Design Thinking Improves Leadership Skills | PGDM

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How Design Thinking Improves Leadership Skills

19 Oct 2022
- admin
- Innovation & Design Thinking
Leadership

Table of Contents
The Evolution of Design Thinking

The origins of Design Thinking can be attributed to the methodologies used by designers and their application in the creation of products and services. The vision of the designer was aligned more toward engineering design rather than the end user.

Design focused on features and market research rather than user experiences. The design was perceived to be the practical approach of a traditional designer.

Somewhere, there was a realization that all innovators have practiced Design Thinking in one way or another, be it in science, literature, art, or even business. The practice of Design Thinking thus led to an approach that meant the application of human-centric techniques for problem-solving and for innovation.

Design thinking has grown and evolved from a niche activity to a mainstream business practice and continues to trend worldwide and is making valuable contributions to business and management. No wonder a number of Management programs worldwide teach this subject to business students and executives. Integrating a “design lab” to adaptive reasoning in real-world settings is now leading the way in business as organizations look to remain competitive and grow in the long run.

The days of unconscious decisions in marketing that are over-promised are now passé and Design now has a much broader scope and application.

Design thinking has grown and evolved from a niche activity to a mainstream business practice and continues to trend worldwide. Design and design thinking is making valuable contributions to business and management.

Also Read: What Is The Future Of Design Thinking In Business?

What Is Design Thinking, In The Current Context?

Design Thinking is a process that was popularized by the US-based design firm Ideo which realized that it helped businesses to understand who their customers are and what they need. Design thinking looked to introduce and adapt scientific methods to devise solutions, and test those solutions in the process of pursuing lucrative new ideas. It was clear that a successful business idea revolved around customers’ emotions which in turn was ignited by design. A design that was executed well reflected the real idea behind the product/ service and in turn the culture of the organization. Undeniably, it has come a long way and has become a transformative force in business.

Formally speaking, the process of Design Thinking is one that helps businesses to understand the end user, challenge assumptions, brainstorm, restate problems and issues and identify alternative solutions. The approach and application to in business provides a way of thinking, working and methods to achieve the end results.

The key tenet of Design Thinking revolves around a human-centric approach that helps businesses to understand the target customers for whom they are designing the products or services. Practitioners closely observe and take an empathetic view of the target audiences and their needs.

Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.

~ Tim Brown, Executive Chair of Ideo.

The five-stage design thinking model espoused by the world-renowned Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (also known as the d.school) flows the following way:
- Empathize – research the users’ needs and wants.
- Define – state the users’ needs and problems.
- Ideate – challenge assumptions and create ideas.
- Prototype – start to prepare solutions.
- Test – try solutions out.
In practice, however, design thinking follows a path that is flexible and non-linear.

Design Thinking has undeniably come a long way and has become a transformative force in business. Today, it revolves around a human centric approach that helps businesses to understand the target customers for whom they are designing the products or services.

The Relationship Between Design Thinking And Leadership Skills

Great leadership is about having empathy, respect, and the desire to improve something towards perfection. Leaders who excel in businesses need to be nurturing, intuitive and empathetic towards their customers or co-workers. No wonder then that a study carried out by Gartner identified Design Thinking as the number one emerging soft skill for C-Suite executives.

Design thinking can improve adaptability, helps to lead change, problem-solving skills, and breed innovation. All these attributes driven by a humane approach to doing business ultimately define a successful leader.

Design thinking can improve adaptability, helps to lead change, problem-solving skills, and breed innovation. All these attributes driven by a humane approach to doing business ultimately define a successful leader.

So How Does Design Thinking Help In Leadership Development?

The learning and practice of Design Thinking help practitioners develop skills that are key in the leadership development process. Some of them are –
- Develops Empathy – Empathy is the key element in leadership development. Empathy is about caring for fellow human beings, something that goes beyond mere business considerations. In the design thinking process, empathy helps in a better understanding of customers or co-workers.
- Systematic Way of Thinking – Systems thinking involves building on data and time behaviour by delving deeper into the drivers of those events and patterns. This helps the design thinker to expand choices available and create more effective long-term solutions to issues. This trait requires inquisitiveness, vision, compassion, and the conviction to take up unpopular decisions for the larger good.
- Opens Feedback And Leads Continuous Improvement – The design thinking process is built around testing and feedback. This constant iteration Leads to improving solutions to business problems. In this way, it helps in leadership development as practitioners learn to appreciate and are perceived to be open to others’ viewpoints.
- Mentoring – The process of Design Thinking involves enabling people by helping them to come up with ideas and suggestions in a safe environment. The interactive process cultivates conversations, and questioning and thus removes barriers to success. Empowering helps leaders to be respected by their co-workers and builds mutual trust.
- Collaboration – Since Design Thinking involves working in teams, it helps managers to develop crucial skills of dialogue facilitation, ideation, and collaborative decision-making. Rather than working in a top-down leadership method, team members work together across sectors to make decisions. business leaders, it fosters unity among teams and allows them to make effective business decisions quickly, and strategically and address issues as a cohesive team.
The learning and practice of Design Thinking help practitioners develop skills that are key in the leadership development process. Some of them are –
- Develops Empathy
- Systematic Way of Thinking
- Opens Feedback And Leads Continuous Improvement
- Mentoring
- Collaboration
Also Read: Design Thinking Creates A Competitive Advantage

Learn Design Thinking At SOIL Institute of Management

Design Thinking thrives on collaboration and a human-centric approach to business. Leadership development along the way is part of the process. As managers bring unique perspectives from across their organization through optimal use of the collective brainpower of their teams, their learning and status as leaders only grows. When managers create bridges between business issues and customers, it alters their leadership approach for the better.

Adopting a human-centric mindset to business is an investment that can build long-term loyalty and trust with customers. This also opens up future growth through new markets, target audiences, and other platforms to engage customers.

The flagship MBA course – Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) in Business Design offered at SOIL Institute of Management offers an opportunity for the student to unleash his inner potential and learn better ways to creatively design new products/ services or to modify or extend existing ones.

The two-year MBA in Design thinking offered at SOIL moves away from the generalist MBA and offers designed management learning that is practical, multi-dimensional, and user-oriented. Management aspirants learn creative and innovative approaches to tackle issues in internal processes and external problem statements.

The program seeks to create business leaders who excel at creatively solving issues. The most experiential MBA in India helps students to overcome their bias, prejudice and patterned thinking. The two year MBA course integrates Business Expertise, and Liberal Arts to Design Thinking. The SOIL vision is to create Managers, who are business-centric, and have a focus on innovation and sustainability.

The world-class curriculum at SOIL empowers and inspires young leaders to take on the challenges of managing, collaborating, and adapting with a different perspective. The School of Business Design at SOIL integrates Design Thinking, Management and Liberal Arts to unleash the creative potential of students and create truly well-rounded, future-ready leaders.

The flagship MBA course – PGDM, the full form of which is the Post Graduate Diploma in Management in Design thinking offered at the SOIL Institute of Management offers an opportunity for the student to unleash his inner potential and learn better ways to creatively design new products/ services or to modify or extend existing ones.

FAQs
How has Design Thinking evolved over the years?

Design thinking has grown and evolved from a niche activity to a mainstream business practice and continues to trend worldwide. Design and design thinking is making valuable contributions to business and management.

What does Design Thinking look like in today’s context?

Design Thinking has undeniably come a long way and has become a transformative force in business. Today, it revolves around a human-centric approach that helps businesses to understand the target customers for whom they are designing the products or services.

What is the relationship between Design Thinking and Leadership skills?

Design thinking can improve adaptability, helps to lead change, problem-solving skills, and breed innovation. All these attributes driven by a humane approach to doing business ultimately define a successful leader.

Does Design Thinking Help In Leadership Development?

The learning and practice of Design Thinking help practitioners develop skills that are key in the leadership development process. Some of them are –

Develops Empathy

Systematic Way of Thinking

Opens Feedback And Leads Continuous Improvement

Mentoring

Collaboration

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How has Design Thinking evolved over the years?

What does Design Thinking look like in today’s context?

What is the relationship between Design Thinking and Leadership skills?

Does Design Thinking Help In Leadership Development?

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PGDM Batch 2025-27 Orientation Start Date - 20th June 2025

How has Design Thinking evolved over the years?

What does Design Thinking look like in today’s context?

What is the relationship between Design Thinking and Leadership skills?

Does Design Thinking Help In Leadership Development?

Never miss a beat. Get Blog updates regularly in your inbox

PGDM Batch 2025-27 Orientation Start Date - 20^th June 2025