About Rita McGrath

Learn About Rita

A Bit About Me

People often ask about the course of my career as if it were the result of a grand strategic plan. Um, not exactly. Its contours included a pretty-disastrous foray into entrepreneurship, early roles as a bureaucrat and leader of a digital transformation, a really hard transition to academia and an unexpected opportunity to join Columbia Business School. The twists and turns have often proved to be surprisingly useful for “seeing around corners.”

My best days involve discovering new insights and helping people I work with gain new capabilities, typically at the intersection of strategy and innovation, with a few detours into areas such as women’s leadership. I help organizations get past innovation theater to create new opportunities they can actually do something about. I love helping people answer the question, “where do I start?” My commitment is to help people translate powerful ideas into action.

In addition to my own work writing, teaching, speaking and consulting, I’ve founded Valize, LLC, which I hope to develop into an innovation platform that will help companies build sustainable innovation capabilities. If you’re interested in learning more, visit Valize.com.

Columbia Courses

Courses Rita Directs

Leading Strategic Growth and Change

This is a virtual, one-week crash course in the tools that you need to design a solid strategy in these highly uncertain circumstances. It takes place over 5 days for half-days from Monday to Friday in a highly accessible virtual format. Topics include discovery driven planning, overcoming the neuroscience of the status quo, digital transformation, network and platform strategies and seeing around corners.

Courses In Which Rita Teaches

Leading the Agile Organization

This live online course is taught in half-day segments over the course of a week. In it, faculty director Trish Gorman teaches a framework for thinking about what agile means for leaders and how they can increase organizational agility. Rita teaches a segment on “Seeing Around Corners” for half a day.

Strategic Storytelling: Maximum Impact in a Digital World

This live on-line program is directed by Frank Rose, in partnership with the School of the Arts, shows participants how to use storytelling in digital formats to create allies, advance their careers and persuade others. Rita teaches a segment on stories from the future.

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Digital Health Strategy: Leveraging Emerging Technologies in Healthcare

This is the flagship program in Columbia’s live online Digital Health series, delivered in conjunction with digital health testing center HITLAB. Designed for professionals across the healthcare space, it features academics, practitioners and experts for a very interactive and hands-on set of sessions. Rita’s session involves how to manage a growth portfolio.