The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving 604: How Design Thinking Rebuilt IBM and Reached 400,000 Employees
Nov 24, 2025
Phil Gilbert, former General Manager of Design at IBM and author of "Irresistible Change," shares insights from leading a massive cultural transformation. He discusses how design thinking reshaped IBM's approach to product development and customer engagement. Phil emphasizes the importance of empathy and direct communication with customers. He also reveals strategies for scaling change across a vast organization while managing internal politics. Gilbert argues that viewing change as a product can help foster a culture open to innovation.
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Early Lessons From Busing And IDEO
- Phil's early exposure to busing integration in Oklahoma City taught him rapid societal change is possible.
- Working with IDEO's David Kelly introduced design thinking as a method to scale quality and critical thinking.
Radical Product Pruning At IBM
- Phil reduced 44 overlapping products to four and cut headcount from 1,200 to 700 while nearly doubling revenue.
- He achieved this by pruning the portfolio, adding designers/product managers, and deeply listening to customers.
Embed Human-Centered Design Everywhere
- Roll out human-centered design practices across product teams to restore market fit.
- Combine new practices with targeted hires and a sales desk to support customers during deprecation.
