No, I don’t think so. Design thinking is about deferring judgment and empathizing with others. It’s about looking beyond, and thus looking around with wonder. It is about collaboration, visualization and experimentation. Just starting on a plan, developing step by step and continuing to reflect. This is something children can do very well. However, somewhere towards our adult life we have often unlearned this and started to think and work very rationally.
I believe that many people can make this way of working their own. It takes some practice and perseverance. A designer can certainly help to bring more speed and direction to a design or innovation process. After all, designers love change and complicated issues. This is another opportunity to make the world a little more beautiful.