Thought Sparks

Rita Gunther-McGrath
  • 4.8 (4)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Thought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence. New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every other Tuesday at 11am Eastern.

  1. Catalyzing Organizational Change with Rita McGrath and Michael Lurie

    12H AGO

    Catalyzing Organizational Change with Rita McGrath and Michael Lurie

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Michael Lurie, Chief Catalyst at Bayer and expert in leading large-scale transformations.    00:00 Introductions & Context  1:37 The Challenge — Walking Into Bayer  5:07 How the Rollout Began, Using Two Tracks  8:37 The Five Principles of Dynamic Shared Ownership  10:39 Principle 1: Focus on Mission and Outcomes  11:05 Principle 2: Collaborate on a Network of Self-Managing Teams  11:51 Principle 3: Create Value as Entrepreneurial Businesses  13:00 Principle 4: Explore, Execute, and Evolve in Rapid Cycles  13:38 Principle 5: Show Up in Creative Mindset  14:45 The VACC Leadership Model  15:52 Performance Results — The Evidence  19:37 Applying DSO to Manufacturing and The Precision Question  24:12 Overcoming Skepticism and Resistance  32:46 Reimagining Budgeting Towards Dynamic Resource Flow  41:44 Professional Homes — Reimagining Talent and Compensation  49:01 How Strategy Changes in the DSO Model  57:49 Lessons Learned and Surprises on the Journey  1:01:36 Closing     Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?      Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thought-sparks/id1546758719  https://open.spotify.com/show/0xmTsYXMgTeielwZ0dGTSU    Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyXT8iJkTSciUMe0me3L7Q    Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritamcgrath/  https://x.com/rgmcgrath  https://bsky.app/profile/rgmcgrath.bsky.social    Connect with Rita on TikTok and Instagram.  https://www.tiktok.com/@rgmcgrath  https://www.instagram.com/ritamcgrath.hub/    Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.    https://thoughtsparks.substack.com/    Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.

    1h 3m
  2. Building Beloved Brands with Rita McGrath and Monica Nassif

    APR 28

    Building Beloved Brands with Rita McGrath and Monica Nassif

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Monica Nassif, an entrepreneur and founder of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, as well as author of “I Bottled My Mother: The Mrs. Meyer’s Story: Grit, Grime, and Growing a Business”.    [0:14] Monica Nassif: Entrepreneur, Career Changer, and Creator of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day  [0:36] Monica's Background, From Nursing to Marketing  [2:42] The Eureka Moment: Reinventing Cleaning Products  [5:28] The Real Mrs. Meyer: How Monica’s Mother Inspired a Brand  [7:44] Savings, A Second Mortgage, and Credit Cards: When Entrepreneurs Go All In  [11:14] The Founding of Caldrea   [13:22] “Sawing Off The Branch” and Launching Mrs. Meyer's   [16:26] Building Mrs. Meyer's Retail Presence  [18:14] Growth Strategy and Lessons from Williams-Sonoma and Target  [28:12] Being an Entrepreneurial Working Mother  [35:37] The Decision to Sell  [39:21] The Acquisition Process: Vetting PE Firms and Choosing SC Johnson  [42:24] Life after the Sale  [44:15] The Book I Bottled My Mother — Part Love Letter to Monica's Mom, Part Startup Manual  [46:33] Lessons for Entrepreneurs  [52:38] On Resourcefulness: “Creativity Lies in Your Hands"       Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?    Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.   Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.   Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.   Connect with Rita on TikTok.   Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.    Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.

    1 hr
  3. The Science of Retiring Well with Rita McGrath and Teresa Amabile

    APR 21

    The Science of Retiring Well with Rita McGrath and Teresa Amabile

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, sits down with Teresa Amabile, Edsel Bryant Ford Professor, Emerita, at Harvard Business School, and co-author of the book Retiring: Creating a Life That Works for You, which draws on over 100 case studies of individuals’ experiences with retirement.     0:33: From “The Progress Principle” to “Retiring” — The Origin of the Research  11:13: Preparing for Retirement and What to Think About Before You Take the Step  15:16: The Research Methodology  20:07: The Four Tasks of Retiring  20:24: Task One: Making the Decision  26:17: Task Two: Detaching from Work  29:29: Task Three: Exploring and Experimenting  38:42: Task Four: Consolidating a Retirement Life  41:12: Identity in Retirement — Bridging and Building Anew  51:33: What Companies Should Do  57:18: What Does Work Mean Now, And Teresa’s Own Retirement  59:53: Where to Learn More    Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?   Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.  Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.  Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.  Connect with Rita on TikTok.  Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.   Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com

    1h 2m
  4. Maximizing Human Capacity with Rita McGrath and Vivienne Ming

    APR 14

    Maximizing Human Capacity with Rita McGrath and Vivienne Ming

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Vivienne Ming, theoretical neuroscientist and artificial intelligence expert, named one of “10 Women to Watch in Tech” by Inc. Magazine and one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2017, and author of the new book “Robot-Proof: When Machines Have all the Answers, Build Better People”.    00:45: Introductions  3:44: Vivienne's Personal Background – From the Farm to the Academy  13:45: Vivienne's Work Today – From Hiring Science to the Human Trust  18:30: What Actually Predicts Long-Term Life Success  23:04: How AI Is Changing Teams, Trust, and Cognition  28:01: The Core Distinction Between Well-Posed vs. Ill-Posed Problems   32:38: Deprofessionalization and the "Right" Questions About AI and Jobs  36:52: Three Types of Human-AI Collaborators : Automators, Validators, and Cyborgs  43:59: The Utopia/Dystopia Debate and What's Actually Worth Worrying About  51:29: Teaching in the Age of AI and The Case for Productive Friction  1:00:13: What You Still Need to Learn And Why Human Qualities Are Developable  1:05:44: Closing and Where to Learn More          Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?   Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.  Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.  Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.  Connect with Rita on TikTok.  Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.   Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com

    1h 9m
  5. Building Lasting Organizations with Rita McGrath and Dave Whorton

    APR 7

    Building Lasting Organizations with Rita McGrath and Dave Whorton

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Dave Whorton, Founder & CEO at Tugboat Institute, and co-author of Another Way: Building Companies That Last…and Last…and Last alongside Bo Burlingham, which gives practical advice and explanations of Evergreen companies: focused on long-term stability and steady growth, and leadership beyond personal wealth generation.    00:56: The HP Origin Story and Learning to See a Different Way  3:58: From Reluctant Venture Capitalist to the Evergreen Discovery  9:59: The Tugboat Metaphor  10:51: The Book's Approach to Learning in Real Time  14:44: Financial Transparency, Jack Stack, and the Great Game of Silicon Valley Business  18:01: The Wealth Trap and What Evergreen Leaders Model Instead  22:15: How Evergreen Leaders Approach Boards  25:30: People First: The First of the Seven P's  30:22: Perseverance and the Debt Question  30:45: Customer Intimacy Over Competition-Watching  37:10: Why Aren’t More Companies Like This?   40:02: The Scale and Diversity of the Evergreen World  49:00: Weighing up Venture and Evergreen  52:45: AI, Careers, and the Changing Unit of Value Creation    Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?   Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.  Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.  Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.  Connect with Rita on TikTok.  Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.   Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com

    1h 1m
  6. AI and Human Capabilities with Rita McGrath and Johan Roos

    MAR 31

    AI and Human Capabilities with Rita McGrath and Johan Roos

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, sits down with Johan Roos, Global Chief Academic Officer at Hult International Business School, co-creator of LEGO Serious Play, and author of Human Magic: Leading with Wisdom in an Age of Algorithms.    00:30: Introductions — A Long Friendship and a New  Book  6:00: The Genesis of Human Magic — The Central Question  10:34: The History Behind the Idea, From 2012 to ChatGPT  17:58: The Five Cs: The Core of Human Magic  22:42: Algorithmic Citizenship vs. Professional Citizenship  28:24: The Junior Talent Problem and Unintended  Consequences  35:50: AI in Business Schools and Lessons from Hult Business School  40:04: The Future of Business Schools and the MBA  44:08: Rethinking the Role of the Professor  50:35: What Human Magic Hopes to Accomplish  53:45: Science Fiction, Warning Signs, and "Your Choice"  55:06:What's Next for Johan Roos        Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?   Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.  Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.  Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.  Connect with Rita on TikTok.  Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.   Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com

    58 min
  7. The Future of Employment with Rita McGrath and Deborah Perry Piscione

    MAR 24

    The Future of Employment with Rita McGrath and Deborah Perry Piscione

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, sits down with Deborah Perry Piscione, co-author of the book “EMPLOYMENT IS DEAD: How Disruptive Technologies are Revolutionizing the Way we Work” and co-founder and Chief Future Officer of the Work3 Institute.    0:22: Welcome and Introduction to “Employment is Dead”  1:39: The Core Thesis: Why Employment as We Know It Is Ending  6:18 The Destruction of Jobs: AI, Humanoids, and Physical Work  14:18: Carlota Perez’s Theory of Economic Transitions  17:54: The Work3 Institute: Advising Organizations Through the Shift  20:32: Education: What K–12 and Universities Must Become  27:23 Alpha Schools and New Models for Learning  31:00 Economics, Purpose, and the Meaning Crisis  37:40 Humanoids, AI Relationships, and Human Identity  42:49 Optimism, Pessimism, and Where We Stand  50:11 What Leaders and Organizations Should Do Now  52:15 Where to Learn More      Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?   Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.  Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.  Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.  Connect with Rita on TikTok.  Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.   Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com

    54 min
  8. AI and the Knowledge Economy with Rita McGrath and Sangeet Paul Choudary

    MAR 17

    AI and the Knowledge Economy with Rita McGrath and Sangeet Paul Choudary

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, welcomes Sangeet Paul Choudary– expert on platform economics and network effects, and the recipient of the 2025 Thinkers50 Strategy Award – to discuss his new book Reshuffle.  0:00 - Intro & Teaser   0:31 - Welcome & Guest Introduction (Sangeet Choudary, author of "Reshuffle")   1:49 - The Maginot Line Analogy: Why We're Solving the Wrong Problem with AI   4:07 - AI's Automation Lens vs. the Coordination Lens   5:02 - AI's Real Impact: Changing How the Economy Connects   7:15 - What Inspired the Book "Reshuffle"   9:40 - The Shipping Container Analogy: Lessons for AI   11:21 - From Port Automation to Systemic Transformation   13:04 - How AI Makes Tacit & Unstructured Knowledge Usable   15:35 - AI's Impact on Jobs & Roles: What Really Disappears   17:51 - Coordination as AI's Magical Property   18:27 - What AI Means for Strategy   19:08 - From Operational Uncertainty to Structural Uncertainty   19:51 - Industry Boundaries Are Collapsing   21:46 - The New Way to Win: Reshaping the Playing Field   26:51 - The TikTok Example: Intelligence-First vs. Social Graph   29:34 - Shein & AI-Driven Fast Fashion   33:45 - Sephora: AI as a Consumer Decision-Making Assistant   36:13 - Solution Providers vs. Tool Providers (Two Strategic Roles)   41:55 - What Will Happen to Consulting?   44:22 - New Business Models: Rentable, Recombinable & Scalable (Mr. Beast Burgers)   48:30 - Sangeet's Next Book: "Unfair Advantage"   51:01 - The Dynamics of Transition: From Petroleum Age to Digital   53:00 - Apple's Masterclass in Value Migration (iPod → iPhone)   57:37 - Closing Remarks & Farewell  New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every Tuesday at 11am Eastern.     Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?   Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.  Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.  Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.  Connect with Rita on TikTok.  Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.   Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com

    58 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Thought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence. New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every other Tuesday at 11am Eastern.

Information

  • Creator
    Rita Gunther-McGrath
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    140
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rita Gunther-McGrath
  • Show Website
    Thought Sparks

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