The HR & OB Society
Design Thinking is a solution-based approach to solving real-life problems. It involves
understanding the problem of the user/organization, challenging assumptions in terms of the
way in which the problem is perceived and the way in which each solution will affect the
problem, finding innovative ways to tackle the problem and testing the solution. Of late, design
thinking has been adopted by several leading companies such as Google, GE, and IBM. It is
also being taught in leading management institutes around the world. As highlighted in
Kaushik’s case, design thinking may not necessarily be something new. We, as humans, apply
it subconsciously to solve our daily problems. However, design thinking is being given
importance because it provides a structure to defining and solving problems afflicting people
and organizations.
In the field of HR, the key challenges are employee engagement, creating quality employee
experience, embracing change, leadership development and fostering a culture of continuous
learning. Design Thinking has been key to overcoming several of these challenges. Consider
the example of IBM, where Design Thinking was the core idea behind its ‘Blue Mix’ project,
which helped to improve employee engagement. Cisco famously organized the ‘HR
Breakathon’, wherein it closed the HR department for a day with the slogan, “In 24 hours, HR
will never be the same”. Design thinking was used to break and re-imagine existing HR
solutions for 71,000 Cisco employees worldwide. The new mind-set in Cisco was that
employees believed they were empowered to act even on issues they had no control over.
Citrix, Infosys and Nestle have also successfully adopted Design Thinking to improve the
learning experience of employees.
The pitfalls of Design Thinking are that it is time-consuming, and managers can sometimes
get so pre-occupied by this process that they miss out on much simpler solutions. The reason
Design Thinking is crucial for HR is that it brings back the ‘Human’ aspect to HR management,
where empathy is of utmost importance. The human-centric approach helps to reduce
employees’ resistance to change as well!
Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi
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