Organizational Structure

Where does Service Design "live" within an organization? This chapter explores the reporting lines of in-house teams and how they are shifting over time. Understanding these structural trends helps us see if the discipline is moving closer to strategic decision-making or becoming more embedded in product delivery.

The Survey Question

Shifts in Reporting Lines

Are Service Design teams migrating? This chart shows the distribution of reporting departments over the last few years.

Why This Matters

The department you report to often dictates your budget, your stakeholders, and ultimately, your influence.

• Design Departments: Often focus on craft and quality but may struggle with business alignment.
• Product: Focus on delivery and metrics, potentially limiting the scope of "service" design.
• Strategy/Innovation: High influence but sometimes disconnected from implementation.

👉 Dive Deeper: See how your reporting line affects your Impact & Influence.