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Did you miss our PRINT Book Club with Phil Gilbert? Register here to watch the recording and buy your copy of Irresistible Change: A Blueprint for Earning Buy-In and Breakout Success.
The catalyst behind IBM’s modern transformation joined our PRINT Book Club stage this month. Phil Gilbert had built several start-ups before one of them was bought by IBM. As the enterprise absorbed his company, Gilbert experienced a culture that lacked curiosity and empathy. When, after two months, he set about to leave, IBM asked him to help them change it. It’s a mammoth challenge when you’re dealing with 400,000 team members.
The means? Design. Design thinking. User experience design. Gilbert argues that design gives us a formal framework for scaling quality and empathy. Design is key to a mindset shift that prioritizes the audience you are designing for over the product you are designing. However, “design” can ring hollow if you don’t operate from a shared meaning. So they branded a stand-in term, “hallmark,” to “pour all the values and intentions into it, creating something everyone could latch onto.” Defining the vision outside the ubiquitous terminology also freed leadership to think bigger.
His book, Irresistible Change, tells the story of that shift.
Change happens because it’s earned, because people want it.
Phil Gilbert
We found solace in Gilbert’s wisdom, from the nuts and bolts of how IBM changed its culture to how people can effect change generally, to why, for him, “design” isn’t about the skills. On AI, for example, Gilbert is optimistic that designers will shape and succeed in the coming economy. “AI rewards the divergent thinking of the designer.”
There’s so much more to the story, and we hope you’ll tune in to the recording.
About the Author
Phil Gilbert is a recognized leader in design, culture, and organizational transformation, known for driving innovation at scale. In 2012, he was tasked with revitalizing IBM’s legendary design program, spearheading a bold effort to transform how the company approaches and solves complex challenges.
By integrating formally-trained designers across the organization and reskilling thousands of employees in design thinking and agile practices, Gilbert helped establish a sustainable culture of creativity and collaboration. This transformation set a new global standard for the role of design in business and was featured in The New York Times, Fortune, and the acclaimed documentary The Loop.
Register here to watch the discussion and buy your copy of Irresistible Change: A Blueprint for Earning Buy-In and Breakout Success.
The post Curiosity & Empathy at Scale: Book Club Recap With Phil Gilbert appeared first on PRINT Magazine.