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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Thinker Author Advisor Speaker
Meet Roger
Meet the Team
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
Thinker Author Advisor Speaker
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
Two Keys to Sustainable Social Enterprise
May 2015
Harvard Business Review
Saving the Planet: A Tale of Two Strategies
April 2012
Stanford Social Innovation Review
Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition
Spring 2007
Harvard Business Review
The Virtue Matrix: Calculating the Return on Corporate Responsibility
March, 2002
The Business of Building a Better World
December 14, 2021
Rotman Magazine
Virtuous Capital: How to Measure Business’s Contribution to Society
Winter 2021
The Nine Dots Prize
A note on our anonymous judging process, by Board member Roger Martin
October 18, 2020
Stanford Social Innovation Review
April 27, 2017
Skoll Foundation
December 6, 2016
Stanford Social Innovation Review
Overhead Sounds Useless, So Stop Calling It That
Summer 2016
Strategy + Business
Social Entrepreneurship by the Billions
March 30, 2016
The Globe and Mail
Getting Beyond Better offers a primer for social entrepreneurs
November 3, 2015
livemint.com
Book extract | Getting Beyond Better: How Social Entrepreneurship Works
November 1, 2015
HBR.org
How Social Entrepreneurs Make Change Happen
October 14, 2015
Indian Management
What is Social Entrepreneurship?
July 2015
The Globe and Mail
For retailers, expensive lawsuits focus the mind wonderfully
May 14, 2015
The Guardian
Cities are businesses' best allies in the battle against climate change
October 14, 2014
Rotman Magazine
Moving the World Forward: The Quest for a New Equilibrium
Fall 2014
The Guardian
All business leaders should consider the source of their electrical power
May 7, 2014
The Guardian
The rush for new oil and gas sources is pushing us towards extreme actions
March 27, 2014
The Guardian
Oil and trains make for a volatile combination in North America
March 13, 2014
The Guardian
Do middle-managers and finance block progress towards sustainability?
January 24, 2014
The Guardian
A lack of trust is standing in the way of sustainable collaborations
January 23, 2014
The Guardian
Top tips for overcoming short-termism
January 22, 2014
The Guardian
New research points to risk peak oil presents to business
January 9, 2014
The Guardian
Climate talks will fail unless parties agree to a carbon price
November 25, 2013
The Guardian
Denialism: the shifting relationship between science and industry
November 11, 2013
The Guardian
New York, London and Mumbai: major cities face risk from sea-level rises
November 4, 2013
The Guardian
Are governments' trade policies harming the growth of renewables
September 25, 2013
The Guardian
We are underestimating climate change and underfunding innovation
September 9, 2013
The Guardian
Climate change puts the value of countless companies at risk
June 26, 2013
The Guardian
Dhaka factory collapse: who will prevent another tragedy?
May 10, 2013
The Guardian
Volatile fossil fuel prices make renewable energy more attractive
March 21, 2013
The Guardian
Get to know your planetary boundaries
March 19, 2013
The Guardian
Two inventions that have the power to transform energy use
January 23, 2013
The Guardian
Will a new US secretary of state finally close a climate change deal?
January 15, 2013
The Guardian
Leaders look to US energy policy to signal sustainability is back in business
November 29, 2012
The Guardian
Understanding cause and effect are vital to progress on sustainability
October 17, 2012
The Guardian
Sustainable businesses need to think beyond their supply chains
September 13, 2012
The Guardian
Why business is locked into unsustainable and carbon-heavy cycles
September 7, 2012
The Guardian
Why saving the planet is no longer the work of political leaders
August 13, 2012
The Huffington Post
The Message From Doha: Time's Running Out
May 12, 2012
Critical Eye
Overcoming the CEO’s Dilemma: Doing ‘Good’ versus Doing ‘Well’
May 19, 2011
Rotman Magazine
The Virtue Matrix Reloaded: What Can it Tell Us About Corporate Social Responsibility Now?
Fall 2009
QFinance
Best Practices in Corporate Social Responsibility
2009
Rotman Magazine
Balancing Multiple Stakeholders: What's a CEO to do? Roger Martin Interviews Gord Nixon
Spring 2008
Conference Board of Canada Corporate Social Responsibility Review
Creating a Virtue Matrix Strategy
Winter 2006
Canadian Business
A Process for Developing a CSR Strategy for your Organization
August 29, 2005
Canadian Business
Where to Begin: A Framework for Developing Your CSR Strategy
Summer 2005
Rotman Magazine
Spring 2003
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
World's Greatest Business Thinkers Podcast: How to Think Differently
Sep 17, 2025
Sep 15, 2025
Sep 8, 2025
