December 2023-Round UP

31 December 2023

DECEMBER 2023-ROUND UP Rita McGrath | Thought Sparks

The field of strategy, as I’m fond of saying, had its intellectual roots in Industrial Economics.

That way of thinking suggests two assumptions that I think are often a trap, when used in the wrong situations.

The first assumption is that industries exist.

Sure, that’s a useful idea when things are stable and the most significant competitor you face is indeed in your industry. Throw in a few strong entry barriers and away we go! But in more and more situations, entry barriers have come down and the most significant competition you face is either not in your industry or is rethinking how your industry operates (think SpaceX vs. NASA)...

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT We are running three editions of my week-long Columbia course “Leading Strategic Growth and Change.” The content addresses how you structure for a balance of innovation and the day-to-day, making better choices, transformation, platform strategies and much more. People say it changes their lives and careers! If you’reinterested, check out the 2024 course offerings!

IN THE NEWS How Casper’s high profile foray into the mattress industry flopped, and what that tells us about the rest of the direct-toconsumer model. See also: the case of coding bootcamps.

Micro, small, and medium enterprises have their own challenges when it comes to driving lasting growth.

In the innovation arms race, leaders need to manage the gap between the business side and technological side of their organizations.

Revisiting Samsung Chairman Lee’s New Management, 30 years on.

TOOL OF THE MONTH: VALIZE IDEAHUB This fall we launched the first collection of the Valize Learning Guides! The Customer Insight Tools Collection offers techniques for generating the kind of valuable insights that truly grow businesses.

With hands-on practice and assessments, you can test how well you’ve incorporated the concepts.

Check out the first collection now and watch out for more collections in the new year!

UPCOMING EVENTS SparcHub is software based on my book Discovery Driven Growth that makes it easier to implement the methodology in your organization. You can watch a recorded version of it at this link. The “Sage” version is an affordably priced app ($15/month/user) intended for consultants, small companies and smaller units of large companies to help manage their portfolios – a job that currently gets done by non-integrated spreadsheets, for the most part. We’ll be launching it in February, 2024.

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2024 After a 2023 that I can only describe as a year of “wait and see,” I think 2024 is going to be full of momentum. I’m looking forward to learning, sharing ideas and having you join us. There’s a new book in the works, ongoing Thought Sparks, lots of inspiring Fireside Chats and so much more. Have a lovely holiday break, however you spend it, and I’m looking forward to working with you next year.

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