{"id":373,"date":"2025-08-19T16:44:43","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T22:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yamairah.com\/?p=373"},"modified":"2025-08-23T12:26:52","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T18:26:52","slug":"ethical-design-in-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yamairah.com\/?p=373","title":{"rendered":"Managing Through Autistic Burnout: Leaning on Ethics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I’m trying to be more forthright about my experiences – and struggles – as an AuDHD<\/a>er<\/strong> who is working through autistic burnout<\/a> (and possibly also classical burnout<\/a><\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the last several years, I’ve managed a team of people, starting with 1 individual and growing to now 5 peeps. The team has had many names, starting with Program and Policy Training Unit<\/em> to our current, no bullshit name: Design Team<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve mastered many aspects of middle management, except for playing mind games<\/a><\/strong> and managing up<\/a><\/strong> (in fact, as an Autistic person with ADHD, I’m not sure that I even\u00a0can<\/em> “manage up” but that’s a post for another day). After 15+ years, I’m tired<\/em> of seeing the same patterns play out, resulting in\u00a0ongoing\u00a0systemic\u00a0inefficiencies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lately, I’ve been thinking about ethical design<\/a><\/strong>, and how we could improve those inefficiencies if every government employee was empowered to think and act like an ethical designer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I truly believe that design thinking and human-centered design, practiced by ethical designers and ethical government employees, can dramatically improve existing government policies and services, and produce exceptional government experiences for employees, distributors and users.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But without removing money and special interests, without equitably-enforced accountability, without smartly designed and fluid reporting structures, we will never<\/em> shift from solving small problems to solving big problems. We will never<\/em> see governments go through much-needed organizational design transformation – from reimagining and reforming current government systems to conceptualizing new government systems. And that bums me out ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I’ll keep doing what I can<\/em> do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n