HBR On Strategy

Mar 26 2025 103 ep. 25 mins 690

HBR On Strategy Podcast artwork

Business strategy isn’t a plan, it’s a framework for success.

Whether you’re building, innovating, or executing, HBR On Strategy is your destination for insights and inspiration from the world’s top experts on business strategy and innovation.

Every Wednesday, the editors at the Harvard Business Review hand-picked conversations and case studies from across HBR podcasts, videos, articles, and beyond to unlock new ways of doing business.

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How to Lead a Successful Turnaround

Mar 26 2025 28 mins

When a company, division, or product line has been struggling for some time, it can feel nearly impossible to get things back on track. But big turnarounds are possible, provided you have a team willing to work hard, be creative, and embrace change. When he was president and CEO of Marvel, Peter Cuneo oversaw the resurgence and sale of the media company, but even before that he had

Alphabet CEO on AI as a Workplace Collaborator

Mar 19 2025 29 mins

The use of artificial intelligence—specifically generative AI—is growing rapidly, and tech giants like Google have an important role to play in how that technology gets adopted and developed. Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google as well as its parent company Alphabet, which he’s led as an AI-first company for several years. He speaks with HBR Editor at Large Adi Ignatius about

How to Push for Change in a Large Organization

Mar 12 2025 27 mins

Getting a big, bureaucratic organization to innovate or adopt new technologies is hard. That’s why Harvard Business School professor Maria Roche wrote a case study about U.S. Air Force Major Victor “SALSA” Lopez. He helped launch a program that uncovers ways to use AI to strengthen U.S. defense efforts. Professor Roche and Major Lopez talked about the challenges of fostering

The Right Way to Make Data-Driven Decisions

Mar 05 2025 27 mins

Fueled by the promise of concrete insights, organizations are increasingly prioritizing data in their decision-making processes. But that process can easily go wrong. Many leaders don’t understand that their decisions are only as good as how they interpret the data. In this episode, Professor Michael Luca of Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and Professor Amy Edmondson of Harv

To Grow Profitably, Take It Slow

Feb 26 2025 30 mins

Many companies, especially in the tech world, have come to embrace the idea of growth at all costs. But according to research from Gary Pisano, professor at Harvard Business School, most firms fail to consistently increase revenues and profits over the long term, adjusting for inflation.In this episode, Pisano explains why it’s important for leaders to think more strategically ab

Turn Your Supply Chain into an Innovation Engine

Feb 19 2025 25 mins

Imagine a company that, in a matter of weeks, can develop, prototype, build, and deliver innovative products. That’s exactly what Haier, one of the world’s largest home appliance manufacturers, achieved in 2019. When the city of Wuhan urgently needed mobile isolation wards to curb the spread of Covid-19, Haier leveraged their open digital supply chain platform to deliver in rec

Using New Tech to Compete in an Old Industry

Feb 12 2025 27 mins

The insurance industry is centuries old and has historically been dominated by a few large incumbents. But the industry is experiencing disruption from smaller tech-driven companies—known as insurtechs—that are changing how insurance is bought and sold. In this episode, Harvard Business School professor Lauren Cohen explores how insurtech firm Hippo is challenging traditional

The Key to Sustaining an Enduring Competitive Advantage

Feb 05 2025 18 mins

It’s a holy grail for many businesses—the search for sustainable competitive advantage. But Chris Zook points out that it’s elusive for most companies. He notes that less than one in 10 companies even achieve a modest level of sustained and profitable growth over a 10-year period on average. Zook is the former head of Bain’s global strategy practice and coauthor of the book

A Restaurant Innovator’s Recipe for Strategic Growth

Jan 29 2025 31 mins

For a long time in the restaurant industry, there were two types of dining experiences: fast food or table service. But Ron Shaich, founder and former chairman and CEO of Panera Bread, managed to create an entirely new category in between the two: fast casual. That innovative idea laid the groundwork for companies like Chipotle, Sweetgreen, and beyond. In this episode, Shaich break

A Middle Manager’s Guide to Executing Strategy

Jan 22 2025 46 mins

Imagine this scenario: Your company’s executive team has just announced their new master plan for growing the business. Now it’s your job, as a mid-level manager, to put it into practice. So where do you start? In this episode, strategy consultant Andrea Belk Olson explains how to make the most of a plan that you may or may not agree with and that you may or may not have had an