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.
Videos & Podcasts
16th Global Peter Drucker Forum: Live Interview w/ Roger Martin
November 18, 2024
Sleeping Barber - A Business and Marketing Podcast
A Customer Promise Is A Business Strategy, with Roger Martin, Mimi Turner and Jann Schwarz
November 14, 2024
Boundaryless
Doing Strategy in a World of Ruthless Change with Roger Martin
November 11, 2024
Why Your Plans & OKRs Aren't a Strategy - Roger L. Martin
September 21, 2024
Lenny's Podcast
5 essential questions to craft a winning strategy | Roger Martin
July 25, 2024
BNN.ca
Canada - What it is, What it can be - Part One
July 9, 2012
Disrupt Yourself Podcast
Disrupt Yourself Podcast: How to Turn Around a Failing Business School
April 26, 2024
Nurole
March 26, 2024
Nurole
March 19, 2024
Harvard Business Review
HBR On Strategy / Episode 32: The Risks of Rebranding
November 15, 2023
Agile Insights by Agile Academy
A New Way to Think - Execution (Roger Martin in Conversation with Sohrab Salimi) Part III
November 18, 2022
Consulting Success Podcast #263
How To Create Winning Consulting Strategies with Roger Martin
November 7, 2022
The Mark Divine Show
Ditch Your Old Thinking (with Roger L. Martin)
October 25, 2022
Foundstone Conversations
Roger Martin - What is Strategy? Planning is not Strategy
October 24, 2022
Bruce Henderson Institute
Rita McGrath & Roger Martin: On the Nature of Competitive Advantage
September 28, 2022
People and Projects Podcast
Lessons from One of the Top Management Thinkers, Roger L. Martin
September 1, 2022
Deloitte Podium Club
A New Way to Think with Roger Martin
August 30, 2022
Fellow: Supermanagers Podcast
Roger L. Martin on the Difference Between Strategy and Planning
August 4, 2022
How to be Awesome at Your Job
Roger Martin Shares How to Make Better Strategic Choices by Rethinking Your Models
August 1, 2022
Nassau Re/Imagine
100 A New Way to Think with Roger Martin
July 14, 2022
Nassau Re/Imagine Podcast
A New Way to Think with Roger L. Martin
July 12, 2022
Industry Week
Tried, True and Due for an Upgrade
June 30, 2022
Imperfect Leaders
#1 Global Business Thinker, Roger Martin: Why He is on the Speed Dial of Every Top CEO in the World
July 6, 2022
Khosla Ventures Instigators of Change
Why You are Managing Talent All Wrong
June 29, 2022
Harvard Business Review
June 29, 2022
Strategy & Leadership
The Power of Questioning Conventional Models in Management Practice
June 14, 2022
Successful Nonprofits
Encouraging Innovation with Roger Martin
June 14, 2022
Read to Lead
A New Way to Think with Roger Martin
June 7, 2022
Rotman School of Management
Roger Martin, The Truth About Competition
June 6, 2022
Curious Minds at Work
Roger Martin on Rethinking Management
June 5, 2022
Motley Fool Money
Flawed Models Driving Back-to-Work Plans
June 5, 2022
McKinsey Author Talks
A New Way to Think about Management
June 2, 2022
Newsweek/LinkedIn Live - Better
Maximizing Your Effectiveness as a Leader
May 26, 2022
The Justin Brady Show
Why Your Bosses Broken Leadership is a Safety Blanket
May 25, 2022
Follow Your Different
A New Way to Think with World’s #1 Management Thinker Roger Martin
May 24, 2022
IndustryWeek
May 20, 2022
Lead from the Heart
Roger Martin: It's Time for Leaders to Embrace a New Way of Thinking
May 20, 2022
Bloomberg Businessweek Podcast
Refocusing Executives for Better Business
May 20, 2022
NPR Wisdom from the Top
When More is Not Better: Roger Martin
May 11, 2022
Whitney Johnson's Disruption Advisors
Roger Martin: The Single Worst Thing You Can Say to an Employee
May 10, 2022
CFO Bookshelf
A New Way to Think with Roger Martin
May 6, 2022
Six Pixels of Separation
Roger Martin on A New Way to Think
May 8, 2022
BCG Henderson Institute
A New Way to Think with Roger L. Martin
May 3, 2022
The Minter Dialogue
A New Way to Think with Author and Professor Emeritus Roger L. Martin
May 1, 2022
Sleeping Barber
Roger Martin - A New Way to Think
April 28, 2022
Lancefield on the Line
Thinking afresh about business: discussion with Roger Martin
April 26, 2022
Thought Economics
April 11, 2022
Agile Strategy Insights
A Conversation Between Roger Martin & Sohrab Salimi
March 16, 2022
UnleashResults.com
March 16, 2022
Sleeping Barber Podcast
Strategy, Shareholder Value and Galaxy Quest with Roger Martin
March 16, 2022
BITS School of Management, Beacon Festival of Ideas
Making the Global Economy More Resilient
January 31, 2022
David Lancefield
June 8, 2021
FeedInfo
INTERVIEW: Industry’s Obsession with Economic Efficiency Can Be Problematic
May 31, 2021
The Lean Post
Exploring When More is Not Better with Roger Martin
May 24, 2021
Thinkers
Thinkers Dialogue with Roger Martin
April 16, 2021
Midwest Cover Crops Council Conference
February 24, 2021
Nasdaq Governance Solutions Driving Excellence Series
When More is Not Better with Roger Martin
December 19, 2020
SMS Strategy Imagination Forums
An Integrative and Designerly Approach to Creating Strategy
December 15, 2020
No Nonsense with Pamela Wallin
The importance of excess with Roger Martin
December 15, 2020
Disrupt Yourself Podcast
Roger Martin: When More is Not Better
December 15, 2020
LinkedIn Live
Breakout Session: Resiliency & Democratic Capitalism
December 15, 2020
McKinsey & Co
Author Talks: Roger Martin on the high price of efficiency
December 10, 2020
Fireside Chat
Rita McGrath & Roger Martin Fireside Chat
December 7, 2020
I-Think
#IThinkPopUp with Roger Martin
December 3, 2020
Chris Clearfield
The Breakdown 10 - Roger Martin - When More Is Not Better
December 1, 2020
Google Talks
Roger Martin | When More Is Not Better
November 25, 2020
Curious Minds
Roger Martin on the Efficiency Myth
November 23, 2020
The Agenda, TVO
The Problems with Economic Efficiency
November 23, 2020
Wharton Business Radio
Roger Martin on Leadership in Action
November 20, 2020
33 Voices
ROGER MARTIN: The Downside of Efficiency
November 18, 2020
The Money Life Show
It's 'Game On' for earnings season; high times for Left Brain Thinking
October 28, 2020
Read to Lead
When More Is Not Better with Roger L. Martin
October 19, 2020
The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
When More is Not Better with Roger L. Martin
October 14, 2020
Spark, CBC Radio
We need to stop our obsession with efficiency to address wealth disparity, says management expert
October 9, 2020
Motley Fool
Motley Fool Live: Roger Martin Interview
October 7, 2020
BNN Bloomberg
Consumers have the power to create monopolies like Amazon, warns former Rotman dean
October 7, 2020
Voice of Retail
October 3, 2020
What’s Next with Tiffani Bova
View Business Like a Rainforest: When More is Not Better with Roger Martin
October 1, 2020
Bloomberg BusinessWeek
University of Toronto's Martin on New Book
October 1, 2020
What’s Next with Tiffani Bova
Tiffani Bova Interviews Roger Martin on When More is Not Better
October 1, 2020
Harvard Kennedy School of Government
When More Is Not Better: Overcoming America's Obsession with Economic Efficiency
September 30, 2020
Aspen Institute Business & Society Program
When More Is Not Better Overcoming America’s Obsession with Economic Efficiency
September 30, 2020
HBR Ideacast
September 29, 2020
Business Fights Poverty
September 23, 2020
Trend Following Radio
Ep. 904: Roger Martin Interview with Michael Covel on Trend Following Radio
September 20, 2020
Climate One
Daniel Yergin: Energy, Markets and the Clash of Nations
September 18, 2020
BCG Henderson Institute
Book Interview: When More is Not Better with Roger L. Martin
August 25, 2020
EMEA Recruitment
When more is not better - Roger Martin
July 15, 2020
Forbes DACH
June 17, 2020
Gamechanger Sessions
Roger Martin, The World’s #1 Management Thinker
May 4, 2020
The Voice of Retail
Roger Martin, top global strategist on how retailers can survive COVID-19
May 1, 2020
Brightline Initiative
Bridging the Gap Between Strategy Design and Delivery Course
September 26, 2018
The Nantucket Project
November 24, 2017
Rotman School of Management
Creating Great Choices: Roger Martin with Amanda Lang
November 8, 2017
Rotman School of Management
Creating Great Choices: Jennifer Riel and Roger Martin with Amanda Lang
November 8, 2017
Harvard Business Review
Getting Past Either-Or Decision Making
November 1, 2017
University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management
Creating Great Choices: Rotman Preview
September 13, 2017
Rotman School of Management
Breaking Barriers to Creativity: Tim Brown + Roger Martin at Life-Long Learning '17
May 30, 2017
Princeton Keller Center
The Battle for the Soul of Innovation in the Twenty-First Century
March 29, 2017