Roger Martin
Professor Emeritus & Strategy Advisor at Rotman School of Management / Author of Playing to Win
Roger Martin is the world's #1 ranked management thinker (Thinkers50), professor emeritus at Rotman School of Management, and author of Playing to Win, considered one of the most important books on strategy.
Dimension Profile
Key Themes
Episode Summary
Roger Martin, ranked the world's #1 management thinker, shares his strategy choice cascade: five questions every company must answer to win. He explains why most strategy education fails, why strategy is both intellectually challenging and emotionally intimidating, and the critical difference between playing to win and playing not to lose.
Leadership Principles
- → Answer five questions: winning aspiration, where to play, how to win, required capabilities, and enabling management systems
- → What's taught in business schools about strategy generally sucks — people aren't prepared
- → Strategy is intellectually challenging and emotionally intimidating — that's why most people avoid it
Notable Quotes
"You have to have answers to five questions: What's your winning aspiration? Where to play? How can you win? What capabilities must you have? And what enabling management systems do you need?"
— On the strategy choice cascade framework from Playing to Win
"What's taught now in business schools generally sucks. People aren't prepared educationally, and they sure don't get prepared for it in companies. Strategy is intellectually challenging and emotionally intimidating."
— On why so many people are bad at strategy
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