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https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyblaschka/2018/12/24/humanizing-business-is-the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-others/?sh=2456a66f21f1

This article explains what humanizing business means and gives examples of ways to humanize business such as cultivating awareness, embracing small gestures, and serving others.

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Humanizing Business Is The Greatest Gift You Can Give Others

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The best gift can’t be bought in a store; it’s demonstrated in your everyday interactions with those you value most.

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This article speaks about how to manage conflict effectively in the work force such as finding common ground and allowing people to express their feelings.

https://hr.berkeley.edu/hr-network/central-guide-managing-hr/managing-hr/interaction/conflict/resolving

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To manage conflict effectively you must be a skilled communicator. That includes creating an open communication environment in your unit by encouraging employees to talk about work issues. Listening to employee concerns will foster an open environment. Make sure you really understand what employees are saying by asking questions and focusing on their perception of the problem. To learn more about communication skills, see Chapter 13: Communication.

Whether you have two employees who are fighting for the desk next to the window or one employee who wants the heat on and another who doesn't, your immediate response to conflict situations is essential. Here are some tips you can use when faced with employees who can't resolve their own conflicts.

Acknowledge that a difficult situation exists. Honesty and clear communication play an important role in the resolution process. Acquaint yourself with what's happening and be open about the problem.

Let individuals express their feelings. Some feelings of anger and/or hurt usually accompany conflict situations. Before any kind of problem-solving can take place, these emotions should be expressed and acknowledged.

Define the problem. What is the stated problem? What is the negative impact on the work or relationships? Are differing personality styles part of the problem? Meet with employees separately at first and question them about the situation.

Determine underlying need. The goal of conflict resolution is not to decide which person is right or wrong; the goal is to reach a solution that everyone can live with. Looking first for needs, rather than solutions, is a powerful tool for generating win/win options. To discover needs, you must try to find out why people want the solutions they initially proposed. Once you understand the advantages their solutions have for them, you have discovered their needs.

Find common areas of agreement, no matter how small:

Agree on the problem

Agree on the procedure to follow

Agree on worst fears

Agree on some small change to give an experience of success

Find solutions to satisfy needs:

Problem-solve by generating multiple alternatives

Determine which actions will be taken

Make sure involved parties buy into actions. (Total silence may be a sign of passive resistance.) Be sure you get real agreement from everyone.

Determine follow-up you will take to monitor actions. You may want to schedule a follow-up meeting in about two weeks to determine how the parties are doing.

Determine what you'll do if the conflict goes unresolved. If the conflict is causing a disruption in the department and it remains unresolved, you may need to explore other avenues. An outside facilitator (such as the Staff Ombuds Office) may be able to offer other insights on solving the problem. In some cases the conflict becomes a performance issue, and may become a topic for coaching sessions, performance appraisals, or disciplinary action (see Chapter 22: Taking Disciplinary Action).

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To manage conflict effectively you must be a skilled communicator. That includes creating an open communication environment in your unit by encouraging employees to talk about work issues. Listening to employee concerns will foster an open environment. Make sure you really understand what employees are saying by asking questions and focusing on their perception of the problem.

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This Harvard article explains what design thinking is and the four stages of it which are clarify, ideate, develop, and implement.

https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/what-is-design-thinking#:~:text=Design%20thinking%20is%20an%20extension,mastered%20through%20practice%20with%20peers.

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In an age when innovation is key to business success and growth, you've likely come across the term "design thinking." Perhaps you've heard it mentioned by a senior leader as something that needs to be utilized more, or maybe you've seen it on a prospective employee's resume.

While design thinking is an ideology based on designers' workflows for mapping out stages of design, its purpose is to provide all professionals with a standardized innovation process to develop creative solutions to problems-design-related or not.

Why is design thinking needed? Innovation is defined as a product, process, service, or business model featuring two critical characteristics: novel and useful. Yet, there's no use in creating something new and novel if people won't use it. Design thinking offers innovation the upgrade it needs to inspire meaningful and impactful solutions.

But what is design thinking, and how does it benefit working professionals?

What Is Design Thinking?

Design thinking is a mindset and approach to problem-solving and innovation anchored around human-centered design. While it can be traced back centuries-and perhaps even longer-it gained traction in the modern business world after Tim Brown, CEO and president of design company IDEO, published an article about it in the Harvard Business Review.

Design thinking is different from other innovation and ideation processes in that it's solution-based and user-centric rather than problem-based. This means it focuses on the solution to a problem instead of the problem itself.

For example, if a team is struggling with transitioning to remote work, the design thinking methodology encourages them to consider how to increase employee engagement rather than focus on the problem (decreasing productivity).

The essence of design thinking is human-centric and user-specific. It's about the person behind the problem and solution, and requires asking questions such as "Who will be using this product?" and "How will this solution impact the user?"

The first, and arguably most important, step of design thinking is building empathy with users. By understanding the person affected by a problem, you can find a more impactful solution. On top of empathy, design thinking is centered on observing product interaction, drawing conclusions based on research, and ensuring the user remains the focus of the final implementation.

The Four Phases of Innovation

So, what does design thinking entail? There are many models of design thinking that range from three to seven steps.

In the online course Design Thinking and Innovation, Harvard Business School Dean Srikant Datar leverages a four-phase innovation framework. The phases venture from concrete to abstract thinking and back again as the process loops, reverses, and repeats. This is an important balance because abstract thinking increases the likelihood that an idea will be novel. It's essential, however, to anchor abstract ideas in concrete thinking to ensure the solution is valid and useful.

Here are the four phases for effective innovation and, by extension, design thinking.

1. Clarify

The first phase is about narrowing down the focus of the design thinking process. It involves identifying the problem statement to come up with the best outcome. This is done through observation and taking the time to determine the problem and the roadblocks that prevented a solution in the past.

Various tools and frameworks are available-and often needed-to make concrete observations about users and facts gathered through research. Regardless of which tools are implemented, the key is to observe without assumptions or biased expectations.

Once findings from your observations are collected, the next step is to shape insights by framing those observations. This is where you can venture into the abstract by reframing the problem in the form of a statement or question.

2. Ideate

Once the problem statement or question has been solidified-not finalized-the next step is ideation. You can use a tool such as systematic inventive thinking (SIT) in this stage, which is useful for creating an innovative process that can be replicated in the future.

The goal is to ultimately overcome cognitive fixedness and devise new and innovative ideas that solve the problems you identified. Continue to actively avoid assumptions and keep the user at the forefront of your mind during ideation sessions.

3. Develop

The third phase involves developing concepts by critiquing a range of possible solutions. This includes multiple rounds of prototyping, testing, and experimenting to answer critical questions about a concept's viability.

Remember: This step isn't about perfection, but rather, experimenting with different ideas and seeing which parts work and which don't.

4. Implement

The fourth and final phase, implementation, is when the entire process comes together. As an extension of the develop phase, implementation starts with testing, reflecting on results, reiterating, and testing again. This may require going back to a prior phase to iterate and refine until you find a successful solution. Such an approach is recommended because design thinking is often a nonlinear, iterative process.

In this phase, don't forget to share results with stakeholders and reflect on the innovation management strategies implemented during the design thinking process. Learning from experience is an innovation process and design thinking project all its own.

Why Design Thinking Skills Matter

The main value of design thinking is that it offers a defined process for innovation. While trial and error is a good way to test and experiment what works and what doesn't, it's often time-consuming, expensive, and ultimately ineffective. On the other hand, following the concrete steps of design thinking is an efficient way to develop new, innovative solutions.

On top of a clear, defined process that enables strategic innovation, design thinking can have immensely positive outcomes for your career-in terms of both advancement and salary.

Source: Emsi Burning Glass 2021

As of December 2021, the most common occupations requiring design thinking skills were:

Marketing managers

Executives

Industrial engineers

Graphic designers

Software developers

General and operations managers

Management analysts

Personal service managers

Architectural and engineering managers

Computer and information systems managers

In addition, jobs that require design thinking statistically have higher salaries. Take a marketing manager position, for example. The median annual salary is $107,900. Marketing manager job postings that require design thinking skills, however, have a median annual salary of $133,900-a 24 percent increase.

Source: Emsi Burning Glass 2021

Overall, businesses are looking for talent with design thinking skills. As of November 2021, there were 29,648 job postings in the United States advertising design thinking as a necessary skill-a 153 percent increase from November 2020, and a 637 percent increase from November 2017.

As businesses continue to recognize the need for design thinking and innovation, they'll likely create more demand for employees with those skills.

Learning Design Thinking

Design thinking is an extension of innovation that allows you to design solutions for end users with a single problem statement in mind. It not only imparts valuable skills but can help advance your career.

It's also a collaborative endeavor that can only be mastered through practice with peers. As Datar says in the introduction to Design Thinking and Innovation: "Just as with learning how to swim, the best way to practice is to jump in and try."

If you want to learn design thinking, take an active role in your education. Start polls, problem-solving exercises, and debates with peers to get a taste of the process. It's also important to seek out diverse viewpoints to prepare yourself for the business world.

In addition, if you're considering adding design thinking to your skill set, think about your goals and why you want to learn about it. What else might you need to be successful?

You might consider developing your communication, innovation, leadership, research, and management skills, as those are often listed alongside design thinking in job postings and professional profiles.

Source: Emsi Burning Glass 2021

You may also notice skills like agile methodology, user experience, and prototyping in job postings, along with non-design skills, such as product management, strategic planning, and new product development.

Source: Emsi Burning Glass 2021

Is Design Thinking Right for You?

There are many ways to approach problem-solving and innovation. Design thinking is just one of them. While it's beneficial to learn how others have approached problems and evaluate if you have the same tools at your disposal, it can be more important to chart your own course to deliver what users and customers truly need.

You can also pursue an online course or workshop that dives deeper into design thinking methodology. This can be a practical path if you want to improve your design thinking skills or require a more collaborative environment.
Are you ready to develop your design thinking skills? Explore our online course Design Thinking and Innovation to discover how to leverage fundamental design thinking principles and innovative problem-solving tools to address business challenges.

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What Is Design Thinking & Why Is It Important? | HBS Online

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In an age when innovation is key to business success and growth, you've likely come across the term "design thinking." Perhaps you've heard it mentioned by a senior leader as something that needs to be utilized more, or maybe you've seen it on a prospective employee's resume.

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This Forbes article explains why creativity in business is so important. One reason it highlights is that creativity allows flexibility as the world changes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2020/08/18/the-importance-of-creativity-in-business/?sh=1df2751ae7d7

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Council Post: The Importance Of Creativity In Business

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You proved inventive when you started a company to solve a problem or provide a service, so why neglect your imagination now?

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This article gives 10 ways to connect with customers. More so, the article explains that connecting with customers is important because they are the driving force for your business.

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10330-connect-with-customers.html

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Connect with customers through customized interactions and active responses.

You should be reaching customers where they are (e.g., face to face, phone, social media).

Show customers that you appreciate them, and elicit feedback through customer surveys.

This article is for small business owners who want to find ways to better connect with their customers.

Your customers drive your business, which is why it's so important to note how they interact with your brand. Don't just reach out to them when you want their business; find ways to continuously show them you care.

Jessica Alba, founder and CEO of The Honest Company, believes brands can learn a lot by staying connected and listening to their customers.

"I think it's important for brands, especially brands [that] are really consumer-centric, to stay connected," Alba shared at the American Express OPEN Success Makers Summit for Business Platinum Card Members. "Customers tell you so much from their behavior and how they shop with you."

Here are 10 effective ways to connect with your customers and build lasting relationships that can keep them loyal to your brand.

1. Don't use a one-size-fits-all approach.

You want your customers to feel special, and you can achieve this by approaching each one as an individual rather than just another customer. Grouping all your consumers together will only express inauthenticity.

"In our messaging, we will treat a heavy user of our app differently than a light user," said Jon Ziglar, CEO of ParkMobile. "We treat a new user differently than a veteran user. We try to make the messages as relevant as possible to that specific person."

2. Respond to concerns.

Don't just be available when your business is doing well or your customers are satisfied. If you want customers to trust and respect you, you need to earn it by proving your dedication to making them happy.

For example, ParkMobile received a one-star review from a man who complained that the app was inconvenient and took time away from his date. Instead of ignoring the comment or making excuses, Ziglar said, they contacted the reviewer directly to express their remorse and offered a gift card to the exact restaurant where he had been that day.

"He really appreciated the gesture, and we turned a 'hater' into a huge ParkMobile advocate," said Ziglar. "He even let us feature his story in a social media campaign.
Key takeaway: Responding to customer concerns builds trust.
3. Go above and beyond.

Ziglar's story about his interaction with the unhappy-patron-turned-advocate leads us to our next tip: Go above and beyond for your customers. As a small business owner, you will likely have a close connection to your customers, and you can use this to your advantage. Offer special discounts for customer loyalty, recommend specific products based on what you know about a customer's interests, and always remedy an unpleasant experience.

Some customers will have a negative experience with your brand. However, it is your job to make sure your customer or client's experience ends well. Exceptional customer support will keep them coming back for more.

"Sometimes, you have to go above and beyond to build raving fans of your business," Ziglar said.

4. Follow up.

Following up is an easy way to earn customers' appreciation. No one likes to file a complaint or ask a question, only to hear radio silence. Respond to customers throughout their buying journey so they build a connection with you. This is also a great way to keep your business top of mind for your customers.

If an existing customer purchases a new or unique product, follow up with them to make sure they enjoyed it. Thank customers for doing business with you. Everyone likes to feel acknowledged. Follow-up is also a great way to identify unhappy customers before their unsatisfactory experience ends with a negative review online.

5. Keep it personal, not transactional.

Peelu Shivaraju, the owner and operator of a Money Mailer franchise in Michigan, says being more personal with customers strengthens your bonds with them.

Rather than being aggressive when selling, try to be more consultative and conversational so clients understand your intentions are pure, Shivaraju recommended.

"Nobody likes a salesperson," he said. "Don't go in talking about your product; go in and ask them questions about their business."

6. Focus on face-to-face interactions.

It's common to experience miscommunications when using technology as the primary source of contact. While emails and telephone calls are convenient, nothing beats face-to-face contact.

You can understand your customers better in person than over the phone or through a screen. Shivaraju makes it a point to drop in on clients to introduce himself and establish both a professional and personal relationship with them.

"I like to get to know my clients, what their businesses are all about," he said. "I do a lot of research about their business and ask them lots of questions to genuinely show interest. I want to learn everything I possibly can so that I know how best to help their business."

It's easier to learn about a client by talking to them in person. However, some people feel more comfortable speaking to you from a distance. Shivaraju advised asking your clients what their preferred method of communication is and sticking with that.

Companies benefit from having social media accounts; however, simply having a social media account is not enough - you need to be actively engaged. A recent survey shows that 40% of users expect a brand to respond to them within the first hour of connecting, and nearly 80% expect a response within the first 24 hours.

Many shoppers see whether a company has an online presence before they will do business with them. Customers are already using social media platforms to browse new products, leave reviews and share favorite items with their friends, and you should meet them where they are. Interacting on social media can help your company's brand shine, and it is a great way to stay on your customers' minds and feed.

Customers are constantly reviewing and talking about brands on social media, and there is a good chance your company will be the topic of discussion at one point or another. Actively engaging customers on social media and responding to social media comments are great ways to direct the narrative about what is being said about your brand. It can also allow you to resolve negative comments as soon as they arise. [Read related article: Social Media for Business: A Marketer's Guide]

The specific platforms you use will depend on your specific brand and following (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest).

8. Grow with your current clients in mind.

If your customers are happy, your business will continue to develop. Shivaraju said not to get too caught up in quick growth, especially if it means giving less attention to clients and jeopardizing your customer service.
Key takeaway: Prioritizing your existing customers over the acquisition of potential customers is a great way to build long-term loyalty.
"I understand that business owners are always busy, so I always try to work around their schedules," he said. "All new clients get a follow-up visit after the first mailing goes out, as well as another in a few months to see how it's going. As long as [clients] give me a reasonable window of time, I'll always make myself available at a time and place of their choosing. My clients always come first."

9. Show your appreciation.

Just as you would with supportive friends and family, make sure your customers know you recognize their importance.

Shivaraju shows his appreciation to two important groups of people: "The first is to my clients. They pay me money, so it's my responsibility to create the best possible ad I can for their business and get them high-quality new leads. The second is to the consumers of my product. I need to have my envelopes filled with quality hyperlocal content, filled with businesses that me and my family are comfortable doing business with so that they get opened and used."

Shivaraju mails out envelopes to his consumers, thanking them for purchasing local goods and services. He also recommended sending holiday cards and discounts to show gratitude.

10. Survey your customers.
Skye Schooley contributed to the writing and reporting in this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.
A great way to stay informed about your customers' wants and needs is by sending out surveys. For example, your business can send out occasional customer surveys to elicit customer feedback on what products they like best, what changes should be made to existing products and what products should be added to your line. When your customers feel like they have input on what you are providing, it can help build loyalty.

Additionally, surveying your customers can help improve your overall product or service offering and cater to what your customers want. This can result in higher sales, which means more money in your pocket.

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10 Effective Ways to Connect With Your Customers - businessnewsdaily.com

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Connect with customers through customized interactions and active responses. You should be reaching customers where they are (e.g., face to face, phone, social media). Show customers that you appreciate them, and elicit feedback through customer surveys. This article is for small business owners who want to find ways to better connect with their customers.

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This article explains why team development is important. It highlights that team development motivates and encourages employees to work better.

https://desktime.com/blog/team-development

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Why is team development important for your organization?

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Team development is the proactive effort to cultivate synergies and help employees work together while adding value to the company’s success.