Designing for Engagement: Putting the Customer First in the Process of Design Thinking

• In Event: Using Big Data, Design Thinking, and Strategic Networking to Engage Stakeholders in Turbulent Environments

Short Description

The presenter will show how leaders at one global pharmaceutical company use design thinking to promote stakeholder and team engagement throughout Latin America in order to solve problems, create new products, and encourage collaboration and creativity. Outcomes indicate that the benefits of design thinking go beyond these attributes, influencing organizational culture and the long-term organization-customer relationship.

Detailed Abstract

The design thinking process came in to prominence as a product design tool in the late 1980s. It was based on an engineering process used to facilitate creative collaboration in the technology industry. A strong cadre of design thinkers came out of Stanford University and design companies such as IDEO were started.

Design thinking involves an ethnographic approach with stakeholder immersion where teams gather insights in order to gain a deeper understanding of the problem of interest. Thematic analysis is used to identify trends, which can lead to possible solutions. Team members ideate and prototype the candidates and utilize the feedback loop in design iterations resulting in innovative solutions for stakeholders.

Design thinking methodology also lends itself well to support problem solving and continuous change initiatives. Some corporations have now integrated design thinking into the process of developing the business strategy and for other initiatives beyond product design.

But, design thinking is a user-centered focus that sets the methodology apart from other commonly used problem-solving processes. Emerging research supports the value of the human-focused process in driving a greater connection with stakeholders and a higher sense of purpose within teams. As a leader, implementing a design thinking strategy within an organization can provide a strong framework for connecting employees with customers to solve problems and create new products that encourages collaboration, creativity, and teamwork. Research suggests that the benefits of design thinking go beyond these attributes to influence organizational culture and the long-term organization-customer relationship. The steps of the process can positively influence levels of connectivity within teams, and a sense of purpose from engagement with stakeholders mediated through empathy and relational energy.

I am a Senior Director for Regulatory Affairs for a global pharmaceutical company, and in this presentation, I show how we are using design thinking to change culture and promote stakeholder and team engagement throughout Latin America.

Participants

• Lisa Ruiz, AbbVie, Inc.

• Jim Ludema, Benedictine University