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.
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
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
The Virtue Matrix: Calculating the Return on Corporate Responsibility
March, 2002
The Globe and Mail
Business leaders aim to make Canada a global leader in alpine skiing
October 30, 2019
Jornal Economico
Perspetivas e lições do Design Thinking
September 30, 2019
thestar.com
A new ranking shows that Canada is home to 10 of the best business schools for the world
November 17, 2019
Brightline Project Management Institute
November 15, 2019
Toronto Life
Sidewalk Labs is the future of urban tech
September 4, 2019
Washington Post
What to watch for now that CEOs have rewritten the purpose of the corporation
August 21, 2019
Fast Company
America’s top CEOs say they are no longer putting shareholders before everyone else
08/19/2019
Barron's
Stock Buybacks Are a Problem But the Sanders-Schumer Solution Is Not the Answer
February 7, 2019
HBR.org
Pricing Needs to Reflect Who People Want to Be, Not Just What They Want
January 25, 2019
HBR.org
Remembering Jack Bogle and Herb Kelleher, Two Great Strategists
January 18, 2019
HBR.org
December 28, 2018
HBR.org
Should Mark Zuckerberg Resign?
January 8, 2019
Proceedings of the 26th CEEMAN Annual Conference
Management Education and the Dark Side of Efficiency
January 3, 2019
Rotman Magazine
Fall 2018
HBR.org
Activist Hedge Funds Aren't Good for Companies or Investors, So Why Do They Exist?
August 20, 2018
HBR.org
Why the U.S. Trade Deficit Can Be a Sign of a Healthy Economy
July 27, 2018
HBR.org
GE's Fall Has Been Accelerated by Two Problems. Most Other Big Companies Face Them, Too.
June 29, 2018
HBR.org
It's Time to Make More Jobs Good Jobs
December 4, 2017
HBR.org
CEOs Should Stop Thinking that Execution is Somebody Else's Job; It Is Theirs
November 21, 2017
HBR.org
In the Workplace of the NFL, the Players Hold the Upper Hand
October 31, 2017
The Globe and Mail
How Unilever won over shareholders with its long-term approach
October 13, 2017
Porchlight Books
Excerpts: Creating Great Choices: A Leader's Guide to Integrative Thinking
September 19, 2017
Emerald Insight
An integrative methodology for creatively exploring decision choices
September 2017
HBR.org
June 13, 2017
Stanford Social Innovation Review
April 27, 2017
HBR.org
What If Investors Who Held Their Shares Longer Got More Voting Power?
April 27, 2017
HBR.org
Strategic Choices Need to Be Made Simultaneously, Not Sequentially
April 3, 2017
Palgrave Macmillan UK
The Gaming of Games and the Principle of Principles
2014
HBR.org
The 3 Simple Rules of Managing Top Talent
February 24, 2017
HBR.org
A Little Competition Could Improve Your HR, IT, and Legal Departments
February 21, 2017
HBR.org
How the Attacks on Trump Reinforce His Strategy
January 12, 2017
HBR.org
Use Design Thinking to Build Commitment to a New Idea
January 3, 2017
Harvard Business Review
January-February 2017
Skoll Foundation
December 6, 2016
HBR.org
Are Americans Enamored with the Wrong Kinds of Entrepreneurs?
November 11, 2016
HBR.org
The False Premise of the Shareholder Value Debate
September 26, 2016
Rotman Magazine
Creativity, Clusters-and Why Your Barista Has Mixed Feelings About You
Fall, 2016
Stanford Social Innovation Review
Overhead Sounds Useless, So Stop Calling It That
Summer 2016
Harvard Business Review
M&A: The One Thing You Need to Get Right
June 2016
Strategy + Business
Social Entrepreneurship by the Billions
March 30, 2016
HBR.org
Strategy and Execution Are the Same Thing
January 12, 2016
Harvard Business Review
December, 2015
The Globe and Mail
Getting Beyond Better offers a primer for social entrepreneurs
November 3, 2015
Competitiveness Review
Creativity, clusters and the competitive advantage of cities
2015, Vol. 25 Iss: 5, pp.482 - 496
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
HBR.org
October 13, 2015
HBR.org
Yes, Short-Termism Really Is a Problem
October 9, 2015
HBR.org
Why Talking About Strategy “Execution” Is Still Dangerous
September 15, 2015
HBR.org
What Economists Get Wrong About Measuring Productivity
September 14, 2015
HRB.org
How Talent Pulls One Over on the Capitalists
August 4, 2015
Indian Management
What is Social Entrepreneurship?
July 2015
Inclusive Capitalism, Thoughts from the 2015 Conference on Inclusive Capitalism
Action to Achieve Inclusive Capitalism
June 26, 2015
The Globe and Mail
For retailers, expensive lawsuits focus the mind wonderfully
May 14, 2015
HBR.org
The First Question to Ask of Any Strategy
May 5, 2015
Rotman Magazine
Life Lessons from a Beloved Mentor
Spring 2015
HBR.org
Strategy Is About Both Resources and Positioning
April 27, 2015
Catalyst Review
A Creativity Imperative for the Future of Capitalism
Spring 2015
HBR.org
There Are Still Only Two Ways to Compete
April 21, 2015
Rotman Magazine
In the Know: A Call for the Redesign of Our Knowledge Infrastructure
Spring 2015
HBR.org
Stop Distinguishing Between Execution and Strategy
March 13, 2015
The European Business Review
Strategic Transformation at Tennis Canada
January - February 2015
HBR.org
Two Words That Kill Innovation
December 9, 2014
HBR.org
Capitalism Needs Design Thinking
December 8, 2014
Annual Report 13
Finding Its Own Way: Ontario Needs to Take a New Tack
November 2014
The Hindu Business Line
Creating a better mix of rewards for capital, labour and talent
October 22, 2014
HBR.org
The Dark Side of Efficient Markets
October 15, 2014
Huff Post Business
The Dark Side of Efficient Markets - re-posted in Huff Post Business
October 15, 2014
The Guardian
Cities are businesses' best allies in the battle against climate change
October 14, 2014
Business Day
The Rise (and likely fall) of the Talent Economy - repost in Business Day
October 8, 2014
Huff Post Business
Why Monopolistic Pension Funds Undermine Capitalism - repost Huff Post Business
October 7, 2014
HBR.org
Why Monopolistic Pension Funds Undermine Capitalism
October 6, 2014
Huff Post Business
When Talent Started Driving Economic Growth - repost in Huff Post Business
October 5, 2014
Huff Post Business
We Can't Talk About Inequality Without Talking About Talent - report in Huff Post Business
October 4, 2014
Huff Post Business
A Brief History of America's Attitude Toward Taxes - repost in Huff Post Business
October 3, 2014
HBR.org
When Talent Started Driving Economic Growth
September 30, 2014
HBR.org
We Can’t Talk About Inequality Without Talking About Talent
September 23, 2014
HBR.org
A Brief History of America’s Attitude Toward Taxes
September 16, 2014
Huff Post Business
When Star Talent Grew More Powerful Than Capital - reposted in Huff Post Business
September 10, 2014
HBR.org
When Star Talent Grew More Powerful than Capital
September 9, 2014
HBR.org
The Fall of the Talent Economy?
September 4, 2014
Rotman Magazine
Moving the World Forward: The Quest for a New Equilibrium
Fall 2014
HBR.org
In America, Labor Is Friendless
August 28, 2014
HBR.org
Does Cheap Online Video Trump Text?
July 4, 2014
HBR.org
Strategy Isn’t What You Say, It’s What You Do
June 18, 2014
HBR.org
Strategy Is Iterative Prototyping
June 6, 2014
HBR.org
How to Win the Argument with Milton Friedman
June 2, 2014
HBR.org
Strategize First, Analyze Later
May 29, 2014
Conference on Inclusive Capitalism
Self-Fulfilling Prophesies and Inclusive Capitalism
May 27, 2014
HBR.org
Adaptive Strategy Is a Cop-Out
May 23, 2014
HBR.org
Three Quick Ways to Improve Your Strategy-Making
May 22, 2014
HBR.org
Help Leaders Be Less Useless at Strategy
May 16, 2014
HBR.org
A Simple Nuance that Produces Great Strategy Discussions
May 8, 2014
The Guardian
All business leaders should consider the source of their electrical power
May 7, 2014
HBR.org
Which Strategy “Comfort Traps” Are You Falling Into?
May 3, 2014
HBR.org
Are You Confusing Strategy with Planning?
May 2, 2014
Harvard Business Review
The Public Corporation Is Finally in Eclipse
April 2014
Working Paper 20
Building Better Health Care: Policy Opportunities For Ontario
April 2014
The Guardian
The rush for new oil and gas sources is pushing us towards extreme actions
March 27, 2014
Financial Review
The Big Lie of Strategic Planning - reposted
March 17, 2014
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
Dealing with Intuitive, Non-Strategists
Apr 28, 2025
The Myth of Objectivity & Strategy
Apr 21, 2025
Stop Working for Loser Strategists
Apr 14, 2025
