How design thinking can save workplace learning

The core problem I see with workplace learning is that we are not developing new approaches.

The nature of the problems we're trying to solve in workplaces is changing. They are becoming more complex. The solution is not just about needing to adopt new technologies.

Projects often begin with the mindset that some kind of training is needed, which frames that conversation in a certain way from the outset. Learning and development is getting better at challenging these requests and we're beginning to engage in conversations that drill down into the real problems and create new solutions.

We all have our filters. For instance, if you're focused on mobile learning you will probably lean towards a mobile approach, and if you're a virtual classroom expert you would naturally suggest a series of virtual classrooms. Learning and development often searches for strategies that worked elsewhere to see if they can be copied. The problem is, we haven't paused to really look at the problem and design the right solution for the learners, nor for the business.

What we really need are holistic, creative, practical approaches that are learner and business focused.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the disruption of industries by new startups. The cause of the disruption is not their size, nor how they’re using new technologies, but is instead that these new players are beginning to think in new ways. They are applying ‘design thinking’ to develop a deep empathic understanding of the market, and then they are rapidly designing and implementing new approaches.

Design thinking is about applying the same principles that designers use to business processes and practices. It's a process and mindset that allows learning and development people to remove their filters and move away from past ways of working, and generate new approaches. Design thinking is a mixture of analytic thinking and creative thinking. It focuses on empathy, creativity, collaboration and action.

The right solution is often found by prototyping.

Design thinking approaches are already being used by the product and service design areas in many organisations. The language and practice of design thinking is becoming more prevalent. This is something that learning and development can harness.

Design thinking is both a process and a mindset. At Sprout Labs, the way we talk about the process is like this:

The focus of design thinking is often just on the process, but what we’re finding is that the design thinking mindset is just as important. The table below is a summary of how design thinking is different to the traditional ways we think about learning and development.

Design thinking provides learning and development with a means of working that is collaborative and innovative. It helps to remove filters, and outdated approaches, and allows us to generate new approaches and deliver stronger business results.