How the design thinking process can help team engagement

Have you ever been in a meeting or workshop that you thought would never end? Maybe one person took center stage and refused to let anyone else get a word in. Maybe there was fighting between factions, and no one could come to any sort of agreement. Perhaps you felt marginalized or not listened to. There are so many ways in which teams can lose their way and find themselves working poorly together. And the key to reversing that lies in working on their engagement.

The importance of engagement for team members

Employee engagement is a crucial aspect of any organization's success. Engaged employees are more likely to be productive, committed, and satisfied with their jobs. If they are happy, they are more likely to contribute and want to work for the common good. Engaged employees are likely to be enthused by their work, invested in their team's success, and committed to their organization's mission and values. An emotional and mental commitment leads to greater effort and dedication, resulting in better performance and higher productivity.

Poor engagement costs companies

A lack of engagement can cost a company time and money. So, if you can improve employee engagement you can lower turnover rates and drive better business outcomes. Greater engagement does not just mean your team members will contribute more to the group and more work will get done. It has much wider repercussions for a company.

Employees who are unengaged and fed up with their jobs are more likely to leave. Recruitment costs of hiring a new employee can be high, and they will need to be trained. This also leads to lower productivity while the new person gets up to speed. It can even have a knock-on effect, leading to lower morale amongst those left behind. According to recent research, “companies with high employee engagement are 22% more profitable, but only 33% of employees feel engaged at work”. Helping team members feel more engaged is key on so many levels.

Disengaged employees may essentially do the work they have been asked to do, but they are unlikely to do any more than the minimum expected. Companies benefit from team members who will take the initiative and find ways to improve their performance. In an environment where innovation and thinking outside the box can lead to better products and services being designed, it is vital that employees feel supported and empowered and want to give their best.

Design thinking and increased engagement

There are several basic ways in which companies can help to increase the engagement levels of their employees. It begins with clear communication. Ensure that employees understand what is expected of them and encourage open communication. The design thinking process frames a challenge and then encourages all employees to participate in ways to solve that challenge. Employees are more likely to be engaged when they feel valued, heard, and respected and this is a vital part of the design thinking process.

Giving employees opportunities for growth can help them feel invested in their work and committed to the organization's success. Again, the design thinking process allows for innovation and change. It teaches the importance of trying, failing, and perfecting through repeated iterations of a potential solution.

How can design thinking methodologies improve team engagement?

The design thinking process involves 5 steps that are designed to solve problems and create innovation. It is based on the principles of human-centered design. It encourages people to focus on the needs of the end users of a solution rather than just looking at the problem. This means that the products and services created with this process should be more appropriate responses to a challenge.

Design thinking works best with teams and the more diverse they are the better. Allowing people the freedom to offer their ideas, no matter how far-fetched they might seem at first glance, helps teams to come up with more innovative ones. A team that works effectively together and feels bonded is also more likely to come up with better ideas. A design thinking workshop can benefit a team on many levels.

What design thinking processes can help with teamwork and engagement?

Empathy and engagement

If you can empathize with another person you are more likely to respond appropriately to a situation or problem. The design thinking process begins with team members putting themselves in the shoes of the end user they are creating a solution for. There are various team-based approaches to working out how the target customer thinks. For example, creating customer personas and empathy maps can help teams really get to the bottom of who their target client is.

Working together to come up with a broad picture of who the team is looking at will help them feel more invested in finding the solution and more engaged in team dynamics. Design thinking is not hierarchical: it encourages input from all quarters, and this aids engagement.

As team members need to be able to empathize with the end-users of a product or service, they are learning and improving a soft skill that can be applied in other areas. In the context of team engagement, this means understanding the needs and motivations of other members of the team. By taking the time to understand what drives and motivates each team member, teams should be able to work better together and get more out of their work day, both on a personal and professional level.

Defining the challenge and using collaborative tools

There are various ways in which teams can get together to define a challenge at the start of a project. A team that works well together will get to the bottom of this faster and more efficiently. This helps build the sense of team which in turn leads to better results. Collaborative tools can help foster an environment in which team members feel more connected and invested in the success of the team as a whole.

Using collaborative online tools such as templates for stakeholder maps, creative matrices, and so on encourages team members to work together to solve problems, strengthening the team.

Brainstorming as a design thinking process

Brainstorming is well-known technique that was ‘invented’ in 1941 Alex Osborn, an advertising executive. He felt that new ideas were being stifled by the way people conducted meetings in those days, so he came up with a set of rules to help stimulate them. He described his method as ‘a conference technique by which a group attempts to find a solution for a specific problem by amassing all the ideas spontaneously by its members’.

He proposed that all ideas should be encouraged and built upon, even wild and exaggerated ones. In this case, it really is a case of starting with quantity over quality. More original ideas end up with more useful ideas.

It is important to define the question or challenge properly to provoke the right sort of creativity. However, it cannot be too broad, or the ideas offered will not be relevant to a feasible solution.

Brainstorming gives a voice to all members of a team, regardless of experience or seniority. It helps to use templates for brainstorming sessions as this can improve focus and team interaction.

Digital whiteboards help team engagement

Creating a sense of inclusion and worth is vital for building engagement and commitment to the team. Using a digital whiteboard for design thinking techniques can help team members have equal input, giving their ideas as much weight as everyone else’s. Using a tool that allows all of the team to contribute at the same time and in the same way means that everyone is invested in the exercise. Then, sorting through ideas can also be done more quickly and effectively.

Prototyping and working together as a team

Prototyping involves creating a low-fi version of a potential solution. Working together to create something that could be the solution to a problem can be very rewarding and a great team-building experience. Especially as any improvements will need to be identified and implemented.

Design sprints bring different teams together

Design sprints are intensive workshops that bring different teams together to solve a specific problem. By working collaboratively and using design thinking principles, teams can generate creative solutions to complex problems. So not only do individual teams have the opportunity to engage, they can also engage with different teams.

Design thinking workshops to address team engagement

Design thinking workshops can be used to directly address any issues that are causing problems with engagement levels in the team or company itself. It does not just have to have an indirect impact through everyday meetings and workshops.

Design thinking can be applied to team engagement to create a more collaborative and engaging workplace.

Addressing and redesigning company culture

Company culture plays a critical role in team engagement. People want to work in an environment that this is inclusive, respectful, and supportive. If the organization in which they are working does not offer this sort of culture, they are more likely to suffer from low morale and lack engagement. This leads to lower retention rates and employee burnout.

Design thinking can help organizations create a culture that is aligned with the needs and values of employees. By empathizing with team members to understand their needs and motivations, companies can work with their employees to define the problem. By brainstorming creative solutions, organizations can redesign their company culture to be more engaging and collaborative.

Implementing new policies, processes, and initiatives

When organizations want to introduce new policies, processes, or initiatives, if employees have been engaged in the process, they are more likely to succeed. Design thinking can be used to co-create policies and programs that are aligned with the needs and expectations of team members, and are more likely to resonate with them They are therefore also more likely to be successful.

Improving teamwork

Effective teamwork is critical for individual and organizational success. Improved team engagement helps companies create a more effective workforce. They are likely to be better equipped to solve complex problems and deliver optimum results. A more collaborative environment helps team members feel they can share ideas and work together to achieve common goals.

Better channels of communication help with engagement

Effective communication is essential for team engagement. Communication needs to work both ways. Team members should feel heard and valued. Design thinking can be used to identify communication barriers and co-create solutions that will improve communication between team members.

Reducing burnout and stress

Burnout and stress are major contributors to disengagement and low morale. The design thinking process can be used to help create a workplace where employees can find better work-life balance and will be less stressed.

Use design thinking tools to help your teams’ engagement levels

The various design thinking tools and processes that are available to companies can be used in all types of scenarios. Collaborative tools like empathy maps, brainstorming sessions, and prototyping workshops can all help create a more engaging workplace that employees are happier in.

These tools can help organizations understand the needs and motivations of team membersn and generate innovative and creative solutions. It is important to create a shared vision and purpose and applying design thinking principles can help with this.

If you would like the tools to help foster a more engaged workforce with more empowered teams, why not visit our resources page?