604: How Design Thinking Rebuilt IBM and Reached 400,000 Employees

604: How Design Thinking Rebuilt IBM and Reached 400,000 Employees

Author: FirmsConsulting.com & StrategyTraining.com November 24, 2025 Duration: 58:03

Phil Gilbert led one of the most significant cultural transformations in corporate history, as IBM's General Manager of Design, he helped the 400,000-person company reinvent how it thinks, listens, and builds products.

 

In this in-depth interview, Phil shares the playbook behind "Irresistible Change", his approach to scaling design thinking, transforming culture, and helping teams adopt new ways of working that actually work.

 

If you've ever wondered how to lead large-scale transformation that doesn't collapse under politics or mandates, this conversation will show you the operating system behind lasting change.

 

About Phil Gilbert
Phil is the author of Irresistible Change and is best known for leading IBM's twenty-first-century transformation as its General Manager of Design. His work has been profiled in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and numerous case studies on corporate reinvention.

Get Phil's book, Irresistible Change, here: https://shorturl.at/dA4Z3

 

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Tune into The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving for conversations that move beyond abstract theory and into the practical mechanics of decision-making. Hosted by the teams behind FirmsConsulting.com & StrategyTraining.com, this series connects you directly to the minds shaping how organizations and individuals operate. Each episode features a diverse roster of guests, including sitting CEOs, senior partners from top consulting firms, acclaimed academics, and even high performers from sports and the arts, all dissecting pressing challenges in business and society. What you'll hear is a deep, unfiltered exchange of ideas on applying strategic frameworks, exercising genuine leadership, and honing the critical thinking required to solve complex problems. The dialogue is built for professionals aiming to advance their careers, managers seeking more effective tools, and anyone interested in the disciplined thought processes that drive success. This podcast serves as an audio companion for those who want to learn from real-world application, not just textbook cases. By focusing on the interplay between strategy, leadership, and problem-solving, it provides actionable insights you can use immediately in your own work and life.
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The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving
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