Magdalenić, Danijela; Luić, Lje ka
A icle
Assessing he impac o digi al ools on he ec ui men
p ocess using he design hinking me hodology
Adminis a i e Sciences
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Magdalenić, Danijela; Luić, Lje ka (2025) : Assessing he impac o digi al ools
on he ec ui men p ocess using he design hinking me hodology, Adminis a i e Sciences, ISSN
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Ci a ion: Magdaleni´c, D., & Lui´c, L.
(2025). Assessing he Impac o Digi al
Tools on he Rec ui men P ocess
Using he Design Thinking
Me hodology. Adminis a i e Sciences,
15(4), 139. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/
admsci15040139
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A icle
Assessing he Impac o Digi al Tools on he Rec ui men P ocess
Using he Design Thinking Me hodology
Danijela Magdaleni´c * and Lje ka Lui´c
Pos g adua e S udies, Uni e si y No h, 48000 Kop i nica, C oa ia; [email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac : This s udy explo es he in o ma ion–communica ion discou se in mode n ec ui -
men by applying he Design Thinking (DT) me hodology o enhance employee selec ion
and in eg a ion s a egies. By inco po a ing digi al ools and empa he ic app oaches, his
s udy examines inno a i e p ac ices ha imp o e candida e expe ience and ensu e align-
men wi h o ganiza ional cul u e. This s udy ollows he DT amewo k, encompassing
empa hy, p oblem de ini ion, and idea ion, wi h a esea ch sample including candida es,
employees, and HR p o essionals. Me hods such as desk esea ch, in e iews, dia y me h-
ods, and P/C ma ix diagonaliza ion, suppo ed by o iginal me ics, assess he e ec i eness
o hese app oaches. The indings highligh ha digi al ools, pa icula ly gami ica ion and
online assessmen s, signi ican ly enhance ec ui men quali y, inc ease e iciency, educe
hi ing ime, and imp o e cul u al alignmen . Addi ionally, his s udy de elops in o ma-
ional cons uc s o knowledge, skills, and a i udes, o e ing deepe insigh s in o key
ac o s o success ul hi ing. By in eg a ing new media and echnological solu ions, his
esea ch con ibu es o ans o ming adi ional ec ui men p ac ices in o mo e candida e-
cen ed p ocesses. Fu he e alua ion h ough complemen a y s udies is ecommended o
de e mine he long- e m impac o digi al ools on ec ui men ou comes and employee
selec ion success.
Keywo ds: design hinking; ec ui men ; in o ma ion–communica ion discou se; digi al
ools; in o ma ional cons uc s
1. In oduc ion
The ec ui men and selec ion p ocess is c ucial o he success ul unc ioning o
o ganiza ions, ye adi ional selec ion me hods a e o en ime-consuming, ine icien ,
and ail o mee he needs o bo h candida es and o ganiza ions. In oday’s co po a e
en i onmen , cha ac e ized by apid changes and in ense compe i ion o alen , inno a i e
app oaches o human esou ce managemen ha e become a necessi y. Digi aliza ion has
p o en o be a key ac o in shaping how companies manage esou ces, engage wi h
clien s, and inco po a e sus ainabili y in o hei business models (Manu i & Pasquale,
2017). Technologies such as he In e ne o Things (IoT), a i icial in elligence (AI), and
blockchain a e e olu ionizing esou ce managemen by enhancing anspa ency and
simpli ying adminis a i e p ocesses (Ronˇce i´c e al.,2024). Wi hin his con ex , digi al
echnologies—including
he IoT, big da a, AI, i ual and augmen ed eali y, and digi al
pla o ms—exe
a powe ul ans o ma i e in luence, undamen ally ede ining alue
c ea ion (D agiˇce i´c e al.,2023).
Ad ancemen s in in o ma ion and communica ion echnologies ha e ans o med
ec ui men , selec ion, and hi ing p ocesses, p omp ing o ganiza ions o adop con empo-
a y me hods ha educe cos s, enhance e iciency, and s eng hen compe i i e ad an ages
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 139 h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/admsci15040139
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 139 2 o 17
(Baši´c & ´
Culib k,2021;Abuladze & Hasimi,2023;El Ouakili,2025). Gami ica ion has also
eme ged as an inno a i e echnique o engage candida es and imp o e he e ec i eness
o ec ui men s a egies, making he p ocess mo e dynamic and aligned wi h mode n
candida e expec a ions (Vo ecol,2024). Holm’s (2009) esea ch sugges s ha e- ec ui men
inc eases he numbe o applica ions, sho ens he ime om job ad e isemen o o e
accep ance by wo- hi ds, and educes cos s. The in eg a ion o new echnologies in o he
selec ion and hi ing p ocess enables o ganiza ions o make as e , mo e accu a e, and mo e
objec i e decisions, imp o ing he candida e expe ience and inc easing he e iciency o HR
p ocesses (Albassam,2023). The DT me hodology, which os e s c ea i e p oblem-sol ing,
inno a ion de elopmen , and use -cen ici y, ep esen s a po en ial solu ion o op imizing
hese p ocesses (T. A. Kelley,2001;Ma in,2009;Rau h e al.,2010;Lied ka,2014b;Glen
e al.,2015;Kolko,2015;Beckman,2020;Bjö klund e al.,2020;Johann e al.,2020).
This pape dis inguishes be ween wo key e ms: he DT me hod and he DT me hod-
ology. DT as a me hod e e s o a way o hinking ha combines analy ical and in ui i e
app oaches, emphasizing empa hy, c ea i i y, and he i e a i e adap a ion o solu ions
based on use needs (B own,2009;Dunne,2018). I does no ely on adi ional scien i ic
esea ch ins umen s such as su eys bu a he employs obse a ion and in e ac ion o
gain a be e unde s anding o he use expe ience (Ní Shé e al.,2021;Li e al.,2018).
This aligns wi h he idea ha Design Thinking os e s use -cen ed p oblem-sol ing by
engaging di ec ly wi h s akeholde s in eal-wo ld con ex s (B own,2009;Ba an,2017). On
he o he hand, DT as a me hodology en ails a s uc u ed p ocess consis ing o i e clea ly
de ined s ages: empa hy, de ini ion, idea ion, p o o yping, and es ing (Ma iani e al.,2025).
This app oach is widely ecognized o de eloping inno a i e solu ions h ough i e a i e
es ing and e inemen (Alqah ani,2022). The me hodological amewo k o Design Think-
ing enables o ganiza ions o in eg a e c ea i i y in o hei s a egic decision-making while
main aining lexibili y o adap based on eedback (Ba an,2017).
Design Thinking (DT) me hodology, o igina ing om p oduc and se ice design
p ac ices, has gained inc easing a en ion in b oade business con ex s. B own (2009)
emphasizes DT’s ocus on use empa hy, making i pa icula ly sui able o add essing
complex p oblems such as ec ui men p ocesses. C oss (2011) highligh s how DT enables
he c ea ion o inno a i e solu ions h ough collabo a ion and i e a i e app oaches, c ucial
o adap ing ec ui men p ocesses o dynamic labou ma ke s.
In he con ex o human esou ce managemen , Lied ka and Ogil ie (2011) a gue ha
applying he DT me hodology can enhance p ocesses h ough a be e unde s anding o
candida e and o ganiza ional needs. The au ho s sugges ha empa hy owa ds candida es
can be used o shape expe iences ha imp o e hei sa is ac ion du ing he selec ion p ocess.
Thus, he use o he DT me hodology encou ages he de elopmen o mo e empa he ic
hinking and e ec i e s a egies o acing challenges, pa icula ly hose inadequa ely
add essed by adi ional a ional–analy ical app oaches (Micheli e al.,2019).
Recen academic esea ch unde sco es he ans o ma i e po en ial o Design Thinking
in HR p ac ices. Si a hanu (2019) demons a es how o ganiza ions like Ai bnb ha e
le e aged Design Thinking p inciples o imp o e employee expe ience while achie ing
compe i i e ad an age h ough inno a i e HR p ac ices such as cul u al ans o ma ion
p og ammes. Za a e al. (2023) explo e how p edic i e wo k o ce analy ics combined wi h
Design Thinking can enhance aining e alua ion p ac ices by enabling e idence-based
decision-making in wo k o ce managemen . Piwowa -Sulej and Aus en (2021) highligh
how Design Thinking can be applied s a egically o imp o e he image o HR depa men s
by os e ing collabo a ion ac oss o ganiza ional uni s. These s udies collec i ely illus a e
how Design Thinking con ibu es no only o ope a ional e iciency bu also o s a egic
alignmen be ween employee sa is ac ion and o ganiza ional goals.
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 139 3 o 17
Design Thinking is a c ea i e, non-linea p ocess used o inno a ion. While non-
linea , i is impo an o no e ha his does no mean he e a e no speci ic s eps o ollow o
he p ocess o be e ec i e (Ba iˇce i´c Debelec & Lui´c,2023). This human-cen ed app oach
allows designe s and eams o be e unde s and use needs and de elop ele an and
use ul solu ions. Essen ially, DT combines c ea i i y wi h a s uc u ed app oach, esul ing
in inno a i e ideas and p oduc s.
The applica ion o he DT me hodology has ecen ly expanded beyond i s adi ional
use in p oduc and se ice design (An oljak & Koso i´c,2018). A e being ex ac ed om
he design con ex , DT has become a signi ican concep in managemen and inno a ion
esea ch (Johansson-Sköldbe g e al.,2013). Th ough a sequence o s eps such as empa hy,
p oblem de ini ion, idea ion, p o o yping, and es ing, DT enables eams o explo e di e en
pe spec i es and de elop solu ions ha mee eal use needs.
Exis ing s udies (B own,2009;Kimbell,2011;B own & Ma in,2015;Lied ka,2014a;
Ca lg en e al.,2016) indica e he bene i s o his me hodology, including inc eased pa ic-
ipan engagemen and a be e unde s anding o end-use needs. The use -cen ic ocus
allows o a be e unde s anding o hei needs, hough s, emo ions, and mo i a ions,
which o ms he basis o shaping and ede ining p oblems and gene a ing ideas. The
p ocess o shaping and ede ining p oblems is c ucial o seeing new pe spec i es, while
idea gene a ion de elops c ea i e solu ions (Au,2024).
Howe e , he applica ion o DT in he ec ui men p ocess and i s implemen a-
ion in human esou ces is insu icien ly esea ched, pa icula ly in he con ex o align-
ing candida es wi h o ganiza ional cul u e and op imizing selec ion p ocedu es using
digi al ools.
Van Aken and Chand aseka an (2015) highligh ed ha DT is pa icula ly use ul in
sol ing p oblems ha equi e balancing human and echnical aspec s. Thei esea ch
sugges s ha he i e a i e p o o yping p ocess can help iden i y he mos e ec i e ec ui -
men app oaches, especially when he goal is o educe employee u no e . Sch age (2014)
adds ha expe imen ing wi h inexpensi e p o o ypes allows o ganiza ions o es new
ec ui men me hods wi hou signi ican in es men s. This is pa icula ly ele an in he
con ex o de eloping digi al ools ha can suppo he selec ion p ocess, such as online
in e iew pla o ms o applican acking sys ems (ATSs).
2. Ma e ials and Me hods
2.1. Resea ch P oblem
The esea ch p oblem in his s udy ocuses on unde s anding how he applica ion o
Design Thinking (DT) me hodology can enhance he employee ec ui men and selec ion
p ocess. Speci ically, i in es iga es he ex en o which inno a i e ools, such as gami ica-
ion and digi al pla o ms, can imp o e candida e expe ience, inc ease selec ion e iciency,
and educe he misma ch be ween candida es and o ganiza ional cul u e. While he e a e
indica ions o he use ulness o such app oaches, comp ehensi e esea ch explo ing hei
impac and p o iding guidelines o hei p ac ical implemen a ion is lacking.
T adi ional ec ui men p ocesses ace nume ous challenges, including leng hy selec-
ion p ocedu es, candida e misalignmen wi h o ganiza ional cul u e, and he equen
inabili y o selec he bes candida e o a gi en posi ion. These issues can esul in high
employee u no e a es, educed eam p oduc i i y, and inc eased ec ui men cos s. Wi h
he inc easing p esence o echnology and digi al ools in ec ui men p ocesses, an op-
po uni y a ises o implemen inno a i e me hodologies ha can imp o e he selec ion
p ocess, inc ease e iciency, and ensu e be e employee alignmen wi h o ganiza ional
alues. Howe e , despi e DT’s po en ial, exis ing esea ch a ely explo es i s applica ion in
his speci ic con ex .
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 139 4 o 17
The lack o in eg a ion o empa he ic and c ea i e app oaches in ec ui men p ocesses
c ea es an oppo uni y o in es iga e how DT can add ess hese challenges. I is c ucial o
unde s and how his me hodology can expedi e he selec ion p ocess, inc ease p ecision,
and ensu e he selec ion o he bes candida e o a speci ic posi ion. To add ess hese
challenges, his s udy es ablishes a gene al esea ch objec i e and h ee speci ic objec i es
de i ed om i , aimed a analysing key aspec s o applying he DT me hodology in he
ec ui men p ocess.
The gene al objec i e o his esea ch is o de e mine he “impac o digi al ools
and Design Thinking me hodology” on he selec ion p ocess, employee alignmen wi h
o ganiza ional cul u e, and he accu acy o candida e selec ion, while he speci ic objec i es
a e de ined below:
C1. Analyse he impac o digi al ools on he selec ion p ocess and ime o hi e.
C2. Examine he in luence o Design Thinking’s i e a i e app oach on employee
alignmen wi h o ganiza ional cul u e.
C3. E alua e how he applica ion o he Design Thinking me hod imp o es he
p ecision o selec ing he bes candida es.
Each speci ic objec i e is di ec ed a in es iga ing di e en aspec s o DT applica ion
in HR p ocesses and is he e o e associa ed wi h a co esponding hypo hesis o be es ed
du ing he s udy:
H1: Digi al ools imp o e he quali y o he selec ion p ocess and educe ime o hi e.
(Explana ion: Digi al ools, such as au oma ed selec ion pla o ms, da a analy ics–big
da a, and a i icial in elligence, enable he as e and mo e e icien p ocessing o candida e
applica ions. The use o hese ools can sho en he ime equi ed o esume analysis, p e-
selec ion, and in e iews, hus educing he du a ion o he selec ion p ocess. Addi ionally,
digi al ools allow o a as e connec ion wi h candida es, imp o ing he speed o he
en i e ec ui men p ocess. This hypo hesis is based on he belie ha digi aliza ion makes
he selec ion p ocess mo e e icien and p ecise, sho ening ime o hi e and enabling
o ganiza ions o ind sui able candida es mo e quickly).
H2: The i e a i e app oach o Design Thinking imp o es employee alignmen wi h o ganiza ional cul u e.
(Explana ion: DT uses an i e a i e app oach ha ocuses on unde s anding use needs,
es ing solu ions, and adap ing hem based on eedback. When applied o he selec ion
p ocess, his app oach allows o a be e unde s anding o candida es h ough mul iple
i e a ions, in e iews, and es ing. Th ough his p ocess, he o ganiza ion can be e assess
how a candida e i s in o i s cul u e and alues. By using empa hy and es ing h ough DT,
o ganiza ions can be e unde s and candida es’ pe sonal cha ac e is ics and hei abili y
o align wi h he speci ics o o ganiza ional cul u e, he eby imp o ing alignmen and
educing he isk o u u e misma ches).
H3: The applica ion o he Design Thinking me hod inc eases he p ecision o selec ing he bes candida es.
(Explana ion: The DT me hod ocuses on c ea i e p oblem-sol ing and a deep unde -
s anding o he needs o all s akeholde s, including candida es. By using empa hy in he
esea ch phase, DT allows o ganiza ions o be e unde s and candida es’ mo i a ion, al-
ues, and beha iou . The i e a i e p ocess o es ing and p o o yping ensu es ha selec ion
c i e ia and decisions a e based on eedback. Using DT enables he selec ion o candi-
da es based on hei abili y o espond o eal challenges wi hin he o ganiza ion, he eby
inc easing he p ecision o selec ing he bes candida es who mee he o ganiza ion’s needs).
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 139 5 o 17
2.2. Resea ch Design
The pilo s udy o his esea ch, which uses he DT me hodology o op imize he
ec ui men p ocess, employed a quali a i e app oach o collec ele an da a, es new
ideas, and e alua e esul s. This app oach in eg a es mul iple quali a i e esea ch me hods
o ensu e a holis ic analysis and op imiza ion o he ec ui men p ocess. Seconda y sou ces
we e sea ched using a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew (SLR) o he exis ing academic and
p o essional li e a u e, which is pa icula ly e ec i e o esea ching complex phenomena
as i syn hesizes exis ing knowledge and iden i ies esea ch gaps (Ki chenham & Cha e s,
2007;T an ield e al.,2003). In addi ion o he SLR, quali a i e p ima y da a collec ion was
conduc ed h ough semi-s uc u ed in e iews and dia y s udies, ensu ing me hodological
iangula ion. The snowball sampling me hod was employed o selec he p ima y esea ch
sample, ensu ing a di e se ange o insigh s om companies in he cons uc ion sec o
in no h-wes e n C oa ia. The s udy began by a ge ing ou key pa icipan g oups:
inexpe ienced wo ke s, expe ienced wo ke s, supe iso s, and HR p o essionals. These
g oups we e chosen o p o ide a comp ehensi e pe spec i e on he ec ui men and
selec ion p ocesses wi hin he sec o . As he s udy p og essed, addi ional pa icipan s
we e iden i ied h ough e e als, allowing o a b oade and mo e ep esen a i e sample.
To e alua e cul u al alignmen , specialized ques ionnai es we e used: he O ganiza ional
Cul u e Assessmen Ins umen (OCAI) (Came on & Quinn,2011) and Cul u al In elligence
(CQ) Sel -Assessmen (Ang & Van Dyne,2008). These ools enable a be e unde s anding
o how candida es i in o he o ganiza ional cul u e, alues, and mission o he company.
A e ini ial in e iews, pa icipan s ecommended o he ele an indi iduals om
hei ne wo k, allowing o apid ec ui men and access o ha d- o- each g oups. To ensu e
di e si y and a oid bias, demog aphic and p o essional cha ac e is ics o pa icipan s we e
analysed, and a ge ed selec ion was addi ionally applied. Al hough he s udy does no
employ adi ional s a is ical alida ion, he obus ness o he indings is ensu ed h ough
me hod iangula ion, he c oss- alida ion o esponses ac oss pa icipan g oups, and
i e a i e eedback loops. This app oach aligns wi h quali a i e esea ch igou , ensu ing he
in e nal alidi y and ans e abili y o indings. This app oach p o ided quali a i e insigh s
om key s akeholde s, laying he ounda ion o u he esea ch phases and he de elop-
men o inno a i e solu ions in ec ui men in he cons uc ion sec o . Following he pilo
s udy, he p ima y esea ch s udy is planned, based on insigh s om he pilo s udy, and
encompasses all 5 phases o DT. The alidi y o me hods a e assessed h ough con inuous
alida ion cycles, whe e each i e a i e phase o he DT p ocess in o ms and e ines he
nex , ensu ing he cumula i e con i ma ion o esea ch insigh s. The goal is o con i m
he alidi y o me hods, collec ep esen a i e da a, and d aw inal conclusions. Table 1
p esen s he concep ual amewo k o he Design Thinking me hodology in imp o ing
wo ke expe ience in he cons uc ion sec o .
Table 1. A desc ip ion o he concep and me hodology o he DT p ocess in 3 s eps.
S eps Concep Desc ip ion Me hodology
1. Empa hy
Unde s and he challenges
and needs o all pa icipan s
in he selec ion p ocess in
he cons uc ion sec o .
-Desk me hod, in e iews, dia y
me hod wi h HR p o essionals, shi
manage s, and wo ke s
-Snowball me hod o ga he ing
di e se pe spec i es
2. De ine
Clea ly de ine key p oblems
in he selec ion p ocess
and c ea e
meaning ul guidelines
o imp o emen s.
-Diagonaliza ion o P ocess/Class
(P/C) Ma ix o p oblem analysis and
solu ion p io i iza ion
-G ouping key needs and de ining
selec ion p oblems
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 139 6 o 17
Table 1. Con .
S eps Concep Desc ip ion Me hodology
3. Idea e
Gene a e inno a i e solu ions o
op imize selec ion, educe hi ing
du a ion, and imp o e
candida e–o ganiza ion alignmen .
-Vi ual b ains o ming and pos -i no es
in MIRO ool
-Gene a ing ideas on he ques ion:
“How can digi al ools accele a e and
imp o e he selec ion p ocess?”
-Ske ching digi al solu ions o
selec ion op imiza ion
The Design Thinking (DT) app oach comp ises i e key phases o he design p o-
cess: empa hy, de ine, idea e, p o o ype, and es (B own,2009;S an o d d.school,2010;
D. Kelley & Kelley,2013). In his s udy, he p elimina y esea ch ocuses on implemen -
ing he i s h ee phases. The empa hy phase o ms he ounda ion o he use -cen ed
app oach, enabling a deepe unde s anding o use needs and challenges. Th ee me hods
we e applied in his s udy: an analysis o he a ailable ele an li e a u e (desk esea ch),
one-on-one in e iews, and he dia y me hod. U ilizing hese echniques p o ided insigh
in o use s’ hough p ocesses, hei equi emen s, and exis ing challenges in he ec ui -
men p ocess, p o iding a basis o de eloping inno a i e and p ac ical solu ions ha can
enhance he e iciency and quali y o candida e selec ion.
A. The empa hy phase ep esen s a c ucial componen o his esea ch. The aim o
his phase is o unde s and he ac ual needs o o ganiza ions and candida es. The esea ch
s udy conce ned was conduc ed wi h he in o med consen o all he pa icipan s ega ding
e hical pe missibili y. A he beginning o he s udy, pa icipan s we e in o med ha hei
pa icipa ion was olun a y and ha hey had he igh o wi hd aw om he s udy a
any ime du ing he expe imen wi hou any sanc ions. P ocedu es, p inciples, and e hical
issues ela ed o he collec ion, analysis, and in e p e a ion o da a om he expe imen
we e ca e ully moni o ed o ensu e he c edibili y o he esea ch ou comes in all phases
o he s udy. In he empa hy phase, h ee da a collec ion echniques we e employed o
ensu e a deepe insigh in o employee needs, he ec ui men p ocess, and he applica ion
o digi al ools and he DT me hodology. Each echnique was ocused on di e en aspec s
o in es iga ing employee needs o iden i y key ac o s in luencing he selec ion p ocess,
employee alignmen wi h o ganiza ional cul u e, and p ecision in candida e selec ion.
These echniques include he ollowing:
1.
Desk me hod (SLR)—Da a we e collec ed by analysing ele an sou ces om exis ing
wo ks on he applica ion o digi al ools in HR p ocesses. The sea ch was conduc ed
in Web o Science and Scopus da abases, using key e ms such as “design hinking”,
“employmen ”, “ ec ui men ”, “digi aliza ion”, and “HR”. This me hod enabled an
unde s anding o ends in candida e selec ion and he e ec i eness o digi al ools in
op imizing he selec ion p ocess and educing ime o hi e.
2.
One-on-one in e iews—In e iews wi h HR p o essionals we e conduc ed om
14 Feb ua y o 26 Feb ua y 2025 o ga he insigh s on whe he he applica ion o
he DT me hodology can assis in candida e selec ion. Ques ions we e adap ed
om ques ionnai es specialized in assessing cul u al alignmen ( he O ganiza ional
Cul u e Assessmen Ins umen —OCAI—and Cul u al In elligence Sel -Assessmen )
as hey allow o a be e unde s anding o how candida es i in o he company’s
o ganiza ional cul u e, alues, and mission. The aim was o examine whe he he
applica ion o digi al ools imp o es he selec ion p ocess and educes he ime needed
o selec he bes candida e. The in e iews enabled a deepe unde s anding o he
impac o he i e a i e app oach on employee alignmen wi h o ganiza ional cul u e
and p ecision in candida e selec ion. Pa icipan s sha ed hei expe iences in using
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 139 7 o 17
digi al ools o candida e selec ion and e alua ion, and he da a collec ed h ough
in e iews we e used in he nex s ep o de ine key needs and selec ion p oblems.
3.
Dia y me hod—Using his me hod, candida es and employees we e acked h ough-
ou he en i e ec ui men p ocess. Candida es sha ed hei expe iences, which we e
hen documen ed h ough dia y en ies. Thei hough s and eac ions o a ious
s ages o ec ui men we e eco ded, including hei communica ion wi h HR p o es-
sionals, es ing, in e iews, and eac ions o he ools used. This me hod allowed o a
deep unde s anding o he emo ional and p ac ical challenges candida es ace in he
selec ion p ocess, while he da a we e used o e alua e how he DT app oach a ec s
he candida e expe ience.
B. The de ine phase is he nex s ep ollowing he comple ed empa hy phase, in which
key needs and challenges in he ec ui men p ocess a e iden i ied h ough desk esea ch,
in e iews, and he dia y me hod. This phase ep esen s a syn hesis o collec ed da a and
enables he s uc u ed shaping o insigh s gained h ough analysis. The de ine phase was
conduc ed in Feb ua y 2025 and was based on indings om he empa hy phase. The nex
s ep was o s uc u e and analyse key ec ui men challenges in he cons uc ion sec o
and c ea e meaning ul guidelines o imp o emen s. To de ine he mos impo an p ob-
lems and needs, he diagonaliza ion o he P/C ma ix (p oblems/co ela ions) was used.
Fo designing solu ions in he cons uc ion sec o , whe e p oblems a e o en ope a ional,
s a egic, and ela ed o e iciency, he P/C ma ix can be use ul as i allows o s uc u ed
p oblem analysis and he de ini ion o s a egic p io i ies. The de ini ion p ocess included
he ollowing s eps:
1.
P oblem iden i ica ion—Pa icipan s lis ed key p oblems aced by a ious ac o s in
cons uc ion sec o ec ui men (e.g., inexpe ienced wo ke s, expe ienced wo ke s,
supe iso s, HR p o essionals).
2.
The ca ego iza ion o p oblems and needs—P oblems we e g ouped in o b oade
ca ego ies (e.g., a lack o quali ied wo ke s, high u no e , lack o sec o a ac i eness
o young people).
3.
The diagonaliza ion o he P/C ma ix—In his phase, he diagonaliza ion me hod
was used o analyse mu ual co ela ions be ween p oblems and needs and de e mine
hose wi h he g ea es s a egic impac .
4.
P oblem p io i iza ion—Based on he ob ained esul s, key challenges equi ing u gen
and inno a i e solu ions we e de ined o he subsequen idea ion phase.
This app oach enabled a clea and s uc u ed unde s anding o he p oblems and
laid he ounda ion o de eloping e ec i e solu ions in he subsequen phases o he
DT p ocess.
C. The idea ion phase was conduc ed h ough a collabo a i e wo kshop adap ed
o ec ui men in he cons uc ion sec o . Thi y pa icipan s who had ecen ly unde -
gone he selec ion p ocess in he obse ed company we e chosen o he wo kshop using
he snowball me hod. All pa icipan s we e male, li ing in C oa ia, wi h an a e age
age o
32 yea s
. All pa icipan s p o ided in o med consen , and hei esponses we e
anonymized o p o ec hei p i acy. This s udy adhe ed o e hical guidelines o ensu e
he in eg i y and con iden iali y o collec ed da a. A pilo s udy was conduc ed o es he
wo kshop me hodology aimed a gene a ing ideas o de eloping digi al ools ha could
accele a e and imp o e he selec ion p ocess in he cons uc ion sec o . The wo kshop
was held in Feb ua y 2025 and was conduc ed i ually using ideocon e encing and
collabo a i e ools. Google Mee was used o communica ion and he MIRO pla o m o
conduc ing ac i i ies.
The wo kshop was s uc u ed in i e phases:
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 139 8 o 17
1.
In oduc ion—Wo kshop acili a o s in oduced hemsel es and explained he pu -
pose o conduc ing he wo kshop, a e which each pa icipan had one minu e o a
b ie in oduc ion.
2.
P oblem de ini ion—Wo kshop acili a o s p esen ed he scena io and de ined
he p oblem, using he P/C ma ix diagonaliza ion o s uc u ally analyse p ob-
lems and hei in e connec ions. Pa icipan s anked key challenges in cons uc-
ion sec o ec ui men acco ding o hei impac and sol abili y, hus de ining
p io i y in e en ions.
3.
Idea ion—The goal was o encou age pa icipan s o gene a e inno a i e solu ions.
Th ough b ains o ming, pa icipan s de eloped inno a i e solu ions, eco ded hem
ia MIRO pos -i no es, and ske ched concep ual models using i ual pos -i no es in
MIRO, discussing he ques ion: “How can digi al ools accele a e and imp o e he selec ion
p ocess?” This segmen las ed 15 min, du ing which pa icipan s eely w o e down
and sha ed hei ideas.
4.
P o o yping—A e selec ing key ideas, pa icipan s ske ched hem on pape and
hen sha ed hem wi h he wo kshop acili a o s, who mode a ed u he discussion.
Finally, a i ual p o o ype model was c ea ed in MIRO, aiming o demons a e a
possible solu ion o imp o ing ec ui men in he cons uc ion sec o .
5.
Conclusion—Wo kshop acili a o s conduc ed an e alua ion ac i i y o ga he eed-
back om pa icipan s on he p ocess i sel and wo kshop esul s. The wo kshop
e alua ion collec ed insigh s o imp o ing he me hodology and u he de elopmen
o solu ions aimed a op imizing ec ui men in he cons uc ion sec o .
This app oach enabled collabo a i e idea gene a ion and he apid p o o yping o
solu ions aimed a imp o ing he ec ui men p ocess in he cons uc ion sec o .
3. Resul s
In he con ex o his s udy, u ilizing he DT me hodology, iangula ion me hod,
c oss- alida ion o esponses ac oss pa icipan g oups, and i e a i e eedback loops ensu e
me hodological igou . This app oach aligns wi h quali a i e esea ch s anda ds, enhancing
he in e nal alidi y and ans e abili y o indings while suppo ing da a collec ion, idea
es ing, and esul e alua ion. This quali a i e app oach p o ides a comp ehensi e ame-
wo k o op imizing he ec ui men p ocess by cap u ing in-dep h insigh s and ensu ing
a nuanced unde s anding o he selec ion dynamics. The esea ch esul s we e collec ed
h ough he ollowing: (1) a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew (SLR), (2) in e iews wi h HR
p o essionals and shi manage s, and (3) he dia y me hod wi h candida es
and employees
.
3.1. Sys ema ic Li e a u e Re iew (SLR)
This esea ch ini ially employed he sys ema ic li e a u e e iew (SLR) me hod o
gain a comp ehensi e and objec i e insigh in o exis ing esea ch. This app oach allows
o he iden i ica ion o esea ch gaps and in eg a ion o a ious indings o guide u u e
esea ch. The sea ch s a egy in Web o Science (WoS) and Scopus da abases was s uc u ed
o enable he iden i ica ion o ele an s udies. The sea ch ocus was on pee - e iewed
jou nals indexed in he SSCI and ESCI, co e ing publica ions om 2020 o 2025. To di ec
he sea ch owa ds he mos impo an aspec s o he esea ch, key e ms ela ed o “Design
Thinking”, he “digi aliza ion o employmen ”, and “selec ion p ocesses” we e used. This
ensu ed ha he sea ch encompassed only ele an scien i ic pape s in English pe aining
o he applica ion o DT in he con ex o employmen and human esou ce managemen .
The aim o his s a egy was o collec a wide ange o s udies analysing how digi al ools
and he i e a i e app oach o DT can enhance selec ion p ocesses and imp o e candida e
alignmen wi h o ganiza ional cul u e.
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 139 15 o 17
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