In a previous article, we explored how Design Thinking helps project managers build stronger relationships with clients by focusing on empathy, ideation, and iterative problem-solving. These same principles, however, are just as powerful when applied internally within a team. When project managers embrace Design Thinking in team leadership, they foster a more collaborative and open culture, encourage creative thinking, and improve communication. They help teams adapt more easily to change by welcoming iteration and flexibility, and they create an environment where engagement and ownership naturally grow. Just as co-creating solutions with clients leads to stronger project outcomes, empowering the internal team through Design Thinking enhances productivity, morale, and innovation.

To apply Design Thinking within a team, it is important to begin with the same foundation used in client work: trust, engagement, and psychological safety. Before a team can solve problems together, they must feel safe expressing ideas, comfortable taking creative risks, and connected to one another. While structured workflows and clearly defined roles are essential, teams also need space to build rapport and develop a shared mindset.

One effective way to begin is by introducing a light, engaging icebreaker. For example, the "Two Truths and a Lie" exercise, adapted to focus on professional experiences, can quickly reduce formality, spark curiosity, and build interpersonal connections. Each team member shares two true statements and one false statement about their work history, experience, or habits, while the rest of the group tries to guess which one is untrue. This simple activity encourages lighthearted interaction, helps uncover shared experiences, and sets a tone of openness that can carry into the rest of the session. It also primes the team for creative thinking, which is critical when working through the Design Thinking process together.

Design Thinking itself unfolds across several key stages, each of which can be applied to strengthen team collaboration at different moments in a project. These stages empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test, can be woven into everything from project kickoffs to problem-solving sessions.

The first stage, empathizing, focuses on understanding team members and their individual challenges. Just as Design Thinking encourages empathy for clients or end users, the same approach helps project managers better support their teams. A simple workshop can be built around team persona mapping, where each person shares insights about their role, their biggest challenges, what motivates them, and how they prefer to communicate. These insights are then gathered into a visual map that gives managers and peers a clearer view of how to support one another effectively. This deeper understanding strengthens collaboration and builds mutual respect.

The second stage, defining, is about clarifying team goals and identifying obstacles. Many internal struggles arise when teams are unclear about what they are working toward or why certain tasks matter. To address this, project managers can lead a session using the "How Might We" framework. The team begins by identifying key challenges they are facing and then reframing them into constructive, solution-oriented questions. For instance, instead of saying "We keep missing deadlines," the group might ask, "How might we improve our workflow to meet deadlines more consistently?" Once reframed, the most important questions are prioritized and used to guide focused problem-solving.

The third stage, ideation, invites the team to brainstorm solutions. When team members are involved in generating ideas, they become more invested in seeing those ideas succeed. A useful technique involves starting with rapid brainstorming, where team members quickly suggest as many ideas as possible for the chosen challenge. To push thinking further, the group can also try reverse thinking, by asking how the problem could be made worse. For example, in a workflow discussion, the team might explore how to make a process less efficient, then flip those “bad ideas” into constructive insights. This exercise brings energy to the room, helps people think beyond the obvious, and often leads to more innovative solutions.

The fourth stage, prototyping, is about testing new ideas in a low-risk way. Rather than rolling out major changes all at once, the team chooses one small improvement to try over a short period, such as a week. For instance, if improving communication is the goal, they might experiment with a brief daily stand-up meeting or a new task management tool. One person can be assigned to gather feedback and observe the results. After the trial, the team regroups to review what worked, what didn’t, and how to refine the solution. This approach minimizes disruption while still encouraging progress.

Through each of these stages, Design Thinking becomes more than a problem-solving tool, it becomes a leadership approach. When project managers adopt empathy, creativity, and iteration as everyday practices, they foster an environment where people feel heard, ideas are valued, and collaboration is natural. Teams led in this way tend to be more resilient, more motivated, and better equipped to handle the complexities of modern project work.

Even simple practices like a well-placed icebreaker can make a difference. The "Two Truths and a Lie" exercise, when used with internal teams, helps ease tension, encourage openness, and set a positive tone for deeper collaboration. This mirrors the benefits seen in client-facing Design Thinking workshops and reinforces the idea that strong communication and trust are the foundation for any successful creative process.

For project managers looking to bring these methods into their own teams, starting with a team persona mapping session or a “How Might We” goal-framing workshop can be a powerful first step. These exercises are simple to implement yet offer lasting value by aligning the team around shared challenges and building momentum for creative, collaborative solutions. When applied consistently, Design Thinking becomes more than a workshop format, it becomes a leadership mindset that supports better outcomes, stronger teams, and a more engaged project environment.