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...

"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...

Here's some exciting news: a number of my Thought Sparks articles are being released in Spanish in Gestión! Here's the first one: #Gestión #Estrategia #Innovación gestion.com.do/el-hambre-de...

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.

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

💡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...

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".

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...

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

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...

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

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

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.

One of the best lines ever!

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?

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.

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?...

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

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

Live from New York...it's a special edition of the Thought Sparks Podcast featuring Sharon Price John, Build-A-Bear Workshop CEO! Tune into "Thought Sparks Live" here: youtu.be/IjygirZBgcs?... #ThoughtSparks #ThoughtSparksPodcast #leadership #womeninleadership #womeninbusiness #strategy

As reciprocal tariffs mount and global trade relationships shift, apparel brands are facing an #inflectionpoint. What exactly does this mean?👇 - Once-reliable assumptions about stable pricing, frictionless trade, and predictable costs no longer hold true.

Mergers and acquisitions are an attractive strategy for companies looking to consolidate abnd recalibrate. I spoke with Jessica Binns at Vogue Business about fashion M&A and the uncertainty around US tariffs and supply chain issues. ➡️Read more here: www.voguebusiness.com/story/compan...

The Merger Mirage: The Triumph of Hope over Experience, by Rita McGrath @rgmcgrath.bsky.social / Thought Sparks - Substack thoughtsparks.substack.com/p/the-merger...

Outside of political junkies in places like Washington, ordinary people are busy getting on with their lives. They aren't glued to the latest in 50+ announcements over tariffs, industrial policy or (yawn) bilateral trade agreements. I joined WHEC to break it down: www.whec.com/top-news/con...

How can leaders make decisions under conditions of exponential change? My latest for Dialogue Review lays out methods for leaders to spot exponential change and make effective decisions.

Many thanks to @rgmcgrath.bsky.social for featuring me on her Thought Sparks Podcast where we discussed how we can reclaim capitalism in service of a society that benefits us all. 💡 Find the episode on your favorite podcast platform: linktr.ee/RitaMcGrath #ThoughtSparks #RitaMcGrathMedia

Amy Edmondson and myself in Basel last year for the Novartis Culture Lab, yukking it up with a (kid-you-not) dinosaur fossil. 🦖 We're convening in Boston today for this year's C-LAB, so stay tuned for updates over the next few days! @amycedmondson.bsky.social #NovartisCLAB #LifeAtNovartis

What does optimistic leadership look like? 💡 My guest on the Thought Sparks Podcast next week is Peter Georgescu, chairman emeritus of Young & Rubicam. Tune in for the episode release at 11 am EST on Tuesday, June 3, wherever you get your podcasts: linktr.ee/ritamcgrath #ThoughtSparksPodcast

Home Depot, Target, and Kimberly-Clark have made statements that they will maintain pricing levels, essentially absorbing the costs of tariffs for consumers. But will this strategy bear up? www.ntd.com/3-big-us-com... #Tariffs #TradeWar #Retail

How might Trump's tariffs affect your grocery bill? Thanks to @usnews.com for the feature. The bottom line: Imported perishable goods like fruits and seafood will likely become more expensive, but consumers should brace for price increases across categories. money.usnews.com/money/person...

What does it take for entrepreneurs to succeed? Today's episode of the Thought Sparks Podcast features Lori Rosenkopf, Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. 🎧 Watch and listen to my conversation with Lori: youtu.be/EjJYpOGacsw?...

With this week's announcement of a 90-day pause on tariffs, what impact will we see on the fashion industr,? 📺 For more on how tariffs might affect fashion and apparel, check out my recent feature on Fox 5 DC: www.fox5dc.com/video/1641745 #tariffs #fashion #tradewar #strategy #apparel #fox5dc

What does it tell us when the Fortune 500 CEO's surveyed by that selfsame publication suddenly turn pessimistic? It isn't good news for most of us. fortune.com/article/the-... #fortune500 #leadership #strategy

The US and China have agreed to pause tariffs for 90 days - what strategic implications does this have for businesses and consumers? Check out my feature below for insights: dayton247now.com/news/your-da...

I read books - a lot of them. But they are mostly business books, written mostly by academics and executives. So here's something completely different - my friend and colleague Cliff Schorer has fulfilled a long promise to himself and written a novel! www.amazon.com/Ritual-Innoc...

Tune into the @thinkers50.com accounts on Monday, May 12 for my social media takeover! I'll be announcing the 2025 Management Classics Booklist - their annual curation of the best of business books, with ideas and tools that have become foundational to management over decades.

I’ve long believed Bill Gates deserves a Nobel Peace Prize. His decision to distribute virtually all his wealth through the Gates Foundation by 2045 is just the latest evidence of this fact. It reflects the kind of decisive, high-leverage action we need.

A 64 year old social worker who votes independently is a "radical far-left activist?" Judge for yourself: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Now that tariffs are finally here, their impact is becoming more clear. The Budget Lab at Yale says that US Citizens are facing a 28% level of tariffs - a level not seen since 1901! @annielowrey.bsky.social @theatlantic.com budgetlab.yale.edu/research/sta... #tariffs #seeingaroundcorners #policy

Today's episode of the Thought Sparks Podcast features Garry Ridge, the longtime CEO of WD-40.💡 He's been named by Inc Magazine as one of the world's most admired CEO's, and the passion and purpose he cultivated at WD-40 are a testament to that. youtu.be/x-Zh31LX5VU?...

And to close our time in Dublin: an Executive Breakfast Briefing hosted by the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School! Over 150 senior and C suite leaders convened to dive into the topic of inflection points, and how to identify weak signals while there's still time to act.

What a great conversation we had on the Remarkable People podcast about innovation and disruption! Check out the full episode here: bit.ly/rminflection

Ireland has long been a center for innovation and entrepreneurship, as the work of Entreprise Ireland can attest. In the wake of Brexit, and now in the face of proposed US tariffs, it has a unique opportunity to further grow as an international leader.

How can leaders ensure their organizations are rapidly adaptive? (And a sneak peek at my upcoming book!) My keynote today at #TheReinventionSummit explores the 6 questions leaders should ask of their organizations' structure as it evolves.

When the global order as we know it is thrown into question, what are the strategic considerations for small countries? In the leadup to The Reinvention Summit, our Valize team met with leaders from New Zealand and Enterprise Ireland, who are looking to further drive local innovation.

We've made it to Dublin! 🎉 Excited to be here with some of the @ValizeHUB team for The Reinvention Summit, which is shaping up to be a great few days with some of the brightest minds in strategy. As the Irish say, Sláinte!

Permissionless organizational structure + next week's Reinvention Summit: Companies built to create long-lasting advantages in the industrial age were structured to provide mass-market, consistent-quality products at sometimes huge scales.

When we think about mission-driven companies, we often think of firms like Patagonia or Ben & Jerry's, where purpose is paramount and people are galvanized to go above and beyond. So who would have thought that WD-40- which makes degreasers and rust removers -would inspire the same kind of devotion?

On this Earth Day, I’m reminded about a cartoon Rebecca Henderson referenced during our Fireside Chat that still sticks with me: “Yes, the planet got destroyed. But for a beautiful moment in time we created a lot of value for shareholders."

Most leaders aim for sweeping overhauls. I say: try being 2% less stupid. It’s about progress, not perfection. Small, consistent, changes can reshape entire organizations. Instead of chasing the next big fix, what would it look like to improve your business just 2% at a time?