Unprofessionalism
Professional performance is exhausting. Maintaining the mask. Editing ourselves. Pretending we know when we don't.
This podcast is about people who dropped the performance. And what happened next.
Each episode features someone who broke professional conventions and found something better on the other side: the executive who disclosed grief in a corporate setting and found it opened new ways of relating; the coach who realised her authority came from integrity, not compliance; the designer who ignored the 'approved tools' and saved thousands of hours.
Conversations circle around three questions:
- What does it cost us to perform professionalism instead of showing up as ourselves?
- How do we create spaces where people can bring their full attention and humanity to work?
- When is the “unprofessional” move actually the most responsible one?
If you feel the tension between who you are and who you're expected to be at work, this podcast shows you what happens when people stop managing that tension and just stop performing.
Hosted by Dr Myriam Hadnes—behavioural economist and founder of workshops.work. New episode every week.
Unprofessionalism
153 - Transforming HR with Design Thinking with Nicole Dessain
Nicole Dessain is a consultant, Design Thinker, and proud ‘recovering perfectionist’ - and sees those three labels as closely related.
Her work in HR consultancy is informed by her training in Design Thinking. In turn, this has taught her to value process over perfection.
Through Design Thinking, Working Out Loud, and facilitation, Nicole has found brilliant insights into HR - some breakthroughs, some roadblocks.
In this episode, Nicole eloquently explains her key learnings so far.
Combining facilitation and HR can produce some fascinating results and has some surprising applications. I highly recommend taking this crash course in HR, facilitation, and Design Thinking!
Find out about:
- How and why the spotlight has fallen on Human Resources since 2020
- Why a shift of focus from ‘resources’ to ‘humans’ has become imperative
- What it looks like to apply Design Thinking to HR and how Nicole does it
- How Design Thinking asks us to challenge the judgement mindset HR can demand
- Why the number of workshops in a Design Thinking project will shift depending on an organisation's culture
- How to present the results of a Design Thinking process in a memorable narrative structure
Don’t miss the next show: Subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.
Exclusive offer from Facilitator Cards for workshops.work listeners you can get 15% off your entire purchase at shop.facilitator.cards by using code workshopswork.
Questions and Answers
[01:11] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator - if you do?
[03:39] What mindset changes are needed to adopt a Design Thinking approach?
[06:17] What's your history with Design Thinking - when did it begin?
[08:01] Does Design Thinking change when we apply it in different settings?
[09:40] Has your perception of Design Thinking changed over time?
[11:26] Why did it take a pandemic to get HR a seat at the decision-making table?
[15:58] How do you use Design Thinking specifically within an HR context?
[22:27] How do you account for the inevitable biases in HR teams?
[29:46] What do you recommend to HR professionals when it comes to interviewing their peers?
[31:45] How about when we interview colleagues?
[33:46] Do HR teams conduct more interviews after working with you?
[39:25] How do you bring to life the results of a Design Thinking process and sell it into leadership?
[41:58] What’s the easiest way for an HR team to start using Design Thinking?
[46:16] Rethinking the HR function.
[51:16] What makes a workshop fail?
[52:31] How much of the Design Thinking workshop process can be done asynchronously?
[54:08] What would it take for design thinking to become a normal tool for HR?
[55:17] Will facilitation become a key part of the HR professional's skillset?
[59:04] How did you overcome fear when you were asked to ideate by drawing?
Links
Check out Nicole’s design thinking services
Join the HR.Hackathon Alliance
Listen to the Talent Tales Show
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You can now find the podcast on Substack, where your host Dr. Myriam Hadnes is building a club for you to find fellow listeners and peers: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/
