We’ve walked in your shoes — as HR professionals, leaders, and employees. Today, we bring those experiences together to apply design thinking to complex workplace challenges and help organizations create more meaningful work experiences.
The Collective
We are a global network of employee experience designers, facilitators, and strategists led by Nicole Dessain.
Together, we help organizations re-imagine the way they work — blending strategy, empathy, and experimentation to create more human-centered, innovative workplaces.
Depending on the project, we partner with seasoned researchers, coaches, and design thinking practitioners from our global community to bring the right expertise and perspective to every engagement.
This flexible model ensures that each client benefits from tailored support, specialized skill sets, and the collective creativity of our extended ecosystem — without the overhead of a large consulting firm.
My creative super power is “connecting the dots”. What’s yours?
The Founder
Hi, my name is Nicole Dessain, Founder and Managing Director at talent.imperative inc.
Over the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of partnering with global giants like Apple, BASF, Cisco, Comcast, Edelman, McDonald’s, Mercedes-Benz, UNIQLO, Walgreens, and Walmart, as well as small but mighty organizations like Grubhub, Arity, IDEO, Change Healthcare, and the NBA’s Orlando Magic.
After discovering design thinking more than a decade ago, I became a lifelong student of the method — earning certifications from IDEO U and the LUMA Institute. I now serve as a Lecturer at Northwestern University’s Master’s in Learning and Organizational Change Program, where I teach how design thinking can drive innovation in organizational effectiveness.
I’m deeply passionate about the intersection of strategy, innovation, culture, and talent, and I share my insights through my Design Thinking for HR LinkedIn Newsletter and through speaking engagements with forward-thinking HR and business communities worldwide.
One of my favorite quotes captures my passions for design, culture, and curiosity:“Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food. It’s a plus for everybody.” - Anthony Bourdain
Let’s walk this path together toward more human-centered organizations. Oh, and stop by LinkedIn to say hi — I’d love to connect.