Rita G. McGrath

Associate Professor

Management

Faculty Member

Executive Education

BA, Barnard, 1981; MPA, Columbia, 1982; PhD, University of Pennsylvania, 1993

Joined CBS in 1993

Rita McGrath

Office
4th fl. Armstrong

Phone
212-854-6155

E-mail
rdm20@columbia.edu

Fax
212-316-1473

Teaching and research interest

Rita McGrath studies innovation, corporate venturing and entrepreneurship. She is well known for developing practical tools and frameworks to make the innovation process less risky and difficult, and to bring a dose of reality to growth programs. She works extensively with leadership teams in Global 1,000 companies, and is a popular speaker. Her co-authored books are The Entrepreneurial Mindset (2000) and MarketBusters: 40 Strategic Moves that Drive Exceptional Business Growth (2005). MarketBusters has been translated into ten languages, and was rated a best business book by Strategy + Business. Rita is often cited in the press (see http://ritamcgrath.com). She has co-authored six Harvard Business Review articles, among them the best-selling "Discovery Driven Planning" (1995) and the recent "The Value Captors Process" (2007). She directs and teaches in Columbia's top ranked Executive Education programs.

Honors and awards

  • Best Paper, Academy of Management Review, 1999
  • Maurice Holland Award, 2000
    Award for the best paper published in Research-Technology Management in the year 2000.
  • Best Paper, Strategic Management Society 2000 Conference
  • Phi Beta Kappa, 1981
  • Best Reviewer Award
    Academy of Management Review, 2007
  • Best Reviewer Award, Business Policy & Strategy Division, Academy of Management 2007
    Award given for the most high-quality reviews in this Division
  • Strategic Management Society Fellow
    In 2009, Rita McGrath was elected to the Strategic Managment Society Fellows, an honor which recognizes groundbreaking intellectual contributions to the field of Strategic Management.

Memberships and Affiliations

  • Academy of Management
  • Editorial Board, Academy of Management Review
  • Editorial Board, Strategic Management Journal
  • Enterprise Strategy Group, Ireland
    Advisory group for the government of Ireland, with the purpose of advising on Ireland's enterprise policies for the next ten years.
  • Board of Directors, Strategic Management Society
    For more information about the Society refer to the web site www.smsweb.org

Chapters

Managing Growth through Corporate Venturing In Entrepreneurship: The Engine of Growth (2006) Coauthor(s): Ian MacMillan, Rita McGrath

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The Misunderstood Role of the Middle Manager in Driving Successful Growth Programs In The Search for Organic Growth (2006) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath

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Journal articles

Gems from the Ashes: Capability Creation and Transformation in Internal Corporate Venturing In Organization Science (2009) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath, Thomas Keil, Taina Tukiainen

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No Longer a Stepchild: How the Management Field Can Come into Its Own In Academy of Management Journal (2007) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath

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The Value Captor's Process: Getting the Most Out of Your New Business Ventures In The Harvard Business Review (2007) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath, Thomas Keil

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Using Real Options Discipline for Highly Uncertain Technology Investments In Research-Technology Management (2006) Coauthor(s): Ian MacMillan, Alex Van Putten, Rita McGrath, James Thompson

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Extracting Value from Corporate Venturing In Sloan Management Review (2006) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath, Thomas Keil, Taina Tukiainen

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Real Options as Engines of Choice and Heterogeneity In Academy of Management Review (2004) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath, Walter Ferrier, Aubrey Mendelow

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Real Options Reasoning and a New Look at the R&D Investment Strategies of Pharmaceutical Firms In Strategic Management Journal (2004) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath

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Nine New Roles for Technology Managers In Research Technology Management (2004) Coauthor(s): Ian MacMillan, Rita McGrath

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Global Gamesmanship In Harvard Business Review (2003) Coauthor(s): Ian MacMillan, Alexander VanPutten, Rita McGrath

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Crafting R and D Project Portfolios In Research Technology Management (2002) Coauthor(s): Ian MacMillan, Rita McGrath

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Organizations Unfettered: Organizational Form in an Information-Intensive Economy In Academy of Management Journal (2001) Coauthor(s): John Child, Rita McGrath

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Exploratory Learning, Innovative Capacity, and Managerial Oversight In Academy of Management Journal (2001) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath

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Assessing Technology Projects Using Real Options Reasoning In Research Technology Management (2000) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath, Ian MacMillan

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Falling Forward: Real Options Reasoning and Entrepreneurial Failure In Academy of Management Review (1999) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath

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Multimarket Maneuvering in Uncertain Spheres of Influence: Resource Diversion Strategies In Academy of Management Review (1998) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath, Ming-Jer Chen, Ian MacMillan

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A Real Options Logic for Initiating Technology Positioning Investments In Academy of Management Review (1997) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath

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Discovering New Points of Differentiation In Harvard Business Review (1997) Coauthor(s): Ian MacMillan, Rita McGrath

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Improving Labor Productivity: Human Resource Management Policies Do Matter In Strategic Management Journal (1996) Coauthor(s): Marianne Koch, Rita McGrath

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Innovation, Competitive Advantage, and Rent: A Model and Test In Management Science (1996) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath, Ming-Hone Tsai, S. Venkataraman, Ian MacMillan

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Discover Your Products' Hidden Potential In Harvard Business Review (1996) Coauthor(s): Ian MacMillan, Rita McGrath

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Defining and Developing Competence: A Strategic Process Paradigm In Strategic Management Journal (1995) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath, Ian MacMillan, S. Venkataraman

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Discovery-Driven Planning In Harvard Business Review (1995) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath, Ian MacMillan

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The Role of Executive Team Actions in Shaping Dominant Designs: Towards the Strategic Shaping of Technological Progress In Strategic Management Journal (1992) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath, Michael Tushman, Ian MacMillan

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Books

Discovery-Driven Growth: A Breakthrough Process to Reduce Risk and Seize Opportunity In (2009) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath, Ian MacMillan

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MarketBusters: Forty Strategic Moves that Fuel Exceptional Business Growth In (2005) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath, Ian MacMillan

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The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Strategies for Continuously Creating Opportunity in an Age of Uncertainty In (2000) Coauthor(s): Rita McGrath

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