\/h2><p>As a <strong>design headhunter<\/strong>, I support companies in finding the right talent and developing sustainable team structures. <strong>Are you looking for Product Design Experts or Fractional Leads for your key projects?<\/strong> Visit us: <br> Kooku<a href=\"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/en\/recruiting-agency\/expert-search-consultant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X &#8211; your headhunter for designers and product design recruiting<\/a>.  <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e3c054a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e3c054a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2cc5bdc elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"2cc5bdc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28254 content-align-cta-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-global elementor-global-28257 elementor-global-28254 elementor-widget-eael-cta-box\" data-id=\"28254\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"eael-cta-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"eael-call-to-action cta-basic bg-img bg-fixed cta-preset-1\">\n        <h4 class=\"sub-title\">Your partner for product &amp; design leadership<\/h4><h4 class=\"title eael-cta-heading\">Top talents for the change in Product &amp; Design<\/h4><p>Whether digital transformation, a new operating model or the next phase of growth - we identify and recruit the people who shape change. With our specialized expert search, we fill strategically important roles in product and design in a targeted and precise manner. <\/p><a href=\"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/recruiting-agentur\/kooku-consult\/\" class=\"cta-button cta-preset-1  \">Click here for more information and contact details<\/a>\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From Jan Pautsch, Director Kooku X, theem Expert Search Service from Kooku Recruiting Partners. As a global design headhunter based in Berlin, I offer deep insights into the German and international design markets. In many discussions with industry experts, topics such as the evolution of the role of the product designer, the challenges of design [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":24960,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[922],"tags":[1112,386,914,383],"class_list":["post-24965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headhunting-en","tag-design-recruiting-en","tag-headhunter-en-2","tag-kooku-insights","tag-management-consulting-en"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Design Development - Individual Contributors and Fractional Leads<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the evolution in design and the growing importance of Individual Contributors and Fractional Leads.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/en\/recruiting-blog\/design-entwicklung\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Design in Transition: Part 3 - The growing role of ICs and fractional leads\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover the evolution in design and the growing importance of Individual Contributors and Fractional Leads.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/en\/recruiting-blog\/design-entwicklung\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kooku Recruiting Partners\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KookuRecruitingPartnersBerlin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-06T14:12:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-05T16:04:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/almos-bechtold-PW6CGOj9tbo-unsplash-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jan Pautsch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jan Pautsch\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\\\/en\\\/recruiting-blog\\\/design-entwicklung\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\\\/en\\\/recruiting-blog\\\/design-entwicklung\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jan Pautsch\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/kooku-staging.digitalagenten.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4099828ebd23de06b9ae74d6ab363d09\"},\"headline\":\"Design in Transition: Part 3 &#8211; 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