Design thinking offers a creative yet structured approach for addressing large-scale challenges. 

If you’re a head of innovation or strategy in a forward thinking global brand, chances are that you’ve encountered the phrase “design thinking” when meeting with your product team about how they’re shaping the product roadmap to better suit the needs of your users.

Deloitte's 2016 Global Human Capital Trends survey includes design thinking as one of the tools to redesign the Human Resources (HR) function and shows strong evidence that Human Resources Professionals place on using Design Thinking. The Design Thinking in Human Resources survey was conducted globally.

Design thinking takes aim at the heart of unnecessary workplace complexity by putting the employee experience first—helping to improve productivity by designing solutions that are at once compelling, enjoyable, and simple.

Infusing your organization with a design-driven culture that puts the customer first may provide not only real, measurable results but also a distinct competitive advantage.

Experience design is all about meeting customers where they want to be and creating products that improve the process of getting there.

There is a right way to lead Design Thinking? Yes, if you want to leverage empathy, encourage a diversity of ideas and navigate the ambiguity of big hairy complex problems. Employees who are unfamiliar with design thinking (usually the majority) need the guidance and support of leaders to navigate the unfamiliar landscape and productively channel their reactions to the approach.

Usually, when we think of transformation, we think of it as a shift in the fundamentals of a business, like Lee Iacocca’s turnaround at Chrysler or Steve Jobs’ return to Apple. Unfortunately, managers often overlook skills-based transformations, which can be every bit as important — and often more so — than higher-profile initiatives.

DESIGN thinking casts human resources (HR) in a new role. It brings an innovative approach that changes the way HR teams deliver value, organize work and find solutions at workplaces. Design thinking helps to achieve this by shifting the focus from building processes to designing meaningful employee experiences.

Design thinking places end users at the center of the design process and enables teams to collaborate and work more efficiently.

IBM leverages this framework in their Design Thinking practice across its diverse portfolio of products and services to help clients reduce costs, increase speed, and design better solutions.

Big Blue is not your typical Silicone Valley start-up. It's 108 years old and found that when they applied the Stanford d.school Design Thinking methodology to their own processes that it did not work quite the way the theory said it should.