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Rita McGrath

@rgmcgrath.bsky.social

350 followers 160 following 260 posts

Columbia University Business School Professor | C-Suite Strategist | Thinkers 50 Top 10 | Best-selling author | Founder, Valize and Rita McGrath Group https://linktr.ee/ritamcgrath

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Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Nov 21

Allow me to formally introduce myself.🤝 My name is Rita McGrath, and I am proud to have authored ideas that the late Clayton Christensen said are "some of the most important in management - ever".👇

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 12h

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.

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 12h

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.

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 12h

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".

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 4d

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

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 4d

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.

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 4d

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?

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 4d

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.

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 4d

💡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...

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.

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 27d

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.

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · 27d

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".

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

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Sep 4

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...

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...

www.linkedin.com

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Aug 6

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

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Aug 1

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

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Aug 1

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....

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Aug 1

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.

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Aug 1

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...

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.

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Jul 16

#MS25 #Leadership #Resilience #ManagementSummit #Lisbon #TheAgileThinkers #WorldManagementAgilityForum #Agile #Lean #PurposeDriven #Management

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Jul 16

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

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Jul 16

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

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Jul 15

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.

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Jul 15

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

The Strategic Edge of Storytelling with Rita McGrath and Frank Rose

YouTube video by Rita McGrath

www.youtube.com

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Jul 14

Our last edition of the course sold out completely, so if you'd like to join us to kick-start your academic year, don't put off registering.

execed.business.columbia.edu/programs/lsg...

#trailblazersplaybook #seeingaroundcorners #womeninbusiness #womeninleadership #executiveeducation

Leading Strategic Growth and Change | Columbia Business School ExecEd

Explore how to develop strategies and lead organizational changes to drive growth amid uncertainty in this in-person Leading Strategic Growth and Change program.

execed.business.columbia.edu

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Jul 14

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....

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

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Jul 14

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.

Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social · Jul 11

One of the best lines ever!

Steve Davis 🇺🇸♥️🤍💙 #TakeBackTheFlag @stevedavis1948.bsky.social · May 16

ht Betty Davis.