Noted Management consultant and author Peter Drucker said, “There is one qualification the manager cannot acquire but must bring to the task. It is not genius; it is character.!”
While the character the manager demonstrates in his/her interaction with the team is important without doubt, it is equally important to shape the character of his/her team. And that is where we feel the manager has a crucial role to bring a mindset transformation for his team members. In this journey of mindset transformation, the manager is not only able to get the work done but more importantly convert oneself from a “manager to a leader”. Thus we feel, we feel Design Thinking can play a crucial role here and is an important skill managers need to possess in their talent portfolio.
Significance of Design Thinking for Managers – Though multiple perspectives exist on Design Thinking according to various experts, the role of Human-Centricity / User-Centricity is common across all of them. Design Thinking aims to focus not only on the problem but also on the stakeholders (users/investors/partners etc.) involved in the problem. These problems can be external (pertaining to the customer, market, business) OR even internal (within an organization, within a team).
In this article, we will try to touch on both of these categories and importantly, how managers can fuel innovation by focusing on mental transformation for their teams.
Design Thinking Manager’s magic wand – “SEPIA: 5 Forces of Growth©”
Through our proprietary framework – Five Forces of Growth titled ‘SEPIA’, Design Thinking managers can bring more collaboration and cross-pollination on the table so that the Design Thinking exercise becomes more like a team sport and problem-solving becomes more innovative with high creativity. Let’s look at each element of SEPIA –
- ‘S’kill – It’s the most basic fundamental aspect of talent anyone has. Eg – A developer has coding as a skill, An accountant has accounting as a skill.
- ‘E’xpertise – ·Working on that skill continuously makes a skilled person an expert. In this journey from skill to expertise, one tends to gain experience and thus exhibit efficiency. Eg- A senior accountant Or a senior developer.
- ‘P’erspective – This is where Managers are placed in any organization’s hierarchy (mid-management). They possess the perspective (overview) of the entire team as well as their roles involve exposure to the market (customer-facing role) where they possess tremendous insights and customer perspective (which the people having skills and expertise may not possess). Typical designations involve Team Leaders, Project Managers, Brand managers, Business Analysts etc.
- ‘I’nnovation through ‘I’deation- A team is composed of different experts. Managers can foster ideation amongst the team by bringing various experts together and facilitate a common understanding of the problem. Importantly, managers can connect the dots between different expertise to generate creative solutions and match the solution with his/her customer perspective. Eg – A project manager can bring developer, tester, UI/UX expert, Subject Matter expert etc to solve a technical bug OR a brand manager can bring Supply Chain Expert, Distribution expert and Store manager to facilitate the last mile delivery issue.
- ‘A’lignment – However, solving complex problems is not the job of a single expert and a manager. Rather it’s a team effort. To have a common understanding of the problem and equally important to have a common understanding of the market/customer, managers need to create an alignment on a common ground between all the team members. Innovation without alignment is like a misguided solution which may end up solving the wrong problem.
Where most managers do connect the dots between various experts and visualize a solution, it’s the alignment which makes-or-breaks the idea to see the light of the day..
Successful Manager’s Cup of Coffee – DCAFE: 5 Frictional Forces©”
Alignment is missed because friction is bound to happen in any collaborative environment. It depends on how smoothly a manager navigates the team through these frictional elements and in some instances leverage the same. Let’s see what the five DCAFE beans are –
- ‘D’oubt – A manager needs to create an ambience where juniors can ask doubts. Without seeking doubts, teams make assumptions which may have disastrous consequences if they go wrong. As managers, they need to cascade to their teams that – Doubts are good….. Leads them to seek clarity.
- ‘C’onflict – In any collaborative set-up, conflicts do happen in terms of perspective, opinions and expectations etc. People having conflicts need to find a way by focusing on “What is right” and avoid pursuing “Who is right”. However, conflicts are good because they bring diverse ideas to the table. Conflicts should be channelized to creative outcomes by finding a common ground and dialogue helps resolve conflicts.
- ‘A’nger – If things don’t go as per plan, anger is the reaction from Managers. It arises out of helplessness. It becomes imperative for managers to manage their Emotional Quotient to refrain from anger, which if not controlled, creates Fear.
- ‘F’ear – A team that carries the fear of going wrong, failure or even the fear of commitment won’t attempt any innovation. They will focus on incremental changes and thus mediocrity becomes the norm of the organization. Managers have to quell such fears and embrace vulnerability.
- ‘E’go – As a manager, the ‘I know it All’ syndrome generates a sense of Ego which hinders fresh thoughts from the team members. It’s of paramount importance to be aware if Ego is thwarting a manager to hearing fresh thoughts from the team
Why Managers Should Pursue Design Thinking
While SEPIA: 5 Forces of Growth© helps managers to foster innovation through collaboration in aiming to solve complex market/customer problems, DCAFE: 5 Frictional Forces© helps them to navigate swiftly through inter-personal and intra-team dynamics and emotions. Both the forces are required for the Managers to be focused as they want to be seen as efficient and smart in getting the work done effectively and innovatively.
In our immersive Design Thinking workshops, we focus exhaustively on these forces through customized diagnostics frameworks and psychometric analysis for participants. In our philosophy of Design Thinking, it’s mindset that is the foundation.
Do let us know how we can help your team/managers transform from ‘Managers’ to ‘Leaders’.
