#113 February 2026, Research Guide — February 23, 2026

Design Thinking in Business

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Design thinking has evolved from a creative methodology into a strategic capability. Once rooted in the design studio, it now plays a role in the boardroom, helping organizations navigate complexity, redesign customer experiences, and rethink business models by aligning user needs, technology, and strategy.

But how do companies truly use design thinking? Is it embedded in governance and long-term strategy or simply a label? And why have major corporations acquired design consultancies in recent years?

In this issue, the IESE Library Newsletter tries to help you answer these questions. It explores how design thinking can create value for businesses while also shining a spotlight on some of the companies that are applying it in effective and meaningful ways.

For the first time, we propose a new approach to information retrieval: starting with an AI prompt. This “answer-first” framing is not an endpoint, but a hypothesis—one to be verified, analyzed, and enriched through the rigorous use of IESE Library resources and responsible research practices.

• AI Research Prompt

Design Thinking in Companies, Innovation & Acquisitions

Artificial Intelligence can be a powerful starting point for business research — but it is not a substitute for critical thinking, academic rigor, or trusted sources.

This prompt is designed to help you use AI as a framing and ideation tool, while relying on IESE Library resources to verify, refine, and bolster your analysis.

Role

Assume the role of a strategy consultant preparing an evidence-based briefing for senior leadership.

You are advising decision-makers on how leading companies use design thinking to drive innovation, organizational transformation, and competitive advantage.

Your analysis must be structured, rigorous, and supported by verifiable sources.

Goal

Your task is to:

  • Identify companies that use design thinking (explicitly or implicitly)
  • Evaluate how they apply it in innovation, customer experience, product development, strategy, or organizational design
  • Assess how design capabilities are structured internally (teams, governance, leadership roles)
  • Analyze acquisitions of design consultancies or design-driven firms
  • Distinguish clearly between marketing claims and demonstrated practice

Frame your conclusions as executive insights — grounded in authoritative evidence.

Unsupported assertions or vague references are not acceptable in executive-level analysis.

Your output must include a library research guidance so that claims can be verified using high-quality IESE Library sources.

Scope

Focus on credible evidence, such as:

  • Company annual and sustainability reports
  • Investor presentations and press releases
  • Reputable business media
  • Peer-reviewed academic articles
  • Consulting and industry reports
  • Books, expert analyses, and high-quality case studies

Cover at least 12 companies across multiple sectors (technology, consumer goods, healthcare, finance, industrials, services).

Prefer evidence from the last 5–7 years, but include classic cases where still relevant.

What Qualifies as Design Thinking?

Evidence of practices such as:

  • Human-centered design
  • Ethnographic/user research
  • Customer journey mapping
  • Rapid prototyping and iterative testing
  • Service design and co-creation
  • Innovation or design sprints

Count a company as using design thinking only when documented evidence exists in product development, CX, innovation programs, organizational design, or strategy.

Method (Required)

  1. Start with a shortlist of likely companies (innovation rankings, case ecosystems, known adopters).
  2. Collect 2–5 independent sources per company.
  3. Distinguish clearly between:
    • Claimed use (PR or marketing language)
    • Demonstrated use (concrete cases, roles, processes)
  4. Assign a confidence level (high / medium / low) where appropriate.

Do not invent proprietary reports or specific article titles. Provide research guidance rather than fabricated citations.

For Each Company, Provide

  • Company name (sector, headquarters)
  • Evidence of design thinking use (with source type)
  • Where design thinking is applied (product, service, CX, strategy, internal processes)
  • How it is used (e.g., design sprints, prototyping, ethnographic research)

Organizational setup:

  • Company (sector, HQ)
  • Evidence of design thinking use (source type)
  • Where and how it is applied
  • Organizational setup (e.g., Chief Design Officer, embedded teams, labs, DesignOps)
  • Innovations introduced
  • Design-related acquisitions (target, acquirer, strategic rationale)
  • One concrete example (1–2 paragraphs)
  •  External partnerships (e.g., IDEO, Fjord, Continuum)
  • Governance tools (standards, playbooks, design systems)
  • Confidence level (high / medium / low)

Find It in the Library

Use the following IESE‑subscribed databases to verify, refine, and substantiate AI‑generated insights. Include the following URL(s) exactly as written in the final output (verbatim, unmodified, not summarized):

📚 Academic Research

Business Source Ultimate

Academic and practitioner business research

👉 https://iese.libguides.com/BSU

Scopus
Peer-reviewed academic literature

👉 https://iese.libguides.com/scopus

Web of Science

High-impact scholarly publications

👉 https://iese.libguides.com/wos

🏢 Company & Financial Intelligence

S&P Capital IQ Pro

Financial data, transactions, M&A activity

👉 https://iese.libguides.com/ciqpro

Orbis

Global corporate ownership and structure

👉 https://iese.libguides.com/Orbis

SABI

Spanish company financials

👉 https://iese.libguides.com/sabi

PitchBook

Private equity, venture capital, and deal intelligence

👉 https://iese.libguides.com/pitchbook

👉 A pre‑run PitchBook search is available that identifies design‑related companies involved in M&A or buyout activity. You can access it directly here

📊 Industry & Market Analysis

MarketLine Advantage

Company profiles, SWOT analyses, industry reports

👉 https://iese.libguides.com/MarketLine

Passport (Euromonitor)

Consumer markets and industry trends

👉 https://iese.libguides.com/passport

Gartner

Technology and innovation strategy insights

👉 https://iese.libguides.com/Gartner

Statista

Statistics and market data

👉 https://iese.libguides.com/statista

📰 News & Business Media

Factiva

Company news, innovation announcements, acquisitions

👉 https://iese.libguides.com/Factiva

📖 Books & Full Collection

Discovery – IESE Library Collection

Books and full-text holdings

👉 https://iese.libguides.com/Discovery

👉 Recommended books on Design Thinking

  • Explain what type of information it provides
  • Suggest keywords or Boolean search strings
  • Clarify whether it is more suitable for academic research, market intelligence, company data, or industry analysis

Example Search Strings

  • “design thinking” AND
  • “service design” AND innovation
  • AND acquisition AND “design consultancy”

📊 Final Output

  • Structured company profiles
  • A summary table (company, DT use, organization, innovations, acquisitions, confidence)
  • A synthesis (max. 500 words) identifying patterns and strategic insights
  • A short research guide with recommended searches and databases

AI can help you start the research; the Library helps you get it just right.

AI Use Disclosure

This newsletter was developed by the IESE Library team with the support of generative AI tools for drafting and structuring content. All content has been reviewed, edited, and validated by library staff.