iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Andres Schäfer @andresschafer.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

A take on what is happening in VW and -by extension- in Germany: "Turning points are brutal for incumbents built on the previous paradigm’s logic", and cost cutting only buys time. shorturl.at/5jGj3. By @rgmcgrath.bsky.social. Note to @surplusmagazin.de

fastcompany.com

Volkswagen is a case study in what’s wrong with many of our biggest industrial companies

There’s a lot to learn from what’s happening with one of the world’s most consequential employers.

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Chris Shipley @cshipley.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

On today's episode of the Thought Sparks Podcast, I join @rgmcgrath.bsky.social to talk about our new essay collection, "Leading for Tomorrow", and what skills leaders need to meet the current moment. #ThoughtSparks #RitaMcGrathMedia #LeadingForTomorrow youtube.com/watch?v=HCPy6xhn7rI&authuser=0

youtube.com

Unlocking Human Potential with Rita McGrath and Chris Shipley and Scott Barry Kaufman

YouTube video by Rita McGrath

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Happy Tax Day, everyone. May your deductions be plentiful and your audits nonexistent. 🧾 #TaxDay #TurboTax #Strategy #TaxDay #CompetitiveAdvantage

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

In all seriousness – taxes are the price of civilization, as Oliver Wendell Holmes put it. And for strategists, today is a useful reminder that every resource allocation decision has a cost, whether it shows up on your return or not. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some forms to file.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

It's Tax Day, and I'm thinking about competitive advantage. Specifically, the IRS has one of the most durable ones I've ever seen. No disruption, no new entrants, and extremely high switching costs. You have to admire the business model.

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Andres Schäfer @andresschafer.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Based on the framework of @carlotaperez.bsky.social, @rgmcgrath.bsky.social cleverly outlines the blind spot nobody wants to see in the current debate: the crisis at Hormuz is an opportunity; the spike in oil prices, a market signal. Worth and necessary read. shorturl.at/6B8W1.

shorturl.at

Expensive crude oil: An inflation India might benefit from

Iran War: Rattling oil markets and predictions of $150 per barrel are forcing a reevaluation of cheap energy's long-held economic assumptions. This price shock, rather than a catastrophe, could be a n...

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Check out the video from last year's event to get a feel for what the conference is like! www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7hB... #GPDF #Druckerforum #conferences

youtube.com

Drucker Forum 2025 Impressions Day 1 + 2

YouTube video by Global Peter Drucker Forum

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Tickets are now on sale for the Global Peter Drucker Forum, happening November 4 and 5 in Vienna. You can get an early bird discount - and the theme this year is around innovation as the wellspring for growth. onlineregistrations.eu/events/druck...

onlineregistrations.eu

Registration form

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sabinanawaz.bsky.social @sabinanawaz.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

Power is like a broken volume knob. Everything communicated up is muted. Check out the full conversation with @rgmcgrath.bsky.social on her #podcast, Thought Sparks: lnkd.in/gz4y8sHq

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

My piece on the end of the billable hour, in the December 15 edition of the Wall Street Journal – as AI can increasingly handle the routine work of professional services in a matter of minutes, how then do we value human judgment, creativity, and relationship management? @wsj.com

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sabinanawaz.bsky.social @sabinanawaz.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Join my conversation with @rgmcgrath.bsky.social on her #podcast, Thought Sparks, where I shed light on how pressure - and not just power - corrupts, and insights into what managers can do about it: lnkd.in/gz4y8sHq

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

When AI handles routine cognitive work in seconds and minutes, the remaining human contribution shifts toward judgment, creativity and relationship management — the value of which bears little relationship to time expended. Could this be the end of the billable hour? www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-g...

wsj.com

Say Goodbye to the Billable Hour, Thanks to AI

With AI taking over their grunt work, lawyers and other professionals may have to charge for outcomes rather than time spent

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Mark Vanderbeeken @vanderbeeken.app.leafplaza.eu · 04/12/2025

"Every company talks about “customer-centricity,” but surveillance pricing reveals the tension between serving customers better and extracting maximum value from them." @rgmcgrath.bsky.social www.fastcompany.com/91451686/dyn...

fastcompany.com

Why dynamic pricing is becoming the rule, not the exception

Is the era of fixed prices over?

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

It's about how strategy should address the human need for certainty, and how to build "memories of the future" - the basis for the early warnings system in Seeing Around Corners.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

This week's edition of Action Points features Sabina Nawaz's practical tips for coping with the pressures of leadership, including designing more purposeful "containers" such as rituals or meetings, and developing "Blank Space" windows organization-wide to develop clarity on your shared goals.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

A new tool from the Thought Sparks Podcast - Action Points. Action Points are the shovel-ready strategic insights from my conversations with authors, thought leaders, and industry experts that join me on the Thought Sparks Podcast.

ritamcgrath.com

Thought Sparks Form A10007 - Rita McGrath

Rita's thoughts and insights on the industry are shared on her newsletter, Thought Sparks.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

You can’t afford to wait for information to trickle up and down the hierarchy. In a world shaped by AI, geopolitical shifts, and constant reinvention, we need organizations that learn as fast as they execute.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

This book is for the people responsible for answering that question. For those making big decisions about how work happens, how people grow, and how strategy moves through an organization.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Big news: I’m writing a new book. Over the past few years, I’ve advised C-suite leaders facing unprecedented levels of change. The most urgent question they’re asking? How do we build organizations that can adapt—fast? Coming October 13, 2026. #Permissionless #Unbossed #Strategy #Innovation

Rita McGrath, business strategist, signs copies of her book, "Seeing Around Corners".

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Its mission remains the same: de-risk innovation by embracing uncertainty. And as generative #AI reshapes work as profoundly as mechanization reshaped labor, we need these tools more than ever. Here’s to 30 years—and the future still ahead. #DDG #ritamcgrathgroup #strategy #businessstrategy #csuite

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

From minimum viable products to reverse income statements, these techniques became the foundation for what’s now standard in innovation circles. Today, Discovery-Driven Growth is used across industries: from Amazon to Mastercard, in classrooms around the world.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Instead of conventional forecasting, we asked: 🔹What must be true for this idea to succeed? 🔹How can we test that assumption quickly and cheaply? 🔹What can we learn before we bet big?

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

I noticed companies struggling to enter new spaces as if they had facts, when all they really had were assumptions. So we flipped the script.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

💡30 years ago, we introduced a radical idea: plan to learn, not to be right. Today, that idea - Discovery-Driven Growth - is more relevant than ever. In the mid-90s, the internet was just emerging, and traditional competitive advantages were starting to erode. apnews.com/press-releas...

apnews.com

Discovery-Driven Planning, A Transformative Approach to Managing Uncertainty, Celebrates 30th Anniversary

How Rita McGrath and Ian MacMillan’s revolutionary idea continues to shape strategy in an uncertain world.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Scott's book – out today! – unpacks 11 major disruptions that dramatically changed our lives. It's funny, engaging, and insightful, and I recommend it to anyone looking to decode disruption.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

What do gunpowder, Pampers diapers, the iPhone, and Julia Child's The Art of French Cooking all have in common? They were massive forces of disruption that changed the way we live, all featured in Scott Anthony's new book "Epic Disruptions".

amazon.com

Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World

Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World [Anthony, Scott D.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

I was sad to learn of the passing of fashion icon Giorgio Armani, who defined professional dressing for a generation. In 2024 I wrote an appreciation for an essay collection about him on the occasion of his 90th birthday, which I've reprinted. The man was a genius. www.linkedin.com/pulse/giorgi...

linkedin.com

Giorgio Armani Does Things His Way

In 2024 I wrote this appreciation for a collection of essays about Giorgio Armani on the occasion of his 90th birthday. Those who have singlehandedly spurred an inflection point in human affairs are a...

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be joining the MIT Sloan Management Review Editorial Advisory Board! It's an honor to offer guidance to SMR on the state of management, and collaborate with my fellow board members to help highlight the best and brightest in research and practice. #MITSloan

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

...That mindset mirrors strategic optionality: preparing for multiple futures by identifying no-regret moves and well-defined trigger points for action."

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Forbes Councils Member David Jones put it aptly: "It's not enough to spot these early signals of change. The real challenge is building organizations resilient and responsive enough to act when the moment is right....

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Inflection points – which are 10X shifts in what's possible – don't come out of nowhere. Rather, you can spot the early warnings at the edges of an organization that warn of a brewing inflection point.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Great piece in Forbes about strategic optionality, citing one of my favorite reminders that "Snow melts from the edges", from my book, Seeing Around Corners. www.forbes.com/councils/for...

forbes.com

Strategic Optionality: How Global Leaders Build Resilience By Design

The real danger isn't moving too quickly, but committing too early to a single path.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

I'll be leading a session with Steve Denning on how autonomous teams, guided by Agile principles, can drive innovation and create customer value.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

In a rapidly changing world, how should firms and leaders approach value creation? We're convening the Management Summit this September 23-24 in Lisbon to explore proven strategies for creating value. Learn more here: www.managementsummit.org

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

With cases from the Democratic Party, the Nine Inch Nails, Tesla, and more, we discuss the importance of storytelling and narrative thinking in a time of information overload, shortened attention spans, and persuasion used for powers of good and evil.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Today's episode of the Thought Sparks Podcast features Frank Rose, a digital anthropologist and senior fellow at the Columbia University School of the Arts. Watch and listen to Frank's episode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCw0... #ThoughtSparks #ThoughtSparksPodcast #StrategicStorytelling #Persuasion

youtube.com

The Strategic Edge of Storytelling with Rita McGrath and Frank Rose

YouTube video by Rita McGrath

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

I've asked her to talk about her new book, "The Trailblazer's Playbook" to give hope to those who think they can't make an impact in these complex, confusing times. Sylvia is living proof that it can be done! You can pre-order the book here: www.amazon.com/Trailblazers....

amazon.com

The Trailblazer's Playbook: Practical Tactics to Rise Against the Odds and Achieve Excellence

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Here's a scoop - you heard it here first, folks. Sylvia Acevedo, one of my personal leadership icons, rocket scientist, former CEO of the Girl Scouts and much more will be joining our September edition of "Leading Strategic Growth and Change," my Columbia Executive Education course.

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Carlota Perez @carlotaperez.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

Maybe it's time to understand why, from the 1980s, US productivity went to profits and not to wages. It was the import of cheap consumer goods from China! Will wages have to go up and profits down now? Shouldn't the US specialise in high tech industries and services and pay better?

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

This company's story is a great example of how to be both stable and ever changing. There's no contradiction there. Being able to do both at the same time is a key element to success. #Leadership #Management #PayItForward #Gratitude

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Congratulations to Armstrong World Industries for making Industry Week's U.S. 50 Best Manufacturing List. It's an impressive achievement - from a growth perspective and to debut in the #2 spot. I'm thrilled to learn that CEO Vic Grizzle has found my research helpful in growing the company.

industryweek.com

Armstrong World Industries Targets Stability, Achieves Growth

The Pennsylvania-based maker of ceiling tiles and engineering architectural installations for buildings took a multi-year approach to targeting stability and adaptability, making...

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

We discuss how Karla broke barriers in a traditionally male-dominated industry, and how innovation efforts are breathing new life into the manufacturing sector. ➡️ Follow the #ThoughtSparksPodcast on your favorite podcast platform: linktr.ee/ritamcgrath #ThoughtSparks #Manufacturing

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Today's episode of the Thought Sparks Podcast features Karla Trotman, CEO of ElectroSoft, Inc, the largest Black- and woman-owned electronics contract manufacturer in the United States and author of "Dark, Dirty, Dangerous: Building the Vibrant Future of Manufacturing". 💡 youtu.be/zG6j7AjpLjU?...

youtu.be

The Future of Manufacturing with Rita McGrath and Karla Trotman

YouTube video by Rita McGrath

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

We discuss her new book Dark, Dirty, Dangerous, where she breaks down the stereotype of manufacturing as low-skill, grimy work and reframes it as a technology-rich, opportunity-laden sector that can both fuel national competitiveness and close the racial wealth gap. #BlackOwned #ThoughtSparks

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

My guest on the Thought Sparks Podcast next week is Karla Trotman, CEO of ElectroSoft, Inc, the largest Black- and woman-owned electronics contract manufacturer in the United States. Tune in for the episode release at 11 am EST on Tuesday, July 1: linktr.ee/ritamcgrath #ThoughtSparksPodcast

linktr.ee

Rita McGrath | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok | Linktree

Professor at Columbia Business School. Author, speaker, and strategic advisor.

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Thanks to @yetvart.bsky.social for this glowing review of Thought Sparks! Published biweekly on Tuesdays, Thought Sparks tie in new and enduring ideas around innovation and strategy with today’s business trends. Find Thought Sparks on Substack: thoughtsparks.substack.com

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