Can creativity be combined with procedures? Emotions with business processes? At EITT, we prove that yes! We have just completed an intensive two-day Design Thinking workshop, during which part of our team worked on shaping corporate culture. It was dynamic, intense, and above all - authentic.
Quick Navigation
- What is Design Thinking?
- From theory to practice - our workshop
- Visual map of our identity
- Why Design Thinking in building culture?
- Culture is people and their energy
- What’s next?
What is Design Thinking?
Design Thinking is an approach to problem-solving that places humans at the center of the design process. It emerged in the 1960s but owes its popularity to IDEO and Stanford University. It’s not just a set of tools but above all a way of thinking that combines empathy, creativity, and rationality.
The Design Thinking process consists of five main stages:
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Empathize - understanding user needs
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Define - precisely defining the problem
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Ideate - generating solutions
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Prototype - creating initial solution versions
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Test - verifying ideas in practice
What distinguishes Design Thinking? Above all, its iterative nature - we can return to earlier stages when we discover new information. It’s also interdisciplinary - the best solutions emerge when people with different competencies and perspectives collaborate.
From theory to practice - our workshop
During two days of intensive work, our team used Design Thinking methodology to address fundamental questions: Who are we as EITT? What values define us? How do we want to collaborate?
The energy in the room was palpable. Brainstorming, discussions, and sometimes even disputes - all of this was an essential element of the process. The key turned out to be skillfully channeling these emotions and transforming them into concrete Principles and Processes that will be the foundation of our organizational culture.
Visual map of our identity
The workshop results took various forms - from process maps to visual representations of our values. What emerged is a true mosaic of elements defining EITT:
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Balance between worlds - business briefcase and heart, technology and human, “premium diamonds” and authenticity
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Innovation as standard - astronaut giving thumbs up, brain symbolizing intellectual development, “trends” as a permanent part of our DNA
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Relationships first - “We inspire and help”, “We deliver messages to clients”, “#WinTogether”
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Flexibility as strength - “Certainty in uncertainty - improvisation as a future competence”
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Professionalism with a smile - “How to make the client pay with a smile on their face”, “Sales must have a mission”
These visual metaphors show that at EITT we’re not afraid of the “beauty of opposites” - we combine what seems impossible to combine.
Why Design Thinking in building culture?
Choosing Design Thinking for organizational culture work was not accidental. This approach works perfectly in situations when:
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The problem is complex and multidimensional
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We need innovative solutions
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Engaging various stakeholders is important
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We want to quickly test ideas
Organizational culture meets all these criteria. It’s a complex ecosystem of values, behaviors, and processes that requires a holistic approach. Design Thinking allowed us to look at EITT culture through the eyes of different team members, identify key challenges, and develop solutions that are both innovative and practical.
Culture is people and their energy
The two-day Design Thinking workshop made us realize that corporate culture is a living organism. It’s the team’s energy that can transform abstract values into concrete actions. It’s the ability to see strength, not obstacle, in diversity.
Every element that appeared during the workshop - from “proactive account management” to “creative on LinkedIn” - is a piece of a larger puzzle. A puzzle that shows EITT as a place where:
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Technology meets creativity
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Business has a human face
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Development is a continuous process
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We build success together
What’s next?
The results of the two-day workshop are not only visual materials but above all strong inspirations for redefining our strategy. It’s a shared understanding of who we are and where we’re heading. It’s the conviction that building organizational culture can be an engaging, creative, and inspiring process.
Design Thinking taught us that the best solutions are born at the intersection of different perspectives. That emotions are not an obstacle in business - they are fuel for innovation. That you can be simultaneously professional and authentic, technological and human, results-oriented and relationship-focused.
At EITT, we use this diversity to build something greater than the sum of parts. We create a culture that allows us not only to act effectively but also to derive satisfaction from what we do. Because after all, “we inspire and help” - and that’s exactly what we do, starting with ourselves.
Want to learn more about how we build an innovation culture at EITT? Contact us and discover how we can help your organization in its transformation.
Read Also
- Design Thinking Tools: Driving Innovation in Teams
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Develop Your Skills
This article is related to the training Design Thinking for developers - a practical workshop. Check the program and sign up to develop your skills with EITT experts.
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- Design Thinking Tools: Driving Innovation in Teams
- What is Design Thinking? A Creative Problem-Solving Process
- AI in Application Design: Tools, Trends, and UX/UI Strategies
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the five stages of the Design Thinking process?
The five stages are Empathize (understanding user needs), Define (precisely framing the problem), Ideate (generating creative solutions), Prototype (building initial versions), and Test (validating ideas in practice). The process is iterative, meaning teams can return to earlier stages whenever new insights emerge.
Why is Design Thinking effective for building organizational culture?
Organizational culture is a complex, multidimensional challenge involving values, behaviors, and processes that affect every team member differently. Design Thinking works well here because it centers on empathy and diverse perspectives, allowing teams to co-create cultural principles that are both innovative and grounded in the real experiences of employees.
Can Design Thinking be applied in technical or engineering teams?
Absolutely. Design Thinking is especially valuable for technical teams because it shifts the focus from purely technical solutions to understanding the human context behind problems. Engineers and developers who apply Design Thinking build products that better align with user needs while maintaining the creative, iterative mindset that drives innovation.
How long does a typical Design Thinking workshop take to produce actionable results?
A focused Design Thinking workshop can produce actionable insights and concrete principles within two days of intensive collaborative work. The key is having the right mix of participants, a skilled facilitator, and a clearly defined challenge, which together enable rapid movement from empathy and ideation through to testable prototypes and agreed-upon next steps.