Utilising Design Thinking To Alleviate The Effects Of Covid-19 On Civil Servant Operations

Abstract

The phenomenon of design thinking has a significant potential to form a synergistic interaction of individual abilities of leaders, managers and civil servants in the context of global challenges caused by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Against the backdrop of these issues, ensuring the effectiveness of key state institutions and organisations is of particular relevance, which, in turn, requires a detailed analysis of potential measures to counteract negative impacts. The aim of the study is to analyse the potential of design thinking in the context of developing and implementing a comprehensive mechanism for overcoming the effects of COVID-19 on the activities of civil servants. The article focuses on the functionality of design thinking in terms of civil servants’ basic professional and personal skills. The possibility of their allocation as separate indicators of the concept is considered. The structural elements of design thinking are outlined, and each of them is described in detail. The imperative for establishing a unified mechanism to address the pandemic’s existing and potential adverse consequences is clearly demonstrated. The peculiarities of integrating design thinking based on the Stanford concept into the work of civil servants in Ukrainian public institutions are described. It is assumed that implementing this goal will increase the efficiency of civil servants, forming an effective mechanism for mitigating the risks caused by the pandemic. The author identifies sustainable principles that can facilitate the operational and strategic management of team performance in the civil service. The priorities for further improvement of design thinking skills to improve the efficiency of public institutions are revealed. The specifics of the Stanford model as an effective tool for team development and management decision-making are investigated. The main principles of the mechanism for overcoming the destructive effects of COVID-19 through the introduction of design thinking technology, which helps improve public institutions’ efficiency and quality of work and create favourable conditions for team effectiveness, are analysed. The study’s results have practical value in the development, improvement and modernisation of the design thinking concept to minimise the impact of the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.