Article

Participative management: how UX design transforms corporate leadership

11/06/2025

In a world of continuous innovation and changing organizations, more and more companies are seeking to transform their internal culture. At the same time, rigid, vertical hierarchies are gradually giving way to more human, transversal and collective approaches. It is precisely in this context that participative management is emerging as a key model for change.

So what if designers, and more broadly UX and product teams, became the driving force behind this managerial transformation?

What is participative participative management?

Participative management is a team management method that encourages initiative-taking, collective intelligence and the active involvement of employees in decision-making. Unlike directive or top-down management, this operating method is based on three main pillars:

1. Autonomy

Each team member is encouraged to make decisions, experiment, learn and propose solutions. This implies a high level of mutual trust.

To remember:
In 74% of companies that have implemented participative management, team autonomy has directly contributed to an increase in productivity [1].

2. Mastery

In concrete terms, the manager doesn't just control tasks: he or she guides, accompanies and facilitates. They also ensure that everyone progresses in their jobs, and have all the keys they need to succeed.

For example, at Google:
The "20% time" policy allows employees to devote part of their working hours to personal projects. Thanks to this initiative, innovative products such as Gmail and Google Maps.

3. Direction

Working is only of value if it has a concrete and visible impact. Participative management reconnects employees with the "why" of their mission. This fosters motivation, loyalty and quality of work.

In fact, according to a study conducted by 365Talents, companies that adopt this model see an average 20% increase in their teams' performance.

Why is design a natural lever for collaborative collaborative management?

Design thinking, widely adopted in innovation projects, is based on the same foundations as participative management: empathy, listening, experimentation, co-creation.

As a result, designers are naturally familiar with practices that encourage collaboration, collective problem-solving and consideration of human needs. As a result, they can embody a new, more horizontal and agile form of leadership.

Besides, 83% of employees believe that collaborative and horizontal work environments stimulate their creativity and commitment on a daily basis. [2]

The designer as facilitator

It creates spaces for exchange and reflection.
It structures collective thinking (workshops, methods, tools).
It brings relevant solutions to light, while uniting people.

Companies combining product culture and design posture are twice as likely to achieve their growth targets between 2019 and 2021. [3]

The emergence of a new role : the UX Manager

With this evolution, a new profile is taking shape: the UX Manager. Halfway between product leadership, team management and design culture, this role involves :

Coordinate user-centered projects.
Ensuring that UX/UI teams develop their skills.
Implement a culture of continuous improvement.
Establish team rituals and a logic of collective iteration.

This type of role is particularly well suited to digital agencies, startups or agile product teams, where autonomy and responsibility are valued.

Concrete examples of transformation

In France, several companies have initiated or are engaged in managerial transformations inspired by these participatory principles.

At MAIF, teams have experimented with more horizontal forms of governance, eliminating certain hierarchical levels and promoting collective dynamics. Here, service design is used to co-construct service paths, both internally and with members. This approach has helped to strengthen employee responsibility and commitment.

At Decathlon, digital teams operate autonomously via squads combining product, design and technical expertise. This agile organization promotes individual and collective responsibility, with design rituals (workshops, tests, iterations) to facilitate alignment and user impact.

Other companies, such as Valve, have gone even further, adopting a completely horizontal, managerless model. While this extreme approach may not suit all structures, it illustrates the diversity of possible paths towards a more collaborative organization.

In the same spirit, at 5 Degrés, this approach also inspires our internal workings, which we are gradually developing as we learn from our experience and feedback from our assignments. At the same time, we support this cultural transformation at our customers' sites, by training teams, mobilizing participative methodologies and equipping managers to become true facilitators.

Organizations with horizontal management models show a 20% higher engagement rate than those using traditional vertical structures. [4]

What benefits for the company?

Implementing a participative management approach supported by Designers makes it possible to :

Strengthening team commitment
Stimulating internal innovation
Reduce hierarchical friction
Promoting talent retention
Aligning projects with corporate values

According to the Sage study, this managerial model favors greater commitment and a significant reduction in turnover (27% on average, HR Culture (2023))while strengthening the corporate culture. We can also see that thehe rate of innovation in companies that have adopted participative management is 1.5 times higher than in more vertical companies. [5]

Conclusion: what if you changed your management style now?

Whether you're an agency, a start-up or a major corporation, rethinking the way you manage your teams has become essential. Design and UX methods can help you initiate sustainable, people-centered change.

Would you like to transform your management practices?

Our teams can help you design a collaborative work environment adapted to your culture and objectives.