Great design involves more than the layout and the appearance and even the structure of the product. It’s all about what it’s for and why it needs such great form to function.

Thoughts on that, and more, in today’s Social Media Roundup:

Design as Influence

https://twitter.com/jcufaude/status/372011186167885825

Recently, our very own Joe Rominiecki highlighted the value of design in creating useful member benefits. Clearly he was on to something, based on Seth Godin’s latest piece, which discusses the value of design as an incentive for people to do something. “That well-designed prescription bottle, for example, is well designed because it gets you to take your medicine even when you forget or don’t feel like it,” he notes. “If that wasn’t the goal, then a cheap baggie would do the job.” In those terms, where is your organization excelling at design—and where could you improve the incentive proposition? (ht @jcufaude)

Setting Next Steps

Get Your Succession Plan Up To Speed http://t.co/v6v2tebuka via @rockettm

— Jeff Hurt (@JeffHurt) August 26, 2013

Get ready for a big change. It may not be coming yet, but in the constantly changing modern workplace, having a good succession plan is important, says XYZ University’s Sarah Sladek, writing for Greenfield Services. “The CEO isn’t the only vital role in your organization. Mid-level employees keep your business running smoothly too,” she writes. “For each level, you need to have a different plan. Each role is different, and having successors lined up for all levels is essential.” And whatever you do, don’t follow the example NBC set a few years back when it flubbed the Jay Leno/Conan O’Brien handover. “There are many more examples of succession planning done badly than succession planning done well,” Sladek notes. “Make sure you don’t fall into the first category.” (ht @JeffHurt)

So what’s on your social calendar today? Tell us all about it in the comments.

(Monkey Business/Thinkstock)