Many organizations struggle to use an approach like design thinking for innovation. Some fear that its open-ended character does not produce actionable outcome, others do not find internal buy-in. We have 6 hands-on tips and strategies how to convince your organization to give it a try.

1. How to Sell
Design Thinking
A 6-step plan how to smuggle in a
human-centered approach into your organization.

2. Do you spend massive amounts of time
struggling with the resistance or even
outright criticism in your organization
around this crazy method called DESIGN
THINKING?
For many organizations, Design Thinking
can feel pretty radical and internal buy-in
is not really an easy job.
But hey, we have 6 hands-on tips
and strategies how to “smuggle” in humancentered innovation a.k.a. Design Thinking
into your organization.
Ready? Let’s go!

3. HOW TO SELL DESIGN THINKING.
1
Wipe the Slate
Of course, we all know that Design Thinking is the
coolest, most cutting-edge, jumpstart-innovationspurring thing in the world. Problem is, your
colleagues have either never heard of it, never
worked with it or they are engineers and
controllers who prefer a tight plan over letting
things happen.
Why not start by
a) Emptying your own presumptions about Design
Thinking as the cure-all tool for innovation.
Simply talk of a human-centered approach when
talking to newbies.
b) Developing empathy for your organizations
concerns. For example , it can be helpful to start
a document in which you note down concerns
and prepare adequate answers and arguments
you can use.

4. 2
Small Commitments.
No, we absolutely do not advice you to give up
and only show minimal commitment in
convincing the skeptical engineer guy from R&D
of how cool DT is.
Why not start by
a) Giving people who are supposed to work with
Design Thinking tiny tasks to get them
started. Tell them to write down one sentence
per week describing an interesting
observation they made at work or privately
and send it to you every Monday.
b) Surprising your future fellow Design Thinkers
by short kick-off sessions. No full-day
workshop but 1hr-miniworkshops on
observing, interviewing or writing an insight.

5. 3
It’s the Space,
Stupid.
Many people have the fantasy that to get in a
creative mood, any Design Thinking event needs
to happen in a fancy loft. However, even small
“spatial alterations” can get people interested and
maybe reduce skepticism.
Why not start by
a) Setting up a public idea table where anyone can
leave and have a look at interesting pictures,
magazines, objects, sketches, notes relating to
your project. Or you even leave prototyping
material like pens, modeling clay, Lego bricks
etc.
b) Asking project members to decorate their office
walls or their desk with (imagined) user images.
This way, even other colleagues might become
curious.

6. 4
Buzz & Desire
Let’s face it: the most interesting things are the
ones we either have heard of or which we cannot
get. You need to spark buzz on the hallways and in
coffee corners and create an aura of scarcity
around Design Thinking projects in your
organization.
Why not start by
a) Spreading even the smallest successes of your
DT projects through all available channels –
official or informal.
b) Support any rumors that DT has
“MA” (Management Attention) and that not
everyone can participate in DT projects. Collect
and drop any positive anecdote you hear about
how cool it is to get involved.

7. 5
All about Fun.
What?? This is not fun, this is about coming up with
products and services that sell!
But who says that fun excludes success? Numerous
studies prove that a relaxed and fun atmosphere
contribute to idea generation.
Why not start by
a) Making clear that Design Thinking sessions offer
a chance to break free from usual office work
through their atmosphere, openness and playful
character. Anyone not fancying this, is wrong in
the first place anyway.
b) Be sure to serve good coffee, tea and (healthy ;)
snacks.
c) Emphasize that the more intense and longer
sessions will happen at cool and cozy off-site
locations and that they include fabulous after work
activities.

8. 6
Partners in Crime.
Design Thinking is a deeply collaborative effort.
And that’s not only valid for the method as such but
also for spreading and promoting it within your
organization. Only if you manage to build a
convinced fellowship for your cause you will get
buy-in.
Why not start by
a) Develop a plan and a strategy to gain the
support of 5 people from the central levels of
your company (bottom to top)
b) Do so by explaining that this simply resonates
some of the most inherent Design Thinking
principles anyway: collaboration, adaptation and
listening. Make clear that this is a team process
and everyone’s voice will be heard.

9. So why the hell should
we do Design Thinking?
How the consumer
described it…
What the engineer
built...
How marketing
presented it...
Sometimes all good advice is not enough
and you need to get visual.
If our tips still didn’t convince the reluctant
engineer guy, it is time to show him this!
What the consumer
paid…
How the hotline
helped...
What the consumer
wanted!

10. Need A Design Thinker?
rene@coalisten.com