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Rita McGrath

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Case Studies and Applications

September 23, 2022

When Business Cases Teach the Wrong Lessons

Jeffrey Pfeffer, in his great book “The 7 Rules of Power” declares that “success excuses (almost) everything.”  Success also determines which stories about the origins of that success get told and which headlines are buried. … Read more »

Filed Under: Business Start Ups / Entrepreneurship, Business Strategy, Case Studies and Applications, Discovery Driven Planning, Growth, Growth Options / Real Options, Innovation Flops, Strategy Execution

August 16, 2022

Three Kinds of Competition to Have on Your Radar

In traditional strategic thinking, beating the competition, by finding an attractive position in an attractive industry, is the name of the game. An updated perspective suggests you need to be paying attention to at least… Read more »

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Case Studies and Applications, Discovery Driven Planning, Friday Fireside Chat, Growth, Seeing Around Corners, Thought Sparks

July 19, 2022

From Funnels to Flywheels

Traditional sales organizations used the concept of a sales “funnel” to describe the process through which potential customers move, ending up with sales at the end. Winners today have abandoned that way of thinking in… Read more »

Filed Under: Business Start Ups / Entrepreneurship, Business Strategy, Case Studies and Applications, Seeing Around Corners

April 26, 2022

Say what???? The optimistic launch and ignominious end of CNN+

The announcement that after an expenditure of something like $300 million, CNN was going to pull its CNN+ streaming service after just a month in operation sent shock waves through the media and entertainment ecosystem…. Read more »

Filed Under: Articles, Business Strategy, Case Studies and Applications, Competition, Digital, Innovation Flops, News Archives, Opportunities, Thought Sparks

October 26, 2021

Can you hear me now? A “Seeing Around Corners” early warning materializes

When a sector has hostages, not customers, big problems go un-addressed, people are desperate for help and don’t get it, and a near-monopoly provider community fails to listen, the stage is set for a major… Read more »

Filed Under: Case Studies and Applications, Competition, Seeing Around Corners

October 13, 2021

When HR really does get a seat at the table! Congratulations to Kathleen Hogan on being recognized as the HR Executive of the Year

It’s almost a meme among HR professionals – wanting a “seat at the table” while often being relegated to routine problem solving and dealing with the messier sides of humanity. But whoa, when its done… Read more »

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Case Studies and Applications, Growth, Leadership

June 29, 2021

The Future is Already Here Department: Hololens 2 Edition

Strategic inflection points create a 10X shift in your business – 10X more efficient, 10X more convenient, 10X easier – you get the idea. But they take a while – let’s look at one in… Read more »

Filed Under: Case Studies and Applications, Digital, Innovation

June 8, 2021

Snow Melts from the Edges – Some Lessons from Buffer

Big changes seldom announce themselves conveniently at the conference table at headquarters. They bubble up, instead, at the ‘edges’ of the organization, where things are most exposed. This short story from Buffer illustrates. In Seeing… Read more »

Filed Under: Case Studies and Applications, Seeing Around Corners

May 18, 2021

Landing at the end of the road: Verizon’s decision to disengage from its media strategy

The very human tendency to continue to pursue a failing project, strategy or investment just increases the suffering when the inevitable happens.  What are some indicators its time to pull the plug? Verizon’s recent decision… Read more »

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Case Studies and Applications, Growth Options / Real Options, Leadership, Strategy Dynamics

January 29, 2021

A New Social Contract? Part 1: Defining the Issues

Back in March of 2020, I applied the techniques from “Seeing Around Corners” to what kind of economic and social future we might anticipate post-pandemic.  One of the scenarios I outlined was a return to… Read more »

Filed Under: Articles, Case Studies and Applications, Insights and ideas, News Archives, Thought Sparks

October 28, 2020

Unanticipated Consequences of a Potential Baby Bust

Although the early warning signs that an inflection point is on the way are often detectable years, even decades, in advance, trying to time most inflection points is incredibly frustrating.  Not so with demographics.  In… Read more »

Filed Under: Academic Concerns, Business Start Ups / Entrepreneurship, Case Studies and Applications, Insights and ideas, Thought Sparks

January 24, 2016

What a startup can learn about customer needs from a medieval practice

In a recent article over at Fortune, I explore what Transferwise, a fast-growing new startup has rediscovered:  an enduring customer need that is currently featuring in the migrant crisis, Hawala.  The practice of Hawala originated centuries… Read more »

Filed Under: Business Start Ups / Entrepreneurship, Case Studies and Applications, Innovation, Thought Sparks

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