Why HR is embracing DESIGN THINKING

A number of progressive companies like P&G, Adobe, Citrix, Accenture and IBM are using Design Thinking as a methodology for developing better and more people oriented solutions for their business for some years now.

It often starts in departments where product development takes place or as an independent and multidisciplinary initiative to come up with new products and services. More and more these companies realise that the ideas and methods of Design Thinking can be used far broader in organisations. That is why Design Thinking is expanding throughout organisations, across departments.

While many companies use Design Thinking primarily to renew business strategies, it can be just as powerfull in HR. Companies like Linkedin, Citrix, Nestlé and Cisco have already succesfully implemented Design Thinking in HR.

But what is Design Thinking exactly?

There is a lot of literature about this topic so we keep it short. According to one of the founding fathers of Design Thinking, Tim Brown of Ideo, Design Thinking is a more collaborative, people oriented approach for problem solving that can be used to adress a broad spectrum of modern challenges.

It is all about the development of a deep empathy for the ‘user’, so the human being, and the creation of solutions that fullfill their needs…