Human-centered decision-making is usually an unheard of, or at most a buzzword in corporate sector. In the human-centered design process, the creators of products, customer journeys, and even policies immerse themselves in the lives and perspectives of real people. Thinking from the viewpoint of the end-user of the product or the process is inherent to the design, and the success too is measured on the factors such as human adoption and usefulness.

The reason why corporates do not do such a great job on this is because their motivations usually are oriented towards profits and creating shareholder value. Their cycles times are short, with success measured quarterly. This leads to short-term thinking and immediate financial gains over-shadow everything else.

While I do not have any empirical data, my argument is that the organisations in social sector do a much better job in human-centered design. Social-sector organisations are primarily mission-driven, with goals centered around improving human welfare, addressing social issues, and creating positive community impact. This mission alignment naturally leads to prioritising the needs, values, and well-being of the people they serve. Their proximity to their stakeholders – the beneficiaries, donors and the community at-large – makes it easy for them to have closer, more direct relationships. I know of organisations that employ participatory approaches, involving the community and beneficiaries in the decision-making process. Most importantly, with a strong emphasis on equity, fairness, and social justice, these organisations are more likely to make decisions that are ethically sound and human-centered.

But why is human-centered decision-making so important? What would the corporate sector gain by adopting it? While not a full list, here are my top three reasons why they must do it:

1. Improved trust and customer loyalty – By focusing on human-centered decision-making, companies can better understand and meet the genuine needs of their customers, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty.
2. Higher employee satisfaction – While this may sound a cliché, human-centered decisioning usually start by taking care of the employees, leading to a more engaged, productive, and committed.
3. Innovation and sustainability –  By better understanding the user needs, companies can gain deeper insights into user experience, leading to more innovative solutions that last longer.

What can corporates to ensure better espousal? Again, just my top three, though there can be many more:

1. Start with the employees – Employee engagement and satisfaction should anyway be inherent to every organisation design. Diverse teams offer wider perspectives and a greater understanding of different human experiences. Empathy and equity should be deeply rooted.
2. Focus on long-term value creation – This cannot be truly achieved without a process to seek customer feedback over multiple iterations, innovative thinking and overlooking short-term profiteering. While easier said than done, it is not impossible.
3. Build partnerships with the social sector – Partnering with social-sector organisations can help corporations learn from their human-centered approaches. These partnerships can lead to shared knowledge, resources, and strategies on human-centered decisioning.

It is my contention that organisations that embrace human-centered decision-making are better positioned to meet the challenges of the constantly evolving customer space and the resulting demands. Need to see more social responsibility.