From Process to People: The Transformational Power of Design Thinking in HR Management

The concept of #designthinking is not new and businesses have already benefitted enormously from it, largely in creating great customer service or creating products that are valued by the end user. There are a few examples where #HR has leveraged design thinking in creating great employee and candidate experience and it's gradually gaining ground. Design thinking strikes a balance between feasibility, viability, and the needs and desires of employees in the organization. Within an organization, human-centred design places employees at the forefront of problem-solving, with #humanresources teams leading the charge. The solutions developed should address the needs of the intended users or employees.

This approach starts by fostering empathy to truly understand the needs and perspectives of the employees who will use or be affected by the design framework. It prioritizes their voices and needs, guiding the innovation process to create impactful and lasting solutions. Essentially, employees become integral to the solution and the change process. They feel heard and empowered, recognizing that changes are happening for their benefit, and not to disrupt them.?

A design thinking methodology?transforms HR from a process-oriented structure to a people-oriented system.

By aligning HR operations with the genuine desires and needs of employees rather than relying on established assumptions, HR can develop innovative solutions that streamline and enhance their interactions with the organization.

There exist 5 key principles of design thinking from a human resources perspective namely:

1.????? User Centricity and Empathy – Understanding the #employeeexperience and assessing a suitable solution.

2.????? Collaboration – Human collaboration has a significant role in having a diversified approach to have a desired viewpoint.

3.????? Ideation – As people's needs continuously evolve it is important to have proper planning and vision in place.

4.????? Experimentation – Arriving at different prototypes through rightful experiments is significant. The concept of design thinking in HR is all about trial and error.

5.????? Action – The concept of design thinking is a practical approach towards a problem and assess a probable solution. This would also mean putting all the above-mentioned perspectives of design thinking into a practical approach.

The implementation of design thinking can significantly enhance the refinement of a process or program within an organization. However, for it to be truly effective, it must be embraced and valued by its users. This is where the initial stages of design thinking—empathizing and defining—become crucial. By adopting this approach, organizations achieve a profound understanding of the genuine needs and desires of their users. By posing the right questions to gauge these needs and interests, the most appropriate design or policy can be formulated. This user-centric focus becomes the cornerstone of the design development process. Without this foundation, considerable time and resources may be squandered, and the end design may ultimately fail.?

Design thinking is gaining momentum within the HR departments of India's corporate sector. Below below-mentioned trends are worth noticing.

1.????? Adoption rate: A survey by People Matters (2022) found that 73% of Indian organizations have adopted Design Thinking in HR, while 21% are planning to adopt it in the next 12 months.

2.????? Benefits: A study by KPMG (2023) reported that 82% of Indian organizations that adopted Design Thinking in HR saw improved #employeeengagement, while 74% experienced enhanced #innovation and #creativity.

3.????? Challenges: A survey by SHRM India (2022) identified the top challenges in implementing Design Thinking in HR as:

-??????? Lack of resources (62%)

-??????? Limited understanding of Design Thinking (49%)

-??????? Resistance to change (53%)

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Some of the opportunities ?for design thinking in HR functions can be:

1.????? Talent Acquisition: Design Thinking improves candidate experience, streamlines #recruitment processes, and enhances #employerbranding.

2.????? Employee Engagement: Design Thinking boosts engagement through empathetic understanding, #creative solutions, and continuous #feedback.

3.????? Learning and Development: Design Thinking creates immersive, interactive, and personalized #learning experiences.

4.????? Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Design Thinking fosters #inclusive cultures, addressing #biases and promoting #diversity.

5.????? Organizational Development: Design Thinking enables HR to co-create organizational structures, processes, and cultures.

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Besides mastering design thinking techniques, ?HR professionals must sharpen below mentioned skills to be great ?design thinkers:

1.????? Empathy and active listening

2.????? Creative problem-solving and ideation

3.????? Prototyping and experimentation

4.????? Storytelling and communication

5.????? Collaboration and co-creation

To sum up, design thinking in HR can be a game-changer for Indian corporates, allowing them to create a more human-centred and employee-friendly work environment. By applying design thinking principles, HR can transform from a process-oriented structure to a people-oriented system, leading to enhanced employee experience and engagement. The role of leaders and management is significant in implementing the concepts of design thinking in their organizations. Human resources professionals are considered to be the front runners to initiate change and execute the principles of design thinking from an HR perspective in their organizations.

Are you ready?