Tips on Unlocking Employee Excitement for Development Programs – Introducing Design Thinking! 

Employee development is the cornerstone of a thriving and innovative organization. As Tim Brown, the founder of the global design and innovation company IDEO, writes in his book Change by Design (2009), every company should have a design thinker in their corporate board, taking part in the company’s strategic marketing decisions and participating in their early stages of R&D efforts. You should also find talents within the staff that spend time with and listens to the customers (Brown 200, 229). However, in many organizations the same individuals are chosen to all development teams, leaving many talented future developers undiscovered. If you truly want your company to grow, you need to get your employees genuinely excited about development programs. This can be achieved through design thinking—a powerful approach that can transform mundane development programs into thrilling journeys of growth and self-discovery. 

Understand Design Thinking 

At its core, design thinking is a human-centered problem-solving approach that encourages empathy, creativity, and collaboration. It’s a methodology that focuses on understanding the needs, desires, and pain points of individuals to create innovative solutions (Brown, 2009). When applied to employee development, it can lead to programs that resonate with employees on a deeper level. 

Empathize with Employee Needs 

Design thinking begins with empathy (Kouprie & Sleeswijk Visser, 2009). To unlock excitement in development programs, start by understanding your employees’ needs, aspirations, and goals. Find that person who rather builds a prototype than writes a memo or that person who has a different way of looking at the world and give them the opportunity to be part of your organization’s development (Brown 2009, 234). Conduct surveys, interviews, or focus groups to gather insights into what skills and experiences they value most. By demonstrating that you care about their growth, you lay the foundation for genuine enthusiasm.

Get the Leadership Buy-In and Participation 

Leadership involvement is vital for any organizational success. Encourage senior leaders to actively participate in and endorse development programs. To get the benefits, leaders need to know when to apply design thinking and ensure managers and employees come prepared; MITSloan Management Review has coined the term “design-thinking-ready”. (Dunne, Eriksson, Kietzmann 2022)

Co-Create and Involve 

Design thinking thrives on collaboration. To foster effective innovations, companies should form cross-functional teams where employees from various departments collaborate. It is important to take different personalities in consideration when building teams (Viki 2016). Organise brainstorming sessions, workshops, or suggestion boxes to encourage sharing ideas and co-creating development programs. This involvement not only generates fresh perspectives but also instils a sense of ownership and enthusiasm about the upcoming initiatives.

Prototype and Iterate 

Instead of aiming for perfection from the start, develop a prototype of the development program and test it with a small group of employees, fail fast is the key for success (Brown 2009, 92, 230). Collect feedback and use it to refine the program iteratively. This iterative process not only improves the program but also demonstrates that employees’ input is valued. 

Create Feedback Loops for Measuring, Celebrating, and Recognising Progress 

Throughout the program, establish feedback mechanisms to celebrate small wins. Regular check-ins, surveys, and open communication channels allow employees to voice their concerns, provide suggestions, and track their progress. A continuous feedback loop keeps team members engaged and shows that their development matters. Define clear metrics to measure the impact, such as improved skills, increased productivity, or career advancement. Celebrate achievements and recognise employees who excel. By sharing stories of employees who have not only completed but excelled in development programs motivates and encourages others to follow.  Finally, communicate the benefits and value of the development programs. Use multiple communication channels, including internal newsletters, meetings, and social media, to keep employees informed and engaged. (T. M. Amabile & S. J. Kramer 2011).

Incorporating design thinking principles into your development programs can transform them from routine tasks into thrilling and engaging experiences. By empathizing with employee needs, involving them in program design, and continuously seeking their feedback, you’ll foster a culture of excitement and growth within your organization. Embrace the power of design thinking, and watch your employees eagerly embrace their development journeys.

Written by: Johanna and Suvi

References:

Amabile, T., Kramer, S. May 2011. The Power or Small Wins. Motivating People. Harvard Business Review. URL: https://hbr.org/2011/05/the-power-of-small-wins. Accessed: 29. September 2023.

Brown, T. 2009. Change by design: how design thinking can transform organizations and inspire innovation. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Dunne, D., Eriksson T., Kietzmann, J. 6. September 2022. Can Design Thinking Succeed in Your Organization? MITSloan Management Review. URL: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/can-design-thinking-succeed-in-your-organization/. Accessed: 29. September 2023

Kouprie, M. & Sleeswijk Visser, F. 2009. A framework for empathy in design: Stepping into and out of the user’s life. In: Taylor & Francis Group (ed.) Journal of Engineering Design Vol. 20, No. 5, October 2009, 437–448. 

Viki, T. 11. October 2016. Eight Key Personality Types For Innovation Teams. Forbes. URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2023/09/29/a-delicate-balancing-act-a-guide-to-making-intentional-choices/?sh=7e257eca2374. Accessed: 29. September 2023

 

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5 responses to “Tips on Unlocking Employee Excitement for Development Programs – Introducing Design Thinking! ”

  1. niinaln Avatar
    niinaln

    Blog lays out nicely and in concise manner many of the important elements and phases which are needed in overall service-design process.

    I also agree that providing opportunities for development in general including the field of service design should ideally be supported by organizations and leadership.

    However, my personal viewpoint is a bit different in how much or how fast only developing employees towards service design capabilities can influence how the organization itself thinks of service design. If the goal is to implement service thinking mindset and service design approach to organization’s strategy and core operations, training employees may not be enough or even first priority if there isn’t sufficient understanding of the needs and benefits of service design mindset within the leadership team. Otherwise it may be very slow process to get service design ideology embedded into tactics supporting strategy, unless there’s at least one and preferably a few members in leadership team who understand and sponsor design thinking mindset and approach within the organization. Once knowledgeable sponsors are in place in leadership team, the company can benefit of interdisciplinary service designers – because after all, there aren’t that many places where service design wouldn’t be useful!

    Reply
  2. carolinalimadefaria Avatar
    carolinalimadefaria

    The topic that you covered is very relevant. There is plenty of room for improvement, especially in big companies.
    When it comes to development programmes, often they are either posted in a company’s intranet, which many people miss. Or, employees receive a half-day calendar invite, out of the blue, which they don’t see value in.

    Regarding co-creation, it’s a great idea to find hands-on colleagues to help develop the programme. Also, to involve users through interviews and other practices, so that the programme doesn’t come as a surprise and it is somewhat co-created.

    It is great that you highlight the importance of continuous engagement and success measurement, through success stories and feedback surveys.

    Overall, this practice seems to have a positive impact not only on development programmes, but also on employee branding.

    Reply
  3. lid00001 Avatar
    lid00001

    Hi, thank you for a clear, concise blog post! I agree and believe that design thinking approach is very useful for workplace development programs. Specifically, I think having empathy with employees is important for leaders, as it builds a foundation on how to improve employees’ motivation to contribute to innovative changes and transformations at work.

    However, from my own experience, it is extremely difficult to ask people at work for interviews, survey, or attend a workshop. In general, I think everyone is aware that co-creation can yield better outcomes, yet, it is not easy to get out of the comfort zone and work to create something, or provide their inputs, in a co-creation project with others.

    Overall, I think besides applying these practices in development programs, organisations should do it on daily basis so that employees are trained over the time the usefulness of design thinking and how to do it.

    Reply
  4. tommiku Avatar
    tommiku

    Great to see a post related to getting employees excited about new developments. I feel this is an underappreciated subject as it is critical for new developments and initiatives to be accepted by the work community before they are implemented. The employees need to feel enthusiastic and be onboard for future changes instead of just having things mandated from the “ivory tower”.

    I would also add that this generally improves the willings and mood of the employees in their daily jobs and that shift in mood will be picked up by the customers as well. Usually the focus of development is placed on customer-facing functions but since service is cocreated the employee side is just as important.

    As others have already commented, implementing changes to the workplace culture isn’t easy. However, that doesn’t still mean that it isn’t worth the effort of trying to bring design thinking into the workplace. Often the issues are more down to implementation than resistance to the idea. I feel that generally people like to be empowered.

    This nicely rounds up what we have learned together during the classes in a concise and clear manner.

    Reply
  5. marijasilinskiene Avatar
    marijasilinskiene

    Interesting topic and very relevant for my job as PM and aspiring designer in leadership development area 🙂 thank you.

    It has been increasingly so that we (the company I work at) have been asked to help identify and define development needs of the client companies. We are usually approached with a very general problem, such as employees feeling not cared for, high churn rates, lack of direction, etc. And we use a process that loosely follows the design thinking framework: understand (includes research and interviews), explore (ideation together with the client, co-creation, prototyping) and materialise (launching a pilot program, reiterating the program and later rolling out to the entire organization).

    In this process, employee (be it leaders or employees) buy-in is crucial. Thus , in my view, empathizing with the needs and getting people involved is one of the main success factors in the success of any people development initiative.

    Reply

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