Category Archives: Psychology

Communicating Change Through Emotion and Connection

Beyond Data

Communicating Change Through Emotion and Connection

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

In the world of innovation and change, we often fall into the trap of believing that the strongest argument is a spreadsheet full of data. We present charts, projections, and ROI models, confident that logic alone will win the day. But what we’re forgetting is a fundamental truth of human-centered leadership: people don’t just act on logic; they act on emotion. To truly drive change, we must learn to communicate not just to the brain, but to the heart.

Change, by its very nature, is a human experience. It is filled with uncertainty, fear of the unknown, and a natural resistance to disruption. A new strategy, a technological rollout, or an organizational restructuring isn’t just a line item on a budget; it’s a profound shift in how people work, feel, and see their future. The sterile, data-driven presentation, while intellectually sound, often fails to address the emotional core of this experience. It can feel impersonal, top-down, and threatening, creating a chasm between leadership’s vision and the workforce’s reality.

Effective communication of change, therefore, requires a strategic shift. We must move beyond the “what” and the “how” and lean into the “why”—and not just the financial “why,” but the human “why.” We need to tell stories that connect with our audience, creating a shared vision that is both compelling and empathetic. This means communicating with authenticity, vulnerability, and a genuine understanding of the human element. It is the difference between simply informing people and truly inspiring them.

The key to this is a communication model built on three pillars: Story, Empathy, and Connection. A Story gives the change a narrative arc, with a clear hero (the organization or the customer) and a compelling challenge. Empathy means acknowledging the difficulties and fears that come with change, validating people’s emotions rather than dismissing them. And Connection is about creating a shared sense of purpose, linking the change to a greater mission that people can believe in and feel a part of. When these three elements are present, change communication becomes a powerful tool for building trust and momentum.

Case Study 1: The Turnaround of a Global Tech Giant

The Challenge: Widespread Cynicism and Resistance to Change

A global technology company, once an industry leader, was facing a period of decline. Years of failed initiatives and top-down mandates had created a culture of deep-seated cynicism. When a new leadership team was brought in to enact a massive turnaround, they were met with immediate resistance. Employees were tired of being told to change without understanding why, and the data-heavy presentations from management only reinforced their feelings of being treated as numbers on a spreadsheet.

The Emotional Communication Approach:

The new CEO recognized that a traditional approach would fail. Instead of leading with a business plan, he began his first major address with a personal story. He spoke about his early days at the company, the pride he felt in its groundbreaking products, and the shared mission that once united everyone. He then moved from this emotional connection to acknowledge the current reality with brutal honesty, validating the employees’ frustration and disappointment. He framed the new strategy not as a directive, but as a collective journey to reclaim their legacy and once again become the company they were all proud to be a part of. The data and business strategy were presented not as a goal in themselves, but as the practical steps to achieve that inspiring vision.

The Results:

The shift in communication style was transformative. By leading with emotion and connection, the CEO broke through the wall of cynicism. Employees began to see the change not as another management fad, but as a genuine effort to rebuild something they all valued. Engagement and morale saw a dramatic improvement, and a culture of trust began to replace one of fear. The company’s turnaround, while still challenging, gained the crucial buy-in from its most important asset: its people. The change was no longer something happening *to* them, but something they were all doing *together*.

Key Insight: Authenticity and vulnerability can be a leader’s most powerful tools for breaking through cynicism and gaining emotional buy-in for a major change initiative.

Case Study 2: The Hospital System and a New Digital Initiative

The Challenge: Fear and Skepticism of New Technology

A large hospital system was preparing to implement a new, highly complex digital patient management system. While the technology promised to streamline processes and improve patient care, the project was met with significant skepticism from the nursing and medical staff. They were worried the new system would be clunky, time-consuming, and a barrier between them and their patients. The initial communication from IT leadership, which focused on technical specifications and efficiency gains, did little to alleviate these fears. It felt cold and disconnected from their daily reality.

The Emotional Communication Approach:

The project leadership changed tack. They stopped presenting the change as a technology project and started framing it as a human-centered one. They gathered a small group of highly respected nurses and doctors and asked them to share their own stories of why they chose to work in healthcare—the moments of connection with patients that mattered most. The leaders then used these stories, and the nurses’ and doctors’ own language, to communicate how the new system would give them back time from administrative tasks so they could focus more on the human connection they cherished. The message became: “This new technology isn’t a barrier; it’s a tool to help you do what you love more effectively.” The communication strategy included testimonials and videos from the pilot teams, sharing their emotional journey from skepticism to advocacy.

The Results:

By connecting the new technology to the emotional core of their work—caring for patients—the project team was able to build a bridge of understanding. The staff began to see the system not as a threat, but as an ally. The initial resistance faded, and early adopters became vocal champions, sharing their positive experiences with colleagues. The implementation was smoother, and the adoption rate was significantly higher than initially projected. The change was successfully communicated not as a technological upgrade, but as a way to honor and improve the most fundamental aspect of their jobs.

Key Insight: To drive change, connect new initiatives to the core values and emotional drivers that give people’s work meaning.

The Road Ahead: Building a Human-Centered Communication Strategy

As leaders of innovation, our job is not to simply implement change, but to guide people through it. The data, the business case, and the technical specifications are all necessary, but they are insufficient. We must be storytellers and empathetic listeners. We must connect the dots between the spreadsheet and the human experience. By doing so, we don’t just overcome resistance; we create a powerful, shared purpose that transforms an organization and unlocks its true potential. The most successful change initiatives will always be built not on the firm ground of logic, but on the enduring foundation of human connection.

Extra Extra: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.

Image credit: Pexels

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Five Ways Discomfort Could Lead to Your Next Breakthrough

1 Reply

Five Ways Discomfort Could Lead to Your Next Breakthrough

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

The disclaimer on investments is that “past performance is not an indicator of future results.” In other words, don’t get too comfortable with the past. All you have to do is look at the stock performance through last year (2021) compared to this year’s performance to know this is true.

Yet when it comes to people, the opposite is often true. Past performance is often an indicator of future results. Most people get comfortable and stay where they feel safe. But, what if you were willing to be uncomfortable? What if you were willing to go against the status quo, learn something new, regardless of difficulty, and take more risks? How would you feel living in a state of discomfort?

Sterling Hawkins, author of Hunting Discomfort: How to Get Breakthrough Results in Life and Business No Matter What, shares how successful people thrive on discomfort. These are the people whose past performance won’t always indicate what to expect in the future. They thrive on risk, stepping out of their comfort zones, and are fueled by something new and different.

In the book, Hawkins teaches his five-step process that produces results:

1. Expand Your Reality: Just because you were taught that something should be a certain way doesn’t mean it has to be that way. Some might call this “thinking outside the box.” It’s shattering paradigms and challenging the status quo.

This reminds me of the story that the late, great Zig Ziglar used to tell about a family dinner that included four generations. As the dinner was being prepared, a little girl asked her mom, “Why do you cut off the end of the roast before you cook it?” Mom said, “That’s the way your grandmother taught me to cook the roast.”

The little girl then went to her grandmother and asked, “Grandma, why do you cut the end of the roast off before you cook it?” Grandma said, “That’s the way your great-grandmother taught me to cook the roast.”

The little girl then went over to her great-grandmother and asked, “Great Grandma, why do you cut the end of the roast off before you cook it?” Great Grandma said, “A long time ago, the ovens weren’t as big as they are today. We had to cut the end off for the roast to fit into the oven.”

Just because we’ve always done something one way doesn’t mean we should keep doing it that way. Expanding your reality is just looking beyond the usual and ordinary.

2. Get a Tattoo: Hawkins believes you should commit so deeply to something that you’re willing to have it tattooed onto your body. You may disagree, but you do get the point. This is about commitment. The tattoo is a metaphor. You don’t really need to permanently put your feelings on your body, but consider this …

Scott Ginsberg is known as The Nametag Guy. While in college, he found that more people would talk to him if he wore a nametag. It made him approachable. He wrote a speech and several books about how to be more approachable. He committed to wearing a name tag every day. After five years, he made the ultimate commitment to his idea. He had the name tag tattooed onto his chest. That’s commitment!

3. Build a Street Gang: Surround yourself with people who will not only support you but also hold you accountable for your potential. According to Hawkins, having a trusted accountability partner can increase the likelihood of your success by up to 95%!

4. Flip It: The book covers a process for not just overcoming problems or obstacles, but instead using them to your advantage. To Flip It isn’t about seeing the reverse. It’s more about seeing the problem or challenge from a different perspective, starting with a complete understanding of the problem, obstacle, challenge or goal.

Hawkins quotes inventor Charles Kettering who once said, “A problem well stated is a problem half-solved.” Before you can solve a problem, you must first understand it. Clarity is paramount. You must be sure that the problem is not confused with the symptom. The problem becomes a challenge, and you must be clear about what impact solving that problem will mean to you or your organization. Most often, there is a larger purpose to the challenge. What’s the true end goal? For example, you may want to run a 10K race, but the larger vision is to be in good enough shape to run it.

5. Surrender: This isn’t about giving up. Instead, it’s about acceptance. Embrace inevitability and unpredictability. Be flexible and pivot when necessary. Sometimes you’ll find a breakthrough in the middle of the darkest problems. During the pandemic of the past two years, when faced with huge obstacles, some companies and brands not only survived but also found ways to thrive. The same is true for people.

We are in a world where change is happening at a faster pace than ever. We are faced with opportunities that are often disguised as problems and challenges. Hunting for the discomfort in your life and seizing it as the chance to have a breakthrough is what successful people do.

This article originally appeared on Forbes

Image Credit: Shep Hyken

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

People Cannot Work Forever

Leave a reply

People Cannot Work Forever

GUEST POST from Mike Shipulski

When cars run out of gas, they can no longer get the job done until their tanks are filled up. And it’s the same with people, except people are asked to keep on truckin’ even though their tanks are empty.

When machines are used for a certain number of hours, they are supposed to be given rest and routine maintenance. If the maintenance isn’t completed as defined in the operator’s manual, the warranty is voided.

Maybe we could create a maintenance schedule for people. And if it’s not done, we could be okay with reduced performance, like with a machine. And when the scheduled maintenance isn’t performed on time, maybe we could blame the person who prevented it from happening.

If your lawnmower could tell you when you were using it in a way that would cause it damage, would you listen and change your behavior? How about if a person said a similar thing to you? To which one would you show more compassion?

When your car’s check engine light comes on, would you pretend you don’t see it or would you think that the car is being less than truthful? What if a person tells you their body is throwing a warning light because of how you’re driving them? Would you believe them or stomp on the accelerator?

We expect our machines to wear out and need refurbishment. We expect our cars to run out of gas if we don’t add fuel. We expect our lawnmowers to stall if we try to mow grass that’s two feet tall. We expect that their capacities and capabilities are finite. Maybe we can keep all this in mind when we set expectations for our people.

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Proof Innovation Takes More Than Genius

Leave a reply

Proof Innovation Takes More Than Genius

GUEST POST from Greg Satell

It’s easy to look at someone like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk and imagine that their success was inevitable. Their accomplishments are so out of the ordinary that it just seems impossible that they could have ever been anything other than successful. You get the sense that whatever obstacles they encountered, they would overcome.

Yet it isn’t that hard to imagine a different path. If, for example, Jobs had remained in Homs, Syria, where he was conceived, it’s hard to see how he would have ever been able to become a technology entrepreneur at all, much less a global icon. If Apartheid never ended, Musk’s path to Silicon Valley would be much less likely as well.

The truth is that genius can be exceptionally fragile. Making a breakthrough takes more than talent. It requires a mixture of talent, luck and an ecosystem of support to mold an idea into something transformative. In fact, in my research of great innovators what’s amazed me the most is how often they almost drifted into obscurity. Who knows how many we have lost?

The One That Nearly Slipped Away

On a January morning in 1913, the eminent mathematician G.H. Hardy opened his mail to find a letter written in almost indecipherable scrawl from a destitute young man in India named Srinivasa Ramanujan. It began inauspiciously:

I beg to introduce myself to you as a clerk in the Accounts Department of the Port Trust Office at Madras on a salary of £ 20 per annum. I am now about 23 years of age. I have had no university education but I have undergone the ordinary school. I have been employing the spare time at my disposal to work at Mathematics.

Inside he found what looked like mathematical nonsense, using strange notation and purporting theories that “scarcely seemed possible.” It was almost impossible to understand, except for a small section that refuted one of Hardy’s own conjectures made just months before. Assuming some sort of strange prank, he threw it in the wastebasket.

Throughout the day, however, Hardy found the ideas in the paper gnawing at him and he retrieved the letter. That night, he took it over to the home of his longtime collaborator, J.E. Littlewood. By midnight, they realized that they had just discovered one of the greatest mathematical talents the world had ever seen.

They invited him to Cambridge, where together they revolutionized number theory. Although Ramanujan’s work was abstract, it has made serious contributions to fields ranging from crystallography and string theory. Even now, almost a century later, his notebooks continue to be widely studied by mathematicians looking to glean new insights.

A Distraught Young Graduate

Near the turn of the 20th century, the son of a well-to-do industrialist, recently graduated from university, found himself poorly married with a young child and unemployed. He fell into a deep depression, became nearly suicidal and wrote to his sister in a letter:

What depresses me most is the misfortune of my poor parents who have not had a happy moment for so many years. What further hurts me deeply is that as an adult man, I have to look on without being able to do anything. I am nothing but a burden to my family…It would be better off if I were not alive at all.

His father would pass away a few years later. By that time, the young Albert Einstein did find work as a lowly government clerk. Soon after, in 1905, he unleashed four papers in quick succession that would change the world. It was an accomplishment so remarkable that it is now referred to as his miracle year.

It would still be another seven years before Einstein finally got a job as a university professor. It wasn’t after 1919, when a solar eclipse confirmed his oddball theory, that he became the world famous icon we know today.

The Medical Breakthrough That Almost Never Happened

Jim Allison spent most of his life as a fairly ordinary bench scientist and that’s all he really wanted to be. He told me once that he “just liked figuring things out” and by doing so, he gained some level of prominence in the field of immunology, making discoveries that were primarily of interest to other immunologists.

His path diverged when he began to research the ability of our immune system to fight cancer. Using a novel approach, he was able to show amazing results in mice. “The tumors just melted away,” he told me. Excited, he practically ran to tell pharmaceutical companies about his idea and get them to invest in his research.

Unfortunately, they were not impressed. The problem wasn’t that they didn’t understand Jim’s idea, but that they had already invested — and lost — billions of dollars on similar ideas. Hundreds of trials had been undertaken on immunological approaches to cancer and there hadn’t been one real success.

Nonetheless, Jim persevered. He collected more data, pounded the pavement and made his case. It took three years, but he eventually got a small biotech company to invest in his idea and cancer immunotherapy is now considered to be a miracle cure. Tens of thousands of people are alive today because Jim had the courage and grit to stick it out.

Genius Can Come From Anywhere

These are all, in the end, mostly happy stories. Ramanujan did not die in obscurity, but is recognized as one of the great mathematical minds in history. Einstein’s did not succumb to despair, but became almost synonymous with genius. Jill Allison won the Nobel Prize for his work in 2018.

Yet it is easy to see how it all could have turned out differently. Ramanujan sent out letters to three mathematicians in England. The other two ignored him (and Hardy almost did). Einstein’s job at the patent office was almost uniquely suited to his mode of thinking, giving him time to daydream and pursue thought experiments. Dozens of firms passed on Allison’s idea before he found one that would back him.

We’d like to think that today, with all of our digital connectivity and search capability, that we’d be much better at finding and nurturing genius, but there are indications the opposite may be true. It’s easy to imagine the next Ramanujan pulled from his parents at a border camp. With increased rates of depression and suicide in America, the next Einstein is probably more likely to succumb.

The most important thing to understand about innovation is that it is something that people do. The truth is that a mind is a fragile thing. It needs to be nurtured and supported. That’s just as true for a normal, everyday mind capable of normal, everyday accomplishments. When we talk about innovation and how to improve it, that seems to me to be a good place to start.

— Article courtesy of the Digital Tonto blog
— Image credit: MisterInnovation.com (Pixabay)

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Your Next Best Action is Up to You

Leave a reply

Your Next Best Action is Up to You

GUEST POST from Mike Shipulski

If you don’t know why you’re doing what you’re doing, you can try to remember why you started the whole thing or you can do something else. Either can remedy things, but how do you choose between them? If you’ve forgotten your “why”, maybe it’s worth forgetting or maybe something else temporarily came up that pushed your still-important why underground for a short time. If it’s worth forgetting, maybe it’s time for something else. And if it’s worth remembering, maybe it’s time to double down. Only you can choose.

If you still remember why you’re doing what you’re doing, you can ask yourself if your why is still worth its salt or if something changed, either inside you or in your circumstances, that has twisted your why to something beyond salvage. If your why is still as salty as ever, maybe it’s right to stay the course. But if it’s still as salty as ever but you now think it’s distasteful, maybe it’s time for a change.

When you do what you did last time, are you more efficient or more dissatisfied, or both? And if you imagine yourself doing it again, do you look forward to more efficiency or predict more dissatisfaction? These questions can help you decide whether to keep things as they are or change them.

What have you learned over the last year? Whether your list is long or if it’s short, it’s a good barometer to inform your next chapter.

What new skills have you mastered over the last year? Is the list long or short? If you don’t want to grow your mastery, keep things as they are.

Do the people you work with inspire you or bring you down? Are you energized or depleted by them? If you’re into depletion, there’s no need to change anything.

Do you have more autonomy than last year? And how do you feel about that? Let your answers guide your future.

What is the purpose behind what you do? Is it aligned with your internal compass? These two questions can bring clarity.

You’re the only one who can ask yourself these questions; you’re the only one who can decide if you like the answers; and you’re the only one who is responsible for what you do next. What you do next is up to you.

“Fork in the road” by Kai Hendry is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Cultivating Empathy in the Design Process

Leave a reply

Cultivating Empathy in the Design Process

GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato

In an era defined by rapid technological advancement and fierce competition, the true differentiator for any product, service, or experience is no longer just its functionality or aesthetics. It is, unequivocally, its ability to resonate deeply with the human beings it serves. As a human-centered change and innovation thought leader, I firmly believe that the cornerstone of this resonance, and indeed of all truly impactful design, is empathy.

Empathy in the design process is not merely about understanding what users say they want; it’s about delving into their unspoken needs, their underlying motivations, their emotional responses, and their pain points. It’s about stepping into their shoes, walking their journey, and seeing the world through their eyes. This profound understanding moves design beyond superficial features, transforming it into a powerful tool for solving real human problems and creating genuinely meaningful experiences.

Why Empathy is the Design Superpower

The benefits of embedding empathy at every stage of the design process are manifold and far-reaching:

Truly User-Centric Solutions: Empathy ensures that solutions are built around genuine, often unarticulated, user needs, leading to higher adoption and profound satisfaction.
Reduced Risk and Costly Rework: By understanding pain points and user behaviors early, design teams can avoid costly assumptions and extensive iterations down the line.
Unlocking Breakthrough Innovation: Empathy helps uncover latent needs and unmet desires, paving the way for truly disruptive and novel solutions that capture market share.
Stronger Customer Relationships: Products and services designed with deep empathy foster trust, loyalty, and emotional connection, turning users into passionate advocates.
Inclusive and Accessible Design: A profound empathetic understanding facilitates designing for diverse abilities, backgrounds, and contexts, promoting accessibility and equity for all.

Actionable Strategies for Cultivating Empathy

1. Embrace Deep Qualitative User Research

Go beyond superficial surveys and traditional focus groups. Engage in rich qualitative methods such as ethnographic studies, contextual inquiries, and in-depth, open-ended interviews. Observe users in their natural environments, understanding their behaviors, habits, and the nuanced context in which they interact with products or services. The paramount goal is to uncover the “why” behind their actions, not just the “what.”

2. Develop Comprehensive Empathy Maps and Personas

These powerful tools help synthesize complex qualitative data into tangible, shareable representations of your target users. An empathy map visually captures what a user “Says, Thinks, Feels, and Does,” along with their critical “Pains” and “Gains.” Personas then bring these insights to life, creating archetypal users with names, backgrounds, goals, and frustrations. These are not fictional constructs; they are data-driven composites that serve as a constant, humanizing reminder of who you are designing for.

3. Map the End-to-End User Journey

Visualize the entire experience a user has with your product or service, from initial awareness to post-use. A user journey map highlights every touchpoint, emotional highs and lows, critical pain points, and significant opportunities for improvement across different stages. This holistic view enables teams to understand the broader context of individual interactions and identify pivotal moments where empathy is most crucial.

4. Seek Immersive Experiential Learning

Whenever feasible, immerse yourself directly in the user’s world. This could involve shadowing them at their workplace, attempting to complete a task using their existing tools and constraints, or even temporarily adopting aspects of their lifestyle. These firsthand, visceral experiences create a depth of understanding that no amount of secondary data can replicate, fostering profound and authentic empathy.

5. Prototype, Test, and Iteratively Refine with Real Users

Empathy is not a static state; it’s a dynamic, continuous learning loop. Put prototypes in front of real users early and often, even in their roughest forms. Observe their interactions meticulously, listen intently to their verbal feedback, and pay close attention to their non-verbal cues. Each iteration should be directly informed by a deeper empathetic understanding gained from these invaluable testing sessions.

Transformative Case Studies in Empathetic Design

Case Study 1: Empowering Independent Living Through Healthcare Technology

A leading health technology company was developing a remote patient monitoring system designed for elderly individuals living independently. Initial iterations of the device were technologically advanced but proved overly complex and intimidating for the target demographic. Recognizing this critical disconnect, the design team initiated a comprehensive, empathy-driven redesign.

Empathy in Action: Designers spent several weeks conducting extensive in-home observations, engaging in deep interviews with elderly users about their daily routines, tech comfort levels, and specific physical limitations (e.g., dexterity challenges, vision impairments, hearing difficulties). Critically, they also interviewed caregivers and nurses who would be supporting these users, gaining insights into the broader support ecosystem. This immersive research revealed a paramount need for simplicity, clear visual feedback, and robust, ‘invisible’ connectivity. They learned that fear of technology, difficulty with small buttons, and a strong desire for autonomy were central to the user experience.

Outcome:

The redesigned system featured larger, highly tactile buttons, clear voice prompts for confirmation, simplified visual indicators, and a seamless ‘set-it-and-forget-it’ connectivity. The device transitioned from being a daunting “gadget” to a reassuring, almost invisible, presence. This profoundly empathetic approach led to a remarkable 40% increase in user adoption and consistent daily usage, significantly improving health outcomes through reliable data collection and proactive interventions.

Case Study 2: Reimagining Financial Inclusion for the Unbanked

A burgeoning fintech startup sought to create a mobile banking solution specifically for underserved communities, many of whom were “unbanked” or “underbanked” and harbored significant distrust of traditional financial institutions. Their initial concept, a mere simplified version of a standard banking app, quickly proved inadequate based on early user feedback.

Empathy in Action: The design team deliberately embedded themselves in various community centers, conducting informal conversations, one-on-one interviews, and interactive workshops. They listened intently to personal stories of financial struggle, the complexities of cash-based economies, and the pervasive fear of hidden fees or impenetrable financial jargon. They observed how people managed money day-to-day, often relying on physical envelopes or informal community networks. This deep dive revealed that trust was built through absolute clarity, predictable outcomes, and a genuine sense of financial empowerment, far beyond mere access to features.

Outcome:

The resulting app was revolutionary. It focused on intuitive visual budgeting (mimicking digital “envelopes”), incorporated gamified savings goals, and provided highly transparent, easy-to-understand transaction histories. It meticulously avoided complex financial terms, instead using relatable metaphors and simple language. Crucially, it integrated seamlessly with local community support networks. This truly empathetic design led to rapid and widespread adoption within target communities, helping thousands gain essential financial literacy and stability, powerfully demonstrating that understanding context and emotional barriers is paramount to achieving true financial inclusion.

Overcoming Challenges in Empathy Cultivation

Cultivating deep empathy within a design process is not without its inherent challenges. Time and resource constraints often pressure teams towards quicker, less immersive research methods. Unconscious cognitive biases can lead designers to inadvertently project their own experiences and assumptions onto users. To effectively overcome these hurdles, organizations must commit to:

Champion Empathy as a Strategic Investment: Frame empathetic design not as an overhead, but as a critical strategic imperative that demonstrably reduces risk, accelerates market adoption, and drives significant long-term value.
Build and Nurture Diverse Design Teams: Diverse perspectives inherently bring a broader range of life experiences and empathetic understanding to the table, enriching insights.
Foster a Culture of Unwavering Curiosity and Humility: Encourage designers and team members to constantly question their own assumptions, remain perpetually open to new insights from users, and embrace a mindset of continuous learning.

The Future of Design is Inherently Human-Centered

In conclusion, empathy is far more than a mere industry buzzword; it is the fundamental, indispensable operating principle for creating truly impactful and sustainable design in the 21st century. It transforms design from a purely technical or aesthetic exercise into a profound act of understanding, connection, and service. By intentionally cultivating empathy through deep, qualitative research, insightful tools, immersive experiences, and continuous iterative refinement, organizations can build products and services that not only function flawlessly but also resonate deeply on an emotional level, solve critical real-world problems, and ultimately, profoundly improve lives. Design with heart, design for humanity. 💖✨

Extra Extra: Because innovation is all about change, Braden Kelley’s human-centered change methodology and tools are the best way to plan and execute the changes necessary to support your innovation and transformation efforts — all while literally getting everyone all on the same page for change. Find out more about the methodology and tools, including the book Charting Change by following the link. Be sure and download the TEN FREE TOOLS while you’re here.

Image credit: Pexels

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Reset and Reconnect in a Chaotic World

6 Replies

Reset and Reconnect in a Chaotic World

GUEST POST from Janet Sernack

Meeting face to face, for a lovely lunch recently, with a coaching colleague, we were both shocked to discover how stressed and anxious we were feeling about being asked to deliver live workshops and face-to-face coaching to clients once again.

We shared how emotionally, mentally, and physically overwhelmed we felt, despite having decades of knowledge, experience, and skills in being able to deliver deep learning programs and face-to-face coaching sessions, about doing live gigs again! We also agreed, that despite the range of largely effective emotionally intelligent coping strategies we developed to help ourselves and our clients self-regulate, self-manage, to better adapt to the pandemic-imposed work-from-home restrictions that the past two and half years of working, alone, and in isolation, online, had taken its toll.

We acknowledged and accepted that we along with many of our clients were all suffering from elevated levels of stress, discomfort, and anxiety. We then agreed that it was time to focus on exploring how to better help ourselves and our clients reconnect and reset by enabling them to create states of well-being, emotional agility, and mental fitness, where they can feel good, can function well, and be effective and innovative in an increasingly chaotic world.

To seek new ways of enabling ourselves and our clients to deal effectively with a range of unresourceful feelings including helplessness, powerlessness, and fearfulness about an uncertain future.

We noticed that these feelings often caused many of our clients to contract and freeze, and become immobilised as a result of what we describe as a “bubble” of self-induced silo-based behaviours. That often evolved into extreme self-centeredness, and unconscious selfishness, which ultimately increased their feelings of isolation and loneliness, and lack of belonging, resulting in defensive and avoidant behaviours, in what is becoming an increasingly chaotic world.

How are these ways of being and acting impacting organisations?

Partnering in a wide range of online global coaching sessions, we noticed that a number of common trends emerged as to how our client’s teams and organisations, are being impacted at the cultural level:

Immobilization – many people are unable to self-manage their work from home workloads and are quietly burning out, through being overly task-focused and busy, whilst others are preferring to work autonomously, and not waste hours commuting.
Lacking safety and trust – many organisations are freezing all of their change initiatives, learning programs, and projects, causing people to fear loss and overall job insecurity, where many people are contracting more deeply within their “bubbles” and become even more distrustful of leadership and even more passively defensive and avoidant.
Lacking clarity and foresight – many organisations have slipped into being so reactive, focussing only on delivering short-term results, and are not communicating a clear strategy for leading the way forwards.

Resulting in:

Increased resistance to change and going back to the office adds to people’s inertia, and to their sense of disconnection and lack of belonging.
Increased risk adversity and conventional (cost cutting), tactical and short-term focus, inhibits any investment in Research and Development or the skills development required in developing and executing a future innovation strategy.
People have become even more fearful of failure, and are not stretching themselves to adapt, grow, learn and innovate with disruption, and often choosing to merely change jobs, in a competitive job marketplace, driven by scarcity, as a perceived short term solution.

A unique moment in time

This has created an opportunity, in this unique moment in time, to focus on being kinder to ourselves and to others by helping and supporting each other, respectfully and compassionately, creatively and courageously, to reconnect and reset. Despite rising levels of economic, civic, and social uncertainty and unrest.

What made sense yesterday may not make so much sense today.

Many of the mental models we applied yesterday may not be relevant for tomorrow because corporate culture, civic and social structures have drastically changed and digitalization has become commonplace, noting that we are shifting from a VUCA to BANI world where:

Brittle has replaced Volatility.
Anxiety reflects Uncertainty.
Non-linearity is an addition to Complexity.
Incomprehensibility is ultimately the consequence of our non-linear world and goes one step further than Ambiguity.

Paradoxically, this has created new openings to genuinely explore and discover new thresholds to adapt, generate new mindsets, develop skill sets, and power up our toolkits to keep pace with the effects of the emerging BANI world and capture complex systems by asking a key generative or catalytic question:

How might you support and enable others to think and act differently in such a world, where old patterns seem to crumble while new ideas and systems still need to be created, invented, innovated, and established?

As the world of work changes, so does the need for everyone to consider how to be more open-hearted, minded, and willed with one another.

A final word from Gallop CEO Jon Preston in the Gallop Global Emotions Report:

“All over the world, people are trying to understand the rise of violence, hatred, and increased radicalization. They will continue to argue over what the best policy responses should be and what role social media plays in fueling negative emotions.

However, policymakers must understand why so many more people are experiencing unprecedented negative emotions and focus on the drivers of a great life.

Our shared humanity and wellbeing depend on it”.

When we generously and kindly demonstrate care, respect, and appreciation for the value everyone brings, we can also demonstrate helpfulness and support, through our unconditional willingness to reconnect and reset.

Resulting in an ability to co-create a better sense of belonging and a more optimistic outlook, through enhancing our emotional intelligence. To effectively self-regulation and self-manage the superpowers and strategies required to thrive, flourish and flow, and make transformational changes in the face of relentless uncertainty, disruption, and a chaotic world.

This is the first in a series of three blogs on the theme of reconnecting and resetting, to create, invent and innovate in an increasingly chaotic world. You can also register for our free 45-minute masterclass on Thursday, 25^th August, to discover new ways of re-connecting through the complexity and chaos of dis-connection to create, invent and innovate in the future! Find out more.

Image credit: Pixabay

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

The Power of Stopping

Leave a reply

The Power of Stopping

GUEST POST from Mike Shipulski

If when you write your monthly report no one responds with a question of clarification or constructive comment, this may be a sign your organization places little value on your report and the work it stands for.

If someone sends a thank you email and do not mention something specific in your report, this masked disinterest is a half-step above non-interest and is likely also a sign your organization places little value on your report and the work it stands for.

If you want to know for sure what people think of your work, stop writing your report. If no one complains, your work is not valuable to the company. If one person complains, it’s likely still not valuable. And if that single complaint comes from your boss, your report/work is likely not broadly valuable, but you’ll have to keep writing the report.

But don’t blame the organization because they don’t value your work. Instead, ask yourself how your work must change so it’s broadly valuable. And if you can’t figure a way to make your work valuable, stop the work so you can start work that is.

If when you receive someone else’s monthly report and you don’t reply with a question of clarification or constructive comment, it’s because you don’t think their work is all that important. And if this is the case, tell them you want to stop receiving their report and ask them to stop sending them to you.

Hopefully, this will start a discussion about why you want to stop hearing about their work which, hopefully, will lead to a discussion about how their work could be modified to make it more interesting and important.

This dialog will go one of two ways – they will get angry and take you off the distribution list or they will think about your feedback and try to make their work more interesting and important.

In the first case, you’ll receive one fewer report and in the other, there’s a chance their work will blossom into something magical. Either way, it’s a win.

While reports aren’t the work, they do stand for the work. And while reports are sometimes considered overhead, they do perform an inform function – to inform the company of the work that’s being worked. If the work is amazing, the reports will be amazing and you’ll get feedback that’s amazing. And if the work is spectacular, the reports will be spectacular and you’ll get feedback that matches.

But this post isn’t about work or reports, it’s about the power of stopping. When something stops, the stopping is undeniable and it forces a discussion about why the stopping started. With stopping, there can be no illusion that progress is being made because stopping is binary – it’s either stopped or it isn’t. And when everyone knows progress is stopped, everyone also knows the situation is about to get some much-needed attention from above, wanted or not.

Stopping makes a statement. Stopping gets attention. Stopping is serious business.

And here’s a little-known fact: Starting starts with stopping.

Image credit: Pixabay

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Gamification Techniques to Increase Engagement

Leave a reply

Gamification Techniques to Increase Engagement

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

In a world increasingly driven by digital interaction, keeping people engaged is a pressing challenge. Gamification—a strategic attempt to enhance engagement through game-like elements—offers a compelling solution. As organizations seek innovative ways to captivate audiences, understanding and applying gamification can transform the user experience, whether in the field of education, marketing, or workplace productivity.

Understanding Gamification

Gamification applies game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts. By leveraging users’ innate desires for competition, achievement, and self-expression, gamification can make mundane tasks more engaging and enjoyable. Techniques include point scoring, leaderboards, badges, and narrative elements, all woven into non-game environments to boost interaction and satisfaction.

Implementing Gamification: Key Techniques

There are several key techniques that can enhance engagement through gamification:

Point Systems: Assigning points for completed tasks can motivate users to progress through content.
Leaderboards: Creating competitive scenarios encourages participants to achieve more to surpass their peers.
Badges and Rewards: Recognizing achievements with badges or tangible rewards provides goals and fosters a sense of accomplishment.
Missions and Levels: Structuring participation in levels or missions can create a journey-like experience, promoting continuous engagement.

Case Study 1: Duolingo

Background

Duolingo is a well-known language-learning platform that uses gamification to encourage learners. The platform’s design incorporates point scoring, skill trees, and streak counts, making the learning process engaging and addictive.

Outcomes

By transforming language education into a game, Duolingo has successfully maintained a sizable active user base. Users are motivated to practice daily to maintain streaks and earn learning milestones, resulting in a high level of sustained engagement.

Case Study 2: Starbucks Rewards

Background

The Starbucks Rewards program incorporates gamification strategies to incentivize purchases. Customers earn stars for each transaction, which can be redeemed for free items, encouraging more frequent visits.

Outcomes

This program has increased customer loyalty significantly. The element of earning and redeeming stars provides a satisfying cycle of achievement and reward, leading to increased customer retention and spending.

Concluding Thoughts

As these case studies illustrate, gamification can significantly enhance user engagement across various sectors. By tapping into basic human inclinations for achievement, recognition, and progress, organizations can transform engagement metrics and foster more meaningful interactions. Whether you’re looking to boost participation in educational programs or increase customer loyalty, gamification offers powerful tools to revolutionize the user experience.

Expanding Gamification: Beyond the Basics

While the fundamental techniques of gamification are powerful, digging deeper into psychological triggers can amplify results. Incorporating user feedback loops and adaptive challenges tailored to individual user profiles can refine the experience further. Moreover, meaningful storytelling can turn routine activities into epic missions, transforming perception and enhancing user commitment.

Integrating User Feedback

Given that gamification is rooted in user engagement, integrating continuous feedback loops allows for systems that adapt and evolve with user preferences, making the gamified experience feel fresh and personal.

Adaptive Challenges and Personalization

Creating personalized experiences by adapting challenges to match the skill level and interests of each user can keep participants in an optimal zone of engagement, where tasks are neither too easy nor too hard.

By staying informed about the latest trends in gamification and continuously refining strategies, organizations can leverage these techniques to not just engage, but truly inspire their audiences.

Image credit: Pexels

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

Leave a reply

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

In today’s dynamic world, effective leadership is increasingly defined by an individual’s ability to navigate the complexities of human emotions. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is not just an add-on to the leadership equation; it stands as a critical pillar that can make or break a leader’s effectiveness.

Understanding Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is an intricate blend of distinct competencies, each playing a vital role in leadership effectiveness. Emotional intelligence is the capacity to be aware of and manage one’s emotions, as well as the emotions of others. It includes skills such as empathy, self-regulation, motivation, social skills, and self-awareness. Leaders with high EQ are adept at fostering positive relationships and cultivating a supportive environment where innovation can thrive.

Let’s delve into these components:

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness involves recognizing one’s own emotions and their impact on thoughts and behavior. Leaders with high self-awareness are conscious of their strengths and weaknesses and can moderate their responses to different situations.

Self-Regulation

Self-regulation is the ability to control or redirect disruptive emotions and adapt to changing circumstances. Leaders who practice self-regulation foster trust and fairness, laying a foundation for adaptability and resilience.

Motivation

Intrinsic motivation drives leaders to achieve for the sake of achievement itself, not just external rewards. Motivated leaders inspire their teams by setting ambitious goals and maintaining a positive attitude.

Empathy

Empathy is understanding others’ emotional makeup. It is crucial for leading diverse teams, as it allows leaders to tailor their approach to meet individual needs and support team cohesion.

Social Skills

Strong social skills, including effective communication and conflict management, enable leaders to build rapport with their teams swiftly. Leaders who excel in social skills cultivate an atmosphere of open communication and collaboration.

The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Leadership

Leaders with strong emotional intelligence can inspire and motivate their teams, manage stress effectively, and adapt to change with resilience. By understanding emotional nuances, leaders can make informed decisions that reflect the team’s needs and cultivate a collaborative culture.

Case Study 1: Transforming a Team through Empathy at Tech Innovations Inc.

At Tech Innovations Inc., a software development company, the team was struggling with low morale and high turnover. The newly appointed manager, Sarah, recognized the underlying issue: a lack of empathy and connection. By actively listening to her team members, acknowledging their challenges, and providing personalized support, Sarah revitalized the team’s spirit. Her emphasis on understanding individual motivations fostered a more committed and innovative team, ultimately improving productivity and employee satisfaction.

Sarah’s empathy-driven transformation didn’t just resolve immediate morale issues; it laid a lasting foundation for trust and innovation. She implemented regular feedback sessions, encouraging openness and direct communication. This new culture of openness empowered team members to voice their ideas, leading to innovative solutions that reinforced the company’s market position.

Case Study 2: Navigating Change at HealthCorp

During a significant organizational change, HealthCorp’s CEO, David, utilized his emotional intelligence to guide the company through turbulent times. By recognizing the fears and anxieties of his staff, David communicated transparently and involved employees in decision-making processes. His ability to empathize and reassure his team helped retain top talent and maintained trust during the transition, resulting in a smooth and successful change implementation.

David’s approach to managing change included forming focus groups to address employee concerns. By involving staff at all levels, he transformed potential resistance into a collective journey of growth. This inclusive strategy not only facilitated smoother transitions but also strengthened team cohesion, allowing HealthCorp to emerge stronger in its industry landscape.

Practical Steps to Develop Emotional Intelligence

For leaders looking to enhance their EQ, consider actionable strategies such as mindfulness practices to increase self-awareness, active listening exercises to improve empathy, and stress management techniques to boost self-regulation. Encouraging ongoing feedback from peers can also provide valuable insights into areas needing development.

Ultimately, emotional intelligence is a learnable skill. Investing in EQ development presents an opportunity for leaders to significantly impact their teams and drive sustainable success within their organizations.

The Future of Leadership with EQ

The essence of future leadership will be shaped significantly by emotional intelligence. As organizational landscapes become more complex, the ability to relate to diverse teams and navigate emotional undercurrents will be paramount. Leaders who invest in developing their EQ will be equipped to foster a more innovative, inclusive, and adaptable workforce.

Conclusion

In summary, emotional intelligence is not just a complementary skill but a core component of effective leadership. The ongoing development of EQ in leaders is crucial for nurturing a workplace where collaboration and innovation flourish. As the case studies from Tech Innovations Inc. and HealthCorp demonstrate, EQ not only enhances individual performance but also propels organizational success.

Image credit: Pixabay

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.