Disrupt Yourself Podcast with Whitney Johnson

370 Roger L. Martin: How To Turn Around A Failing Business School – Without Doing A Whole Lot Of Anything

Apr 26, 2024

Former dean of the Rotman School of Management, Roger L. Martin, discusses how he turned around a failing business school with minimal changes. Topics include unconventional leadership strategies, promoting adult behavior to address conflicts, and innovative fundraising methods for academic institutions.

01:25:11

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Episode guests

Roger L. Martin

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Quick takeaways

Building trust through long-term vision and economic transformation

Fostering mature interactions to reduce conflict and promote teamwork

Investing in personal connections and well-being to create a harmonious academic environment

Deep dives

Creating Economic Transformation and Retaining Top Talent

The Dean faced a crucial decision when a top professor received a higher salary offer from a US business school. Instead of immediately matching the offer, the Dean explained his plan to economically transform the school to afford world-class salaries in the future. The Dean offered the professor a choice: take the 80,000 higher salary now or wait five years for potentially higher earnings to align with the economic transformation. Ultimately, the professor chose to wait, demonstrating trust in the Dean's vision and commitment to building a stronger faculty.

Utilize Comparative Advantage for Effective Leadership

01:25

Embracing Change and Appreciating Contributions

01:37

Creating Space for High Leverage Tasks

01:27

Rethinking Fundraising Approach

01:26

Introduction

2min

Navigating Leadership and Academic Administration

27min

Revamping Culture and Productivity in a Failing Business School

11min

Promoting Adult Behavior to Address Internal Conflicts in a Business School

3min

Strategic Negotiation and Long-term Investment

17min

Innovative Fundraising Strategies for Academic Institutions

11min

Recognizing the Right Time for Change

12min

Embracing Simplicity and Challenging Complexity in Business Operations

2min

This week we’ve got a special episode, a longer one than we normally do. But when you have an opportunity, to talk to the person who built the Rotman School of Management into the powerhouse it is today, you have to use every minute you get.

Roger L. Martin was told that the Toronto’s Rotman School wasn’t worth his time, that it was a quote – cesspool of intrigue. Roger himself will say that he didn’t do much in his 15 years as dean, just tinkering and prodding. He’s a bit of an understated enigma, as you’ll soon find out. But when Rotman’s prestige today ranks up there with Stanford and Harvard, you can’t really argue with his results.

There’s so much to mine in this conversation, we thought it would be a shame to cut it down and fit it within our normal episode length. If you have the time, I’d love for you to give it more than just one listen.

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Disrupt Yourself Podcast with Whitney Johnson

370 Roger L. Martin: How To Turn Around A Failing Business School – Without Doing A Whole Lot Of Anything

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Creating Economic Transformation and Retaining Top Talent

Cultivating a Culture of Adult Behavior

Fostering Personal Connections and Professional Development

Simplifying Complexity in the Workplace

Embracing Simplicity and Authenticity in Leadership

Utilize Comparative Advantage for Effective Leadership

Embracing Change and Appreciating Contributions

Creating Space for High Leverage Tasks

Rethinking Fundraising Approach

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts