Harnessing the Power of Design Thinking in Corporate Affairs

In the world Corporate Affairs, professionals find themselves in constant dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders. From government officials and industrialists to investors, think tanks, and the general public, the interactions are endless and diverse. These interactions are crucial for maintaining the brand's value and delivering clear, impactful messages. Additionally, corporate affairs professionals also advocate for and shape favourable policy changes. Amidst all these, the professionals also have to ensure that their engagements are memorable and leave a lasting impression on all stakeholders. Then the question arises: How? The answer lies in Design Thinking.

Design Thinking in the Realm of Corporate Affairs

Simply put, Design Thinking is a systematic, human-centred approach to problem-solving, with empathy, experimentation, and storytelling as vital ingredients. Its essence lies in delivering experiences instead of mundane communications and linear processes. It sets a process to transform customary into exciting experiences. However, Design Thinking being a creative procedure, the processes/stages are more like guidelines than stringent protocols.

Since corporate affairs personnel are responsible for stakeholder management and managing the company's reputation, they must be inherently human-centric in their approach. They must be adept at stakeholder management, ensuring that the company's reputation is always enhanced with every interaction and communication. Moreover, projects handled by corporate affairs always require strategic, quick thinking, and analytical skills, as emotions are always in the mix and the stakes are high. Hence, Design thinking offers a structured method for tackling problems and finding solutions by decoding the issues.

Based on IDEO's framework, we can adapt the stages to suit the needs of the corporate affairs domain by including the following steps:

1. Empathize
2. Define
3. Ideate and Choose
4. Test/Implement and Feedback

To make these frameworks more easily understandable, I've included the example of the Moderates—Indian freedom fighters like Pherozeshah Mehta and Dadabhai Naoroji. They advocated for Indian interests with the British and crafted clear, concise messages to build a narrative among the intelligentsia. This mirrors the efforts of today's corporate affairs professionals, who advocate for both their company's and nation's interests with similar clarity and precision.

First let's begin with the primary step of design thinking: Empathize.

Empathize

Before diving into solutions, a corporate affairs professional must first understand the problem's background, the stakeholders involved, and how they are impacted. This understanding allows them to craft a compelling narrative that aids in advocacy. Thorough research is essential to uncover the true issues, which may differ from what stakeholders initially present. This process requires a high degree of empathy and emotional intelligence. Empathy is "the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another."

To gain better clarity, let's consider the historical context of British India. Before British colonization, India was one of the wealthiest countries in the world, with a stable economy driven by self-sufficient agriculture, flourishing trade, and rich handicraft industries. Indian artisans dominated the global cotton textile market. However, the onset of colonialism and the British adoption of free trade, coinciding with the Industrial Revolution, led to the deindustrialization and impoverishment of India.

Imagine you being a corporate affairs professional and were to tackle this issue back then. First, before charting out the solutions/actions you would need to understand the problem thoroughly. This involves assessing the public's sentiment—whether they are dissatisfied or aware of the situation—understanding the perspectives of artisans and local industries, the views of prominent leaders, and the positions of both the British in India and the British government in Britain. You would also need to analyze the current repercussions and potential future consequences if the issue remained unaddressed. Gathering all relevant data and inputs, and asking all necessary questions, even those that might seem trivial, you would get a comprehensive picture of the situation. For this exercise to be successful, one requires a high degree of empathy and emotional intelligence.

With a comprehensive understanding of the issues and emotions involved, you can move on to the next step: Define.

Define

The next step is to organize all the information gathered during the Empathize stage. Analyze your observations and synthesize them into a core problem statement. This statement should be crafted in a human-centred manner. In the field of corporate affairs, where issues often lack clear problems or solutions, it is crucial to create an accurate problem statement that resonates with all stakeholders. This clarity will help guide the way forward.

Returning to our example, let's consider the data you've gathered: Indians are being pushed into poverty, and India's share of global GDP has drastically decreased. You've also documented the growth of colonial nations while artisans and labourers, displaced by industrialization, remain unemployed and unskilled. Based on these insights, as a corporate affairs professional, you need to craft a problem statement that resonates with all stakeholders and helps build a compelling narrative.

Shree Dadabhai Naoroji, using similar information, proposed the 'economic imperialism' theory. He articulated the problem statement as follows: "Out of the revenues raised in India, approximately one-fourth goes to England, which is the main cause of India’s poverty."

This problem statement allows for a more accurate and detailed understanding of the issue. For example, the drain of wealth affected India’s employment prospects, income levels, and overall economic growth. When taxes paid by the people are spent within the country, the money circulates domestically, stimulating trade, industries, and agriculture, eventually benefiting the populace. However, when this money is sent out of the country, it fails to stimulate local industries or reach the people, thus not boosting the local economy. The capital drain to England stripped India of its productive capital, creating a shortage that hindered significant industrial development. This directly impoverished India and stunted its capital formation process. The wealth extracted from India financed the Industrial Revolution in England while preventing an industrial revolution in India.

After defining the problem, the next step is to move on to ideation, where all the solutions are listed, and the most viable solution is chosen.

Ideate and Choose

Once you've empathized with stakeholders identified their needs, and defined the problem with a human-centric approach, you can begin to explore the issue from various angles and generate innovative solutions. In the fast-paced realm of Corporate Affairs, there might not be time for prototyping and testing. Therefore, out of all the solutions generated, it's essential to select the most viable one based on data, the positive and negative impacts, and how it will be perceived by stakeholders.

However, another crucial aspect to consider is the importance of advocacy and communication efforts in Corporate Affairs. Crafting a compelling narrative that evokes emotions and prompts stakeholders to take action is paramount. Thus, the chosen solution must fulfil this requirement in addition to addressing the core problem.

Returning to our example of addressing the economic drain problem in British India, we can propose three potential solutions (though this list is not exhaustive):

1. Appeal to the Britishers, urging them to reinvest the obtained revenues back into India.
2. Establish Indian-based industries to retain revenues within the country and create more job opportunities.
3. Initiate a mass movement to boycott British goods, preventing the outflow of money from the country.

Considering each solution, the first option may not be entirely feasible. This solution involves appealing to British authorities to reinvest the revenues generated in India back into the country's economy. While this approach may seem logical from an Indian perspective, it might not resonate with British interests. However, raising awareness about the economic drain and its impact on India could potentially lead to a more considerate approach from British authorities.

The second solution, Creating industries within India would help retain revenues within the country and generate more job opportunities for the populace. However, this solution faces significant challenges due to British control and potential restrictions on Indian economic growth. British authorities might perceive Indian industrial development as a threat to their interests and could impose measures to stifle it.

The third solution, boycotting British goods is crucial for long-term freedom from British imperialism, however, it may not directly address the economic drain issue in the short term. Many Indians, including agriculturists and salaried individuals, relied on British goods for their livelihoods. However, in the longer term, once India can produce its goods, this solution could be more viable.

Considering all options, Combining the first and second solutions might be a viable approach here. By urging British authorities to invest in building the capacity of Indian industries, several benefits can be realized.

Test/Implement and Feedback

The last stage involves testing the solution in real-world scenarios and refining it based on feedback to better align with our objectives. In this phase, effective storytelling supported by data and a deep understanding of potential repercussions is essential to persuade stakeholders to take action or refrain from it, ultimately aiming for a favourable outcome.

Returning to the example of the Economic Drain, the advocacy narrative could be framed as follows: Enhancing Indian industrial capacity will lead to increased employment opportunities within the nation, directly addressing unemployment, a key driver of social unrest, strikes, and protests. Additionally, a prosperous Indian economy would generate higher revenues for both the Indian populace and the British authorities through taxation and trade. A thriving Indian economy would also create new opportunities for trade and investment, benefiting both Indian and British interests. As Indian industries develop and expand, there will be greater demand for British goods and services, further strengthening the economic ties between the two nations. All these narratives should be supported by robust data. Further, if the efforts seems futile, you should be adept to move for other solution, such as creating awareness amongst mass.

Overall, the stages of design thinking provide a valuable framework for corporate affairs professionals to organize their thinking and envision the desired outcomes. By following these stages, professionals can effectively address complex issues and make a meaningful impact. Additionally, the emphasis on preparation and empathy enables corporate affairs professionals to create memorable interactions in their everyday engagements. This structured approach not only enhances problem-solving abilities but also fosters stronger connections with stakeholders, ultimately contributing to the success of their endeavours.