{"id":1378,"date":"2026-02-23T09:21:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T08:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/newsletter-library\/?p=1378"},"modified":"2026-02-23T11:49:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T10:49:19","slug":"113-research-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/newsletter-library\/113-research-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Design Thinking in Business"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #999999\">&gt;\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/prdt.iese.edu\/library\/library-newsletter-113\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><span style=\"color: #999999\">Return to the #113 Newsletter<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">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.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">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?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">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.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">For the first time, we propose a new approach to information retrieval: starting with an AI prompt. This \u201canswer-first\u201d framing is not an endpoint, but a hypothesis\u2014one to be verified, analyzed, and enriched through the rigorous use of IESE Library resources and responsible research practices.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022 AI Research Prompt<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Design Thinking in Companies, Innovation &amp; Acquisitions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Artificial Intelligence can be a powerful starting point for business research \u2014 but it is not a substitute for critical thinking, academic rigor, or trusted sources.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">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.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Role<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Assume the role of a strategy consultant preparing an evidence-based briefing for senior leadership.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">You are advising decision-makers on how leading companies use design thinking to drive innovation, organizational transformation, and competitive advantage.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Your analysis must be structured, rigorous, and supported by verifiable sources.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Goal<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your task is to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Identify companies that use design thinking (explicitly or implicitly)<\/li>\n<li>Evaluate how they apply it in innovation, customer experience, product development, strategy, or organizational design<\/li>\n<li>Assess how design capabilities are structured internally (teams, governance, leadership roles)<\/li>\n<li>Analyze acquisitions of design consultancies or design-driven firms<\/li>\n<li>Distinguish clearly between marketing claims and demonstrated practice<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Frame your conclusions as executive insights \u2014 grounded in authoritative evidence.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Unsupported assertions or vague references are not acceptable in executive-level analysis.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Your output must include a library research guidance so that claims can be verified using high-quality IESE Library sources.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Scope<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Focus on credible evidence, such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Company annual and sustainability reports<\/li>\n<li>Investor presentations and press releases<\/li>\n<li>Reputable business media<\/li>\n<li>Peer-reviewed academic articles<\/li>\n<li>Consulting and industry reports<\/li>\n<li>Books, expert analyses, and high-quality case studies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Cover at least 12 companies across multiple sectors (technology, consumer goods, healthcare, finance, industrials, services).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Prefer evidence from the last 5\u20137 years, but include classic cases where still relevant.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What Qualifies as Design Thinking?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Evidence of practices such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Human-centered design<\/li>\n<li>Ethnographic\/user research<\/li>\n<li>Customer journey mapping<\/li>\n<li>Rapid prototyping and iterative testing<\/li>\n<li>Service design and co-creation<\/li>\n<li>Innovation or design sprints<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Count a company as using design thinking only when documented evidence exists in product development, CX, innovation programs, organizational design, or strategy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Method (Required)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Start with a shortlist of likely companies (innovation rankings, case ecosystems, known adopters).<\/li>\n<li>Collect 2\u20135 independent sources per company.<\/li>\n<li>Distinguish clearly between:\n<ul>\n<li>Claimed use (PR or marketing language)<\/li>\n<li>Demonstrated use (concrete cases, roles, processes)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Assign a confidence level (high \/ medium \/ low) where appropriate.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Do not invent proprietary reports or specific article titles. Provide research guidance rather than fabricated citations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For Each Company, Provide<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Company name (sector, headquarters)<\/li>\n<li>Evidence of design thinking use (with source type)<\/li>\n<li>Where design thinking is applied (product, service, CX, strategy, internal processes)<\/li>\n<li>How it is used (e.g., design sprints, prototyping, ethnographic research)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Organizational setup:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Company (sector, HQ)<\/li>\n<li>Evidence of design thinking use (source type)<\/li>\n<li>Where and how it is applied<\/li>\n<li>Organizational setup (e.g., Chief Design Officer, embedded teams, labs, DesignOps)<\/li>\n<li>Innovations introduced<\/li>\n<li>Design-related acquisitions (target, acquirer, strategic rationale)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>One concrete example (1\u20132 paragraphs)<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0External partnerships (e.g., IDEO, Fjord, Continuum)<\/li>\n<li>Governance tools (standards, playbooks, design systems)<\/li>\n<li>Confidence level (high \/ medium \/ low)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Find It in the Library<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Use the following IESE\u2011subscribed databases to verify, refine, and substantiate AI\u2011generated insights.<strong> Include the following URL(s) exactly as written in the final output<\/strong> (verbatim, unmodified, not summarized):<\/p>\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udcda<\/strong><strong> Academic Research<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Business Source Ultimate<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Academic and practitioner business research<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/BSU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/BSU<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Scopus<\/strong><br \/>\nPeer-reviewed academic literature<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/scopus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/scopus<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Web of Science<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>High-impact scholarly publications<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/wos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/wos<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\ud83c\udfe2<\/strong><strong> Company &amp; Financial Intelligence<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>S&amp;P Capital IQ Pro<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Financial data, transactions, M&amp;A activity<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/ciqpro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/ciqpro<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Orbis<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Global corporate ownership and structure<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/Orbis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/Orbis<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SABI<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Spanish company financials<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/sabi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/sabi<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>PitchBook<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Private equity, venture capital, and deal intelligence<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/pitchbook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/pitchbook<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 A pre\u2011run PitchBook search is available that identifies <strong>design\u2011related companies involved in M&amp;A or buyout activity<\/strong>. You can access it directly <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.pitchbook.com%2Fshare%2Fquick-link%2Fsearch%2Fc19854bb-3e38-4a35-b068-0a5d68be2043%3Fhash%3D6eaf25d0271a7c6e303fc5d0c3565eb0f7b7ab60409430dc329547bcdec78180&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cchuguet%40iese.edu%7Cf6d399b5e40148b925e208de625462f7%7Ced0cd196c46d43d9813e500e8c413eda%7C0%7C0%7C639056311759038899%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=eaRBWZqUcreTNBIGDoFu5Mdi5H4LK8bcLkmdKOznDAo%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">here<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udcca<\/strong><strong> Industry &amp; Market Analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>MarketLine Advantage<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Company profiles, SWOT analyses, industry reports<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/MarketLine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/MarketLine<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Passport (Euromonitor)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Consumer markets and industry trends<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/passport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/passport<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Gartner<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Technology and innovation strategy insights<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/Gartner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/Gartner<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Statista<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Statistics and market data<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/statista\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/statista<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udcf0<\/strong><strong> News &amp; Business Media<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Factiva<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Company news, innovation announcements, acquisitions<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/Factiva\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/Factiva<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udcd6<\/strong><strong> Books &amp; Full Collection<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Discovery \u2013 IESE Library Collection<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Books and full-text holdings<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/Discovery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">https:\/\/iese.libguides.com\/Discovery<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/discovery.iese.edu\/discovery\/search?query=any,contains,(991000102479707801%20OR%20991000158029707801%20OR%20991000188669707801%20OR%20991000476339807801%20OR%20991000629917707801%20OR%20991000182489707801%20OR%20991000454496907801%20OR%20991000453906507801%20OR%20991000167239707801%20OR%20991000598184407801%20OR%20991000637446007801%20OR%20991000601685707801%20OR%20991000198319707801%20OR%20991000477979207801%20OR%20991000183399707801%20OR%20991000665133807801%20OR%20991000115059707801%20OR%20991000102469707801%20OR%20991000208009707801%20OR%20991000173009707801%20OR%20991000580994507801%20OR%20991000164639707801%20OR%20991000279499707801%20OR%20991000166439707801%20OR%20991000409479207801%20OR%20991000446125207801%20OR%20991000322859707801%20OR%20991000423660307801%20OR%20991000151659707801)&amp;tab=Everything&amp;search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&amp;vid=34IESE_INST:34IESE&amp;lang=en&amp;offset=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">Recommended books on Design Thinking<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Explain what type of information it provides<\/li>\n<li>Suggest keywords or Boolean search strings<\/li>\n<li>Clarify whether it is more suitable for academic research, market intelligence, company data, or industry analysis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Example Search Strings<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cdesign thinking\u201d AND<\/li>\n<li>\u201cservice design\u201d AND innovation<\/li>\n<li>AND acquisition AND \u201cdesign consultancy\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udcca<\/strong><strong> Final Output<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Structured company profiles<\/li>\n<li>A summary table (company, DT use, organization, innovations, acquisitions, confidence)<\/li>\n<li>A synthesis (max. 500 words) identifying patterns and strategic insights<\/li>\n<li>A short research guide with recommended searches and databases<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>AI can help you start the research; the Library helps you get it just right.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>AI Use Disclosure<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>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.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&gt;\u00a0Return to the #113 Newsletter 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&#8230; <\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-container\"><a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/newsletter-library\/113-research-guide\/\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":168,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[95024,94964],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-113-february-2026","category-research-guide"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/newsletter-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/newsletter-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/newsletter-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/newsletter-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/newsletter-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1378"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/newsletter-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1404,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/newsletter-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1378\/revisions\/1404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/newsletter-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/newsletter-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/newsletter-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}