How To Apply Design Thinking in HR (+ 3 Case Studies)
Emphasizing design thinking in HR fuels a better employee experience. Organizations that put peoples’ needs and contentment at the core of decision-making become desirable employers that engage their employees and have an edge in attracting talent.
Design thinking concepts promote new ways of doing things that positively impact the success of HR systems and programs. In fact, a Global Human Capital Trends report compiled by Deloitte showed that the companies where HR conveys the most value are 5 times more likely to practice design thinking.
This article explains design thinking, its effectiveness, and how HR can apply it to deliver greater service. Let’s delve into this interesting topic!
Contents
What is design thinking?
The benefits of a design thinking approach in HR
The 4 principles and 5 phases of design thinking
4 Ways to apply design thinking to HR processes
Successful implementation of design thinking in HR
Design thinking in HR examples
What is design thinking?
Design thinking is a user-centric process of finding solutions by observing and empathizing with stakeholders’ needs. Instead of focusing solely on the challenge itself, design thinking considers who is impacted and concentrates on resolving the issues created by the challenge.
For example, a projected company sale will cause speculation about job longevity and distract employees from their work. Instead of focusing on the problem of decreasing productivity, a design thinking methodology would look for ways to address concerns and increase employee engagement throughout the course of the sale.
While rooted in business and product development, HR’s human-centered role within the organization makes it a natural fit for adopting a design thinking approach. HR can apply design thinking by perceiving employees as customers, drawing on their feedback, and emphasizing the employee experience throughout HR processes.
The benefits of a design thinking approach in HR
A design thinking methodology transforms HR from a process-oriented structure to a people-oriented system. By basing decisions and processes on employees’ wants and needs instead of prevailing assumptions, alternative solutions will arise that make their interactions with the organization simpler and more enjoyable. This enhances both the employee experience and employee engagement.
In addition, design thinking promotes innovation throughout HR services and functions. When HR takes a step back from its traditional methods and considers employees’ perspectives as consumers, new systems will emerge that align better with their behaviors. For instance, HR can review its policies to address currently developing issues employees face by refreshing or replacing what they find outdated or irrelevant.
The 4 principles and 5 phases of design thinking
Design thinking is based on certain principles and phases. Here’s an overview of the design thinking framework:
4 Principles of design thinking
- Human-centered: Instead of making decisions based solely on what benefits an institution, design thinking is about understanding stakeholders’ perspectives and accommodating their preferences.
- Iterative: Rather than relying on extensive research and hypothesizing outcomes, design thinking’s iterative approach takes action by repeatedly putting the product or service in the market to gauge how it’s received quickly. With each repetition, the insight is used to refine the experience and produce better outcomes.
- Collaborative: Design thinking welcomes input from all stakeholders. A broader array of ideas and perspectives produces innovative solutions to meet needs and improve experiences.
- Creative: The brainstorming and experimentation of design thinking encourages creative thinking and considers unconventional options. New concepts are welcomed, tested, and modified to enrich systems and processes.
5 Phases of design thinking
| 1. Empathize | The first phase involves discovering and acknowledging stakeholders’ needs surrounding the business initiative or problem you’re trying to address. This requires engaging with them to determine how their jobs, environment, and emotional state will be impacted.
Participating in their activities, gathering feedback, and conducting interviews or open discussions can help you move beyond assumptions and grasp employees’ desires and concerns. |
| 2. Define | During this phase, you use stakeholder input to form a problem statement that defines the core issue. However, it must be human-centered and not stated from the organization’s perspective. For example:
Organization-centered statement: “We need to decrease HR call center interactions concerning the Employee Assistance Program by 40%.” Human-centered statement: “Employees need a simple-to-use platform that provides detailed information about the Employee Assistance Program and how to access it.” |
| 3. Ideate | You understand the problem at this phase and can collaborate to brainstorm solutions. Looking at the problem differently and thinking outside the box is encouraged. Considering all ideas promotes a creative environment to increase the possible options. |
| 4. Prototype | This phase involves creating a scaled-down model of what one or more particular solutions would look like. These can be executed on a small scale or as a pilot program. Then you can evaluate them for effectiveness and decide whether the solution should continue, be modified, or be rejected entirely. |
| 5. Test | The final phase is trying out solutions to see if they can thrive beyond controlled conditions and withstand real-world applications. You need to assess what works, what doesn’t, and what changes must be made. The most desirable outcome is to have stakeholders validate the proposed solution. |
4 Ways to apply design thinking to HR processes
It’s human nature to apply basic knowledge, instinct, and historical experiences with similar situations to make decisions. However, this can keep us from developing new perspectives on how to solve problems. Design thinking goes deeper than just making assumptions. It gathers user input, empathizes with their points of view, and imagines new ways to approach a matter.
Because the HR function is responsible for bringing the human experience into business operations, it is well-suited for operating under a design thinking methodology. It can help HR reinvent the end-to-end employee experience by prioritizing the workforce perspective in HR pursuits.
Among others, HR can apply design thinking in the following areas:
1. Recruitment and onboarding
- Consider how candidates experience the recruitment process. Find ways to streamline the procedures and make them feel welcome.
- Improve onboarding by focusing on what new hires need to know to feel equipped to start their job. Try adaptive techniques for presenting the material effectively for different positions.
2. Employee development
- Tailor development plans to meet employees’ individual career goals.
- Accommodate different learning styles and offer various training and mentoring opportunities under flexible conditions.
3. Performance management and appraisals
- Give clear performance goals and expectations so employees aren’t confused about their roles.
- Craft personalized improvement plans to support and develop low performers.
- Implement a consistent schedule of one-on-ones to give employees ample opportunities to ask questions, express concerns, and receive coaching from their managers.
4. Diversity and inclusion
- Ideate and prototype strategies for attracting diverse talent and reducing biases in recruitment.
- Define the pain points for marginalized groups within the employment lifecycle and brainstorm how to customize experiences to accommodate differences.
- Promote an empathy-driven culture that celebrates diversity and fosters inclusion in the organization.
Successful implementation of design thinking in HR
Implementing design thinking for HR requires resources. Buy-in from top management on any new endeavor is key, and a commitment to funding activities of the different phases will be necessary. You will probably also need a budget for upskilling HR teams in design thinking.
The human-centered design thinking approach may be somewhat instinctual for many HR professionals. However, understanding its principles and phases is important for turning design thinking into a mindset and applying it consistently.
Equipping yourself in the following two areas will help you see the organization through the eyes of employees and understand their needs, behaviors, and experiences:
- Creating personas: Participants invent a fictional character representing a typical employee in this exercise. Assuming this persona makes them step out of their own viewpoint and have a fresh outlook on others’ environments, challenges, and expectations.
- Journey mapping: A journey map is a visual representation of what an employee encounters throughout the employment lifecycle. It documents their interactions with the company at every touchpoint, starting from applying for the job and ending when they depart. Journey mapping identifies gaps and inefficiencies and offers a richer picture of the employee experience.
Design thinking in HR examples
To demonstrate what design thinking HR looks like, we’ve assembled three case studies:
Case study 1: Upgrading the recruitment process
Challenge:
A large transportation services organization was facing a recruiting dilemma. Open positions were accumulating due to the company’s rapid growth, and many qualified candidates were dropping out of the hiring process. HR needed to make improvements that would help candidates want to proceed through to the employment offer stage.
Solution:
The HR team mapped out each step of the recruitment process from the candidate’s perspective. They looked for cumbersome or redundant tasks candidates were required to complete that could be adjusted or eliminated. HR also surveyed employees hired in the last year to get their input on what they liked and didn’t like about their hiring experience and suggestions for improvements.
With this information, HR was able to streamline the application and testing phases and also added the option of remote interviewing to accelerate the process and create a better candidate experience. Several employees posed as applicants for a trial run and provided feedback for adjustments. The new recruiting method increased the number of applicants who made it to the offer stage, filling more positions faster.
Case study 2: Enhancing learning and development
Challenge:
A telecommunications company wanted to upskill its workforce to prepare for expanding services they would be offering. New methods were needed to overcome previously low employee enthusiasm for learning opportunities.
Solution:
HR conducted surveys and focus groups to hear from employees about what types of training were appealing and how and when they like to access them. The L&D team also did a test run with employees of both facilitator-led and self-directed programs. Most employees preferred brief sessions that they could do periodically throughout the week.
By using design thinking to understand how employees best engage with learning, HR implemented an effective training program. The participation rate was higher, and many employees gained the new skills required to move the organization forward.
Case study 3: IBM reformats its performance management system
Challenge:
HR leadership wanted to revamp IBM’s performance management system to change course from its annual review structure. This would allow more short-term objectives and frequent feedback throughout the year.
Solution:
Instead of relying on experts to construct a system, they co-created it with employees. HR made videos and asked for input, assuring employees that what they liked and didn’t like would be factored into the final product. Using design thinking and employee feedback, they developed various prototypes that made the concept tangible.
The process moved swiftly, and an employee vote selected ‘Checkpoint’ as the new system’s name. Employees took ownership and pride in what they helped create, and IBM credits this venture for higher employee engagement.
Key takeaway
An HR design thinking mindset views employees as consumers and employment as a product to sell them. This means considering the employee experience in every business decision and approaching problems from different angles.
Take the time to understand how employees are affected by every situation and provide them with meaningful services and solutions. This will help you to create a more inspiring and desirable work culture. Design thinking for HR evolves its role beyond process development and into experience cultivation. Operating with employees’ needs in mind compels them to feel like an essential part of the organization and want to help drive it toward success.
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