This is a question that has been kicking around the design community for some time. Another way to think about it is where does a designer’s job begin and where does it end?
If designers want to have the biggest impact they can, if they want to work on the most important problems, they will at some point have to create the briefs and scope that define their work. If they want to do that, they will need to convince people who control resources to trust them.
Designers have superpowers that will transform entire industries. Being able to make new things that people want is a rare skill that will only be more important from now on. To accelerate into this future, designers will continue to develop ancillary, stabilizing muscles to complement their core competencies. As the articles states, these include:
“…pick the right projects, help important people solve important problems, create bold goals, incessantly and fearlessly build things, and celebrate your successes. Along the way you will need to make strong allies with good workers who have skills complementary to design, and find ways to help these allies win alongside you.”
I am still learning how to do these things. I am confident the next generation of designers will be proficient in these skills, and many others, that will put them in a position to change the world.