Organizational Synopsis
Founded in the last century, the organization (our client) stands as a distinguished beacon for youth services, steadfast in its mission to provide a spectrum of opportunities that nurture the comprehensive development of the youth. They coordinate various programs addressing youth development’s social, educational, cultural, emotional, and physical facets.
Leadership Development Program
Commencing in 2022, the organization embarked on an endeavor to foster our future leader echelons through a Leadership Enhancement Initiative. A bespoke Design Thinking workshop, “Design Thinking for Service Transformation and Organizational Change,” and leadership development courses were curated for service heads and the section in charge to steer organizational evolution and innovation.
In a concerted effort to accurately assess the innovative leadership proficiency of our participants, we implemented a stringent 360-degree Design Thinking Competency Assessment. This assessment was meticulously designed to provide a multifaceted view of participant capabilities by integrating self-assessments with external evaluations from their superiors, human resources representatives, and InnoEdge seasoned Design Thinking coaches.
Upon thoroughly analyzing the assessment outcomes and benchmarking these results against international standards of professional Design Thinkers, it is apparent that the participants’ overall performance was below the global average. This insight provides a critical perspective for participants to establish their short-term and medium-term skill development goals in the innovation leadership aspect.
The workshop propelled participants to coalesce into project teams, confronting salient societal challenges youth face, including lifelong education, career advancement, mental wellness, and societal integration.
Throughout this initiative, participants engaged in a sequence of project coaching sessions, navigating through the stages of design research formulation, empathetic stakeholder interviews, problem statement refinement, multi-faceted ideation processes, and prototype development to substantiate their concepts.
By the closure of 2023, the participants, having undergone a rigorous developmental journey, presented their refined strategic proposals to the organization’s senior executive assembly during a formal project exposition. This juncture represented the zenith of their experiential learning within the initiative.
Following the program’s culmination, an exhaustive post-initiative 360-degree competency evaluation was executed, revealing a marked augmentation in participant skill levels—a skill proficiency increment exceeding 20% on average.
Conclusion and Implications
The considerable improvement in the post-program assessment scores underscores the efficacy of the Innovative Leadership Development Program, the integrated Design Thinking workshop, and a series of project coaching sessions. It is evident that such a comprehensive approach not only hones the innovative skills of individual leaders but also elevates the collective leadership capacity within the organization. This progress is a testament to the leaders’ commitment to embracing change and fostering a culture of innovation.
Continued investment in such developmental programs is imperative for maintaining the competitive edge of youth service organizations in Hong Kong. The transformation witnessed by the participants indicates that a focus on skill enhancement, particularly in the realm of Design Thinking, is crucial for addressing the evolving challenges of today’s society. The implications of this are profound, suggesting that ongoing leadership development is a key driver of organizational success in serving the youth of Hong Kong.
