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Stop Hiring. Start Designing: The Double Diamond Playbook for Talent Acquisition · Edan Haddock - Total Talent

• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Eden Haddock Total Talent.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: I am your host, Eden Haddock, Head of Talent and People Experience at Movember.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: Today I want to talk about something that should have been part of talent acquisition years ago.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really going to focus on talent acquisition specifically today.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: And this is something that has never really made it in.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Design thinking.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, I know some of you have just switched off mentally.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Here we go, another framework, another buzzword.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: But please stay with me.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Because this one, this one might quietly be the difference between filling roles and actually solving business problems.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: The truth is most talent acquisition teams, we don't actually solve problems.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: We respond to them.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: A hiring manager comes to us and says, I need a senior product manager.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: And we go, got it, let's write the job ad.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: We don't always ask why.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: We don't ask what's broken.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: We don't ask what outcome are we trying to change?
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: And we don't ask what does success actually look like.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: We just start hiring.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: And then six months later, the hire isn't quite right.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: The problem still exists.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Another requisition opens.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: And we do it all again.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: That's not talent acquisition.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's transactional fulfillment.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: So today we're changing that.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'm going to walk through design thinking using a model called the Double Diamond.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: And more importantly, how you sitting in talent acquisition right now can use it this week.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: Not in theory, not in a workshop, but in real hiring.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: So today I'm not zooming out.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm getting on the tools and really practical.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Design thinking isn't about design.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: It's about how you approach problems.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: And more specifically, it's about not rushing to solutions.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Because what most organizations do is this: a problem appears, and we jump to solution.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Too fast, way too fast.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Design thinking flips that.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Three, then and only then, design a solution.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: In talent acquisition terms, it means instead of asking, who do we hire?
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: You start actually asking, what are we trying to fix?
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: Let me give you a raw example.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Hiring manager says we need a recruiter.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Cool.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: But why?
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Is hiring slow?
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Is quality poor?
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: Is candidate experience broken?
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Is the process chaotic?
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: Because those are four completely different problems.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: But they all get the same lazy solution.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Hire another recruiter.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's what we're here to break.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: The double diamond model.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: This is where it gets practical.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: The double diamond is simple, so visualize two diamonds split in half.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: So four phases.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: In diamond one, split in half, that's the problem space.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: And within the problem space, in those two halves, you have discover and define.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: In diamond two, split it in half.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: It is the solution space, diamond two, and in those two halves, you have develop, deliver.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: And you work through the diamonds in that order.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: The first half of the first diamond, discover, second half, define.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Diamond two, develop, then deliver.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: Or in plain language, number one, go wide on the problem.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, narrow it down.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, go wide on solutions.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, narrow to the best one.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: Most talent acquisition teams, we skip straight to diamond two, the solution space.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes we skip all the way to the final half of the second diamond, which is deliver.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: We go, let's just hire someone.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: No discovery, no definition, no exploration.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: Which is why we end up solving the wrong problem, but really efficiently.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll break it down properly and work through the diamonds.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: Discover in Diamond One the first half.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: This is where most talent acquisition professionals level up massively.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: This phase is about understanding what's actually going on.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: Not what people say is going on.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Because hiring managers, they don't always know the problem, they know the symptom.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: Your job here is to shut up, get curious, and ask better questions.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: What you're trying to uncover is what's broken, what's slow, what's frustrating, what's the business impact?
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: Some practical questions to use immediately.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of what role do you need?
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: Try what's happening in the team right now?
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: What's not working?
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: If we did nothing, what happens in three months?
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: What does success look like for this hire?
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: What problem disappears if we get this right?
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: This is where you move from recruiter to problem investigator.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: Let's use a real talent acquisition example.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: The hiring manager says we need a software engineer.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: The discovery reveals the team is blocked on one system.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: Knowledge is siloed, delivery timelines are slipping.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: So actual problem is not we need an engineer.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's we have a bottleneck in system knowledge.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: That opens completely different options.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Hire differently, upskill internally, reorganize work.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: And that's before we even talk about solutions.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: Then we move into the second half of the first diamond, and that's define.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: We now take everything from the discover phase and we sharpen it.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: This is actually where most people struggle because it forces clarity.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: Your goal here is to write a clear problem statement.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: Not we need a senior designer, but we need to reduce design turnaround time from ten days to three days to support product velocity.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: Do you feel the difference?
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: One is vague and the other is actionable.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: Your telene acquisition superpower here is turning messy conversations into clear, measurable problems.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: The formula really is we need to insert desired change because currently insert current state so that business insert business impact.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: This then changes everything.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Because now you're not hiring for a title, you're solving for an outcome.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: We'll now move into the second diamond.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: And the first half of the second diamond is develop.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Now we go wide again.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: Solutions, plural solutions.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: And you know what?
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: This is where talent acquisition gets fun again.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: Because hiring isn't just one option.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: Some possible solutions may be hire externally, promote internally, redesign role scope, automate parts of the work, redistribute responsibilities, use contractors or short-term solutions.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: But for most teams, we we don't explore, we default.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: So your role here is to push the thinking, to challenge the default.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Say things like, what if we didn't hire?
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: What's the fastest way to solve this?
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: Lowest risk option.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: Could we test something first?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: Here, you become a solution designer, not a recruiter.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: We'll move into the final half of the second diamond, which is deliver.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: Now, and only now we choose a path.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it is hiring, but now it's intentional.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: And this changes how you hire too.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: Because now your job ad is sharper, your interviews are more focused, and your assessment is aligned to the actual problem.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: You're not hiring a great candidate, you're hiring the right solution to a defined problem.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: Let's make this real scenario one.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: We need a recruiter.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: If we run the double diamond, discover the hiring is slow due to approvals.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: Define we reduce time to hire bottlenecks in approvals.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Develop, we fix process, not headcount.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: And deliver no hire is needed.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: Scenario two we need a senior leader.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: Discover the team lacks direction.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Define we need strategic clarity, not hierarchy.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: Develop interim advisor, restructure.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Deliver a different hire or none.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: So this is how TA, talent acquisition, becomes strategic without saying the word strategic.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: So why does this change your career?
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the reality.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: Most recruiters will never do this.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: They'll stay in intake meetings, job ads, pipelines.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: And you, if you apply this, you move into problem solving, business impact, and strategic influence.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: You stop being the recruiter, and you become the person who actually fixes things.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: So next time someone comes to you and says we need to hire, pause.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: Don't open the job description.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: Don't post the role.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: Don't start sourcing.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: Start with what's actually going on here?
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: Because hiring isn't the job.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: Designing the right outcome, that's the job.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, once you see it, you won't go back.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for tuning in.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you learned something today.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: There is a lot of resources out there on the double diamond principle and design thinking.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: Please have another read of it and see if you can practically pop this into your flows and use this mindset.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: I do, and I find it incredibly valuable.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate everyone who's been listening.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: And once again, if you can please follow the show, I will be sharing content every week.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: Have a great weekend.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: And thanks again.