Critical to the success of every organization, strategy is not a long planning exercise or document. Strategy can be simple, fun and effective and is founded on a set of five interrelated and powerful choices that positions an organization to win.
Critical to the success of every organization, strategy is not a long planning exercise or document. Strategy can be simple, fun and effective and is founded on a set of five interrelated and powerful choices that positions an organization to win.
Integrative thinking is a form of reasoning which allows you to constructively face the tensions of opposing models. Instead of choosing one at the expense of the other, you generate a creative solution. Your solution contains elements of the individual models, but is superior to each.
Organizations need to incorporate the best of design thinking into their ways of working to unleash innovation and creativity. An organization will be able to counter-balance analytical thinking with intuitive thinking – to enable it to both exploit existing knowledge and create new knowledge.
While prevailing theory holds that stock-based compensation perfectly aligns corporate executives’ incentives with those of shareholders, it does the opposite. As a consequence, executives have done brilliantly while shareholders have become increasingly frustrated. Incentives and governance practice needs to be transformed to enable corporations to prosper in a way that better serves society.
More on Incentives & Governance
The combination of the stagnation of medium incomes and the rapid rise of high incomes is threatening the future of democratic capitalism. Its predictive future requires building a more robust knowledge, transactional and physical infrastructure for broadly shared prosperity.
For both social entrepreneurs and corporations, the key tenet of social innovation is finding ways to make the world a better place. My work focuses on building tools for social entrepreneurs to create more powerful models for creating value for society and developing models to guide corporations on a path of productive corporate citizenship.
Meet Roger
Let's Read
A New Way to Think
When More is Not Better
Creating Great Choices
The Rise (and Likely Fall) of the Talent Economy
Getting Beyond Better
Playing To win
Canada: What it is, what it can be
Fixing the Game
The Design Of Business
The Opposable Mind
The Responsibility Virus
Dia-Minds
The Future of the MBA
Rotman on Design
Let's Engage
Thought Pillars
In 2017, Roger was named the world’s #1 management thinker by Thinkers50, a biannual ranking of the most influential global business thinkers.
Roger is a trusted strategy advisor to the CEOs of companies worldwide including Procter & Gamble, Lego, Ford, BHP & Verizon
Roger Martin is a Professor Emeritus at the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto where he served as Dean from 1998-2013, Academic Director of the Michael Lee-Chin Family Institute for Corporate Citizenship from 2004-2019 and Institute Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute from 2013-2019. In 2013, he was named global Dean of the Year by the leading business school website, Poets & Quants.
His newest book is A New Way to Think: Your Guide to Superior Managerial Effectiveness (Harvard Business Review Press, 2022). His previous twelve books include When More is Not Better (HBRP, 2020), Creating Great Choiceswritten with Jennifer Riel (HBRP, 2017) Getting Beyond Betterwritten with Sally Osberg (HBRP, 2015) and Playing to Win written with A.G. Lafley (HBRP, 2013), which won the award for Best Book of 2012-13 by the Thinkers50. He has written 30 Harvard Business Review articles.
Roger received his BA from Harvard College, with a concentration in Economics, in 1979 and his MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1981. He lives in South Florida with his wife, Marie-Louise Skafte.
Contact Roger through Twitter or email. Call us to book a speaking engagement or other services.
Roger is available for keynote and other speaking engagements. Advisory services and team workshops can also be booked with Roger.
Articles
Harvard Business Review
What Managers Get Wrong About Capital
May-June 2020
Washington Post
The virus shows that making our companies efficient also made our country weak
March 27, 2020
Harvard Business Review
The One Thing You Need to Know About Managing Functions
July-August 2019
Harvard Business Review
January-February 2019
Rotman Magazine
Creating Great Choices: Integrative Thinking for Leaders
Winter 2018
Harvard Business Review
Management Is Much More Than a Science
September-October 2017
Harvard Business Review
September 2015
Harvard Business Review
Two Keys to Sustainable Social Enterprise
May 2015
Harvard Business Review
The Rise (and Likely Fall) of the Talent Economy
October 2014
HBR.org
Why Smart People Struggle with Strategy
June 12, 2014
Harvard Business Review
The Big Lie of Strategic Planning
January–February 2014
The New York Times
September 28, 2012
Harvard Business Review
Bringing Science to the Art of Strategy
September 2012
Harvard Business Review
Saving the Planet: A Tale of Two Strategies
April 2012
Harvard Business Review
June 2011
Harvard Business Review
The Age of Customer Capitalism
January/February 2010
Harvard Business Review
June 2007
Stanford Social Innovation Review
Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition
Spring 2007
Harvard Business Review
Capital vs. Talent: The Battle That's Reshaping Business
July 2003
Harvard Business Review
The Virtue Matrix: Calculating the Return on Corporate Responsibility
March, 2002
Medium
October 7, 2024
Medium
Personal Effectiveness Strategy
September 30, 2024
Medium
Overcoming the Integrative Strategy Challenge
September 23, 2024
Medium
Strategy for Start-ups – Redux
September 16, 2024
Medium
September 9, 2024
Medium
September 2, 2024
Medium
August 26, 2024
Medium
August 19, 2024
Medium
The Importance of Strategic Tension
August 12, 2024
Medium
August 5, 2024
Medium
July 29, 2024
Medium
A Strategic Framework for Growth
July 22, 2024
Medium
July 15, 2024
Medium
The Five Deadliest Strategy Myths
July 8, 2024
Medium
Strategy & Sustained Innovation
July 1, 2024
Medium
How Management Can Most Effectively Utilize Boards
June 24, 2024
Medium
June 17, 2024
Medium
The Downside of Scaling Strategy
June 10, 2024
Medium
June 3, 2024
Medium
May 27, 2024
Medium
The Business of Strategy Consulting
May 20, 2024
Medium
May 13, 2024
Medium
May 6, 2024
Medium
How to be a Good Board Member?
April 29, 2024
Medium
April 22, 2024
Medium
Strategy in Highly Fragmented Industries
April 15, 2024
Medium
Good Strategy/Bad Strategy & Playing to Win
April 8, 2024
Medium
How to Become a Strategic Chief Financial Officer
April 1, 2024
Medium
Michael Porter’s Three Great Strategy Contributions
March 25, 2024
Medium
Investment Strategy & Artificial Intelligence
March 18, 2024
Medium
Strategy & Artificial Intelligence
March 11, 2024
Medium
March 4, 2024
Medium
The Doctrine of Relentless Utility
February 26, 2024
Medium
February 19, 2024
Medium
February 12, 2024
Medium
Is or Is Not The Opposite Stupid on its Face?
February 5, 2024
Harvard Business Review
The Right Way to Build Your Brand
January-February 2024
Medium
The Strategic Leverage of Where-to-Play
January 29, 2024
Medium
January 22, 2024
Medium
Why You Should be Afraid of ‘Great Execution’
January 15, 2024
Medium
The Number One Ranked Playing to Win/Practitioner Insights Piece
January 8, 2024
Medium
The Number Two Ranked Playing to Win/Practitioner Insights Piece
January 1, 2024
Medium
The Number Three Ranked PTW/PI Piece
December 25, 2023
Medium
December 18, 2023
Medium
December 11, 2023
Medium
December 4, 2023
Medium
November 27, 2023
Medium
November 20, 2023
Medium
Strategy for Natural Monopolies
November 13, 2023
Medium
The Work and Working of Leadership Teams
November 6, 2023
Medium
Turning the Future into the Past
October 30, 2023
Medium
October 23, 2023
Medium
October 16, 2023
Medium
Heuristics, Management & Strategy
October 9, 2023
Medium
October 2, 2023
Medium
Measuring, Managing & Mattering
September 25, 2023
Medium
Strategy for the Experience Economy
September 18, 2023
Medium
Dangerous Cost Reduction Projects
September 11, 2023
Medium
September 4, 2023
Medium
Performance Measurement Transparency
August 28, 2023
Medium
The Downside of Go-to-Market Strategy
August 21, 2023
Medium
August 14, 2023
Medium
The Strategy Lesson from the Bud Light Fiasco
August 7, 2023
Medium
How Brands Grow & Playing to Win
July 31, 2023
ReD Associates
Strategy in 1,000 words Part IV w/ Roger Martin: Strategy at a Human Scale
July 26, 2023
Medium
How to Thwart Strategy Masquerades?
July 24, 2023
Medium
July 17, 2023
ReD Associates
Strategy in 1,000 Words Part III w/ Roger Martin: Strategy Frameworks for Tomorrow's CEO's
July 12, 2023
Medium
July 10, 2023
Medium
Balanced Scorecard & Playing to Win
July 3, 2023
ReD Associates
Strategy in 1,000 words Part II w/ Roger Martin: The Secret Sauce of Strategy Creation
June 28, 2023
Medium
Commercial Innovation Strategy
June 26, 2023
Medium
June 19, 2023
ReD Associates
Strategy in 1,000 Words Part I w/ Roger Martin: The State of Strategy Today
June 13, 2023
Medium
June 12, 2023
Medium
What Strategy Questions are you Asking?
June 5, 2023
Medium
Business Model Generation & Playing to Win
May 29, 2023
Medium
May 22, 2023
Medium
Blue Ocean Strategy & Playing to Win
May 15, 2023
Medium
May 8, 2023
Medium
Playing to Win/Practitioner Insights Milestone
May 3, 2023
Medium
Jobs to be Done & Playing to Win
May 1, 2023
Medium
Do You Know What's Going on Below?
April 24, 2023
Medium
April 17, 2023
Medium
April 10, 2023
Medium
April 3, 2023
Medium
March 27, 2023
Medium
March 20, 2023
Medium
March 13, 2023
Medium
Cost-Effective Differentiation
March 6, 2023
Medium
Platform Businesses & Strategy
February 27, 2023
Medium
Decoding the Strategy Choice Cascade
February 20, 2023
Medium
Unclogging Your Decision Factory
February 13, 2023
Medium
The Origins of Playing To Win: The Backstory of a Strategy Classic
February 6, 2023
Medium
January 30, 2023
Medium
Being 'Too Busy' Means Your Personal Strategy Sucks
January 23, 2023
Medium
January 16, 2023
Medium
January 9, 2023
Medium
January 2, 2023
Harvard Business Review
January-February 2023
Interviews
The Decision Lab
Creating Great Choices with Roger Martin
July 19, 2021
Life Science Leader
Do You (As A Leader) Create Great Choices?
July 31, 2019
Stitcher
Demystifying Organizations: Balancing Stakeholder Interests
June 21, 2019
ANR Newsletter
With Roger Martin – World’s #1 Management Thinker
December 21, 2018
HBR Ideacast
July 31, 2018
The Reading Lists
Roger Martin: Reading to Unlock Mysteries
May 31, 2018
Talks at Google
Roger L. Martin: "Creating Great Choices: A Leader's Guide to Integrative Thinking"
December 18, 2017
Actionable Books
The 21st Century Workplace Podcast
December 20, 2017
The Learning Leader
Episode 190: Roger Martin - Playing to Win: Strategy Is A Choice
February 12, 2017
HBR
January-February 2017 Issue
BizEd
February 23, 2016
Monocle.com
December 30, 2015
Tonyloyd.com
Changing the World One Model at a Time
November 30, 2015
Inside HR
Design Thinking 101 for HR: How to help your CEO drive strategy
November 24, 2015
Changeboard.com
Roger Martin: Strategy is choice
November 9, 2015
U of T News
Social Entrepreneurship Explained
November 2, 2015
Invetech
Taking Innovation Outcomes to the Next Level — An Interview With Roger Martin
October 29, 2015
CBC Metro Morning
October 12, 2015
Outlook Business
September 2, 2015
BFM 89.9 The Business Station
Raise your Game: Playing to Win
August 27, 2015
Innovation Hub
What Threatens the Talent Economy
December 12, 2014
Val 202
December 9, 2014
CBC - Metro Morning
November 25, 2014
Huff Post Business
Want To Make A Difference? Don't Be A Hedge Fund Manager
November 24, 2014
The Economist
April 9, 2013
Mind Tools
National Magazine
Rotman Magazine
Thought Leader Interview: Roger Martin
Fall 2013
DMI: Review
Summer 2013
delawareonline
What I am Reading this Summer and Why You Should, Too
June 20, 2013
Odgers Berndtson
May 30, 2013
Rotman Magazine
Coaching High Performance: Lessons from Veterans in Two Arenas
Spring 2013
Forbes India
Strategy Needs a Mix of Data and Logic: Roger Martin
April, 16, 2013
Business World
Analytical Thinking Is Stifling Innovation
March 25, 2013
Inc.com
4 Key Things Great Strategic Thinkers Do
March 11, 2013
Business Insider
PROFESSOR: 'JC Penney Serves No Compelling Customer Purpose'
March 11, 2013
Business Standard
Every new idea cannot be proven in advance: Roger L Martin
February 24, 2013
Live Mint
Roger Martin | The Master Strategist
February 17, 2013
The Sunday Times
Win the strategy game in five steps
February 10, 2013
Business Insider
P&G's Legendary Ex-CEO Explains Why Everyone Gets Strategy Wrong
February 5, 2013
Forbes
Playing To Win: How Strategy Really Works
February 4, 2013
Inc.com
Rule for Success: Choose Your Playing Field
February 2013
Forbes
Is Everyone Nuts? P&G Now A Dog? And Unilever A Star?
January 11, 2013
Havard Business Review
What the NHL Lockout Reveals About Capital and Labor
January 11, 2013
DNA India
'Capitalism is not as Smartly Managed as Cricket'
October 8, 2012
Innovation Excellence
Balancing Intuition with Analysis
June 15, 2012
Forbes
Fighting The Kool-Aid Of Stock-Based Compensation: Q&A With Roger Martin
January 3, 2012
The Business Times
July 26, 2011
The Straights Times
Design Thinking Gives Firms an Edge
July 20, 2011
Forbes.com
Redesigned Thinking for Diverse Brains!
February 10, 2011
Ideaconnection.com
February 6, 2011
Be You Blog
January 15, 2011
Bobmorris.biz
September 16, 2010
Steelcase Threesixty Magazine
On Innovation and Why Companies Struggle with It
June 2010
DNA Money (Mumbai, India)
Why Companies Get Trapped Into Doing What They Are Good At,
February 8, 2010
Open Forum Blog
The Design of Business, an Interview with Roger Martin
November 4, 2009
Gelatobaby Interview
2009 AIGA Make/Think Conference
October 9, 2009
AIC Institute for Corporate Citizenship
March 3, 2009
DNA (Bangalore Edition)
Great Leaders are Integrative Thinkers
January 29, 2009
Financial Times
March 25, 2008