What does disruption really demand of leaders?

Disruption and innovation dominate today’s business conversations. But when the stakes include climate change and artificial intelligence, what do these ideas truly demand of leaders?

In this episode of Dialogue with the Dean, Julian Birkinshaw sits down with Michael Raynor, MBA ’94 – Ivey Associate Professor, bestselling author, and respected authority on strategy and innovation – for a candid and thought-provoking discussion on how disruption must be understood and led in this moment.

Together, they revisit the promise – and limitations – of disruptive innovation and reflect on Raynor’s collaboration with the late Clayton Christensen. The conversation then turns to two powerful forces reshaping business: greenhouse gas emissions and artificial intelligence. Raynor urges leaders to approach decarbonization not as a talking point but as a strategic reality, and to move beyond experimentation with AI toward focused, high-impact applications, particularly in medicine.

Provocative and pragmatic, this episode challenges leaders to rethink strategy in an era where disruption isn’t theoretical – it’s already underway.

In this episode:

1:15: The 25-Year Internship

2:10: From Christensen to ChatGPT

7:17: Net zero is dead. Long live net zero

9:25: The problem hidden in plain sight

14:32: A “credit” to the system

19:38: Hope isn’t a climate strategy

21:00: The Decarbonizer's Dilemma