Discussion Response to the following

Discussion 1: Design thinking is a fluid creative process completely different from the current team practices. Explaining and implementing this process will require an open mind and flexibility on everyone's part. I would first explain this process as a "human-centered approach to innovation" that includes five different phases -- empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test (Levi, 2020). Each phase, while seeming linear, can shift in and out and back and forward very fluidly, allowing for a process that fully explores the problem, questions any assumptions, and tests for the best possible solutions. While this process is daunting to the team, it is important that everyone, including upper management, is on the same page and willing to work through their own shortcomings. Since management has a history of being harsh on failure and mistakes, it is important that they start to recognize that "failure" is a part of this process. The word itself does not fit the model of design thinking, as new information and ideas will constantly be changing the mold of the project. As for the team, resolving the issue of feeling hesitant to change their creative process, I would encourage them to look at the process in a different way. While the process will seem much more daunting and time-consuming, it will create a product that the entire team has committed to from start to finish and that they can all say is the best version of the product.

When it comes to implementing this process in virtual teams, it is a bit of a challenge. This model really relies on a free flow of communication. It would require a chatroom or group chat that was dedicated to pitching ideas and making adjustments, as well as weekly or daily video meetings to discuss everything they have been working on remotely. It is also important to recognize that at-home work requires a more flexible schedule. Management needs to allow this flexibility when dealing with remote teams

Discussion 2:

In an era where problems are often escalated due to social media and other factors outside of the workplace, it is important to ensure that each employee understands the concept of the design thinking process. The design thinking process provides teams with the ability to utilize their critical thinking skills to address issues in an environment that is ever-changing. Team members should be encouraged to express how they arrived at a solution to the problem and point out to their team members why and how they arrived at their conclusion. One way to foster a psychologically safe environment that rewards failure and speaking up is to emphasize that failure is not the end and should not be looked at as a fault. But should be viewed as a way to improve that area of weakness. By self-disclosing and encouraging team members to speak up, you are creating an atmosphere of acceptance and inclusion.

I feel that it is a challenge when dealing with any team in a virtual environment. The 2019 Pandemic really put a spotlight on how ill-prepared the workforce was in how to continue to conduct business as usual. However, once businesses realized that they needed to continue provided goods and services to its customers, they soon became reliant on their employees to perform their job duties in a virtual environment in order to stay afloat. Companies had to put faith and trust in their "home-based" employees to do the right thing and help meet the goals of their company's needs. With that example in mind, I think that I would encourage the virtual team to allow employees more flexibility in how they prioritize their tasks, because in a virtual environment, your work ethic tends to be a bit different then in the office environment.