Genius at Scale
How Great Leaders Drive Innovation
Published on 3. March 2026
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-64782-750-2 (ISBN)
Description
Innovation doesn't just happen. You need to lead it. Discover the three critical roles leaders must play in driving-and scaling-innovation.
Constant tech disruption. Unrelenting economic volatility. Radically shifting demographics and work norms. More than ever, we need to innovate amid these daunting global challenges. But do we have the leadership it takes to make this innovation happen successfully?
As preeminent leadership scholar Linda Hill, Harvard researcher Emily Tedards, and former Microsoft innovation executive Jason Wild show in this powerful book, there are indeed exemplary leaders to learn from-and the authors present their stories in fascinating detail, not only igniting your imagination but providing instructive and inspiring models to follow. Hill's award-winning book Collective Genius began the crucial task of showing that successful innovation doesn't just happen-it needs to be led. Genius at Scale breaks new ground, showing how moving from generating new ideas to actually scaling them involves cocreation-collaborating, experimenting, and learning with others both inside and beyond the boundaries of the organization. This requires three distinct types of leadership:
Leader as Architect: shaping culture and capabilities for cocreation
Leader as Bridger: building partnerships across teams and organizations
Leader as Catalyst: activating and cultivating movements across ecosystems
The authors vividly profile these three types of leaders with individuals from all kinds of companies-from Mastercard, Pfizer, and Procter & Gamble to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Sampark Foundation, and ANA spinoff avatarin-who illustrate the mindset, skills, and digital savvy needed for leading in a world more uncertain and challenging than ever before.
Genius at Scale provides an essential guide to mastering the art and practice of innovation for any current or aspiring leader.
Constant tech disruption. Unrelenting economic volatility. Radically shifting demographics and work norms. More than ever, we need to innovate amid these daunting global challenges. But do we have the leadership it takes to make this innovation happen successfully?
As preeminent leadership scholar Linda Hill, Harvard researcher Emily Tedards, and former Microsoft innovation executive Jason Wild show in this powerful book, there are indeed exemplary leaders to learn from-and the authors present their stories in fascinating detail, not only igniting your imagination but providing instructive and inspiring models to follow. Hill's award-winning book Collective Genius began the crucial task of showing that successful innovation doesn't just happen-it needs to be led. Genius at Scale breaks new ground, showing how moving from generating new ideas to actually scaling them involves cocreation-collaborating, experimenting, and learning with others both inside and beyond the boundaries of the organization. This requires three distinct types of leadership:
Leader as Architect: shaping culture and capabilities for cocreation
Leader as Bridger: building partnerships across teams and organizations
Leader as Catalyst: activating and cultivating movements across ecosystems
The authors vividly profile these three types of leaders with individuals from all kinds of companies-from Mastercard, Pfizer, and Procter & Gamble to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Sampark Foundation, and ANA spinoff avatarin-who illustrate the mindset, skills, and digital savvy needed for leading in a world more uncertain and challenging than ever before.
Genius at Scale provides an essential guide to mastering the art and practice of innovation for any current or aspiring leader.
Reviews / Votes
Advance Praise for Genius at Scale:"Genius at Scale offers profound insights into the approaches and skills crucial for driving innovation within organizations, revealing how collaboration, experimentation, and continuous learning can catalyze transformation." - Tan Su Shan, CEO, DBS Group
"Genius at Scale issues an urgent call to reimagine how cocreation, deep connection, and productive challenge unlock real innovation and impact." - Brene Brown, New York Times bestselling author, Strong Ground
"Genius at Scale offers a compelling road map for leaders navigating real-world innovation challenges, reminding us that in a world of exponentially accelerating change, our greatest advantage is our ability to learn, adapt, and empower others to do the same." - Omar Abbosh, CEO, Pearson
"By taking readers inside the day-to-day work of large-scale change at leading companies and organizations, Genius at Scale will help leaders in every walk of life think and work bigger." - Rajiv J. Shah, President, the Rockefeller Foundation; author, Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really Happens
"Genius at Scale is a practical guide for leaders who want to innovate at scale-not just within their organizations but across entire ecosystems." - Luca de Meo, CEO, Kering
"Through vivid case studies, Linda Hill, Emily Tedards, and Jason Wild bring to life their brilliant idea of leaders as architects, bridgers, and catalysts, a concept that will deeply resonate with both established executives and emerging leaders." - Hubert Joly, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School; former CEO, Best Buy; and bestselling author, The Heart of Business
"The ABCs of innovation! A must-read for leaders at all levels looking to drive meaningful change in business and society." - Parminder Kohli, Chairman, Shell UK
"Genius at Scale gives leaders a clear framework to drive innovation and impact through culture, clarity, and cocreation. Not just vision-execution." - Jacob Bendfeldt, Global Head of Strategy, Transformation, and AI Partnerships, Microsoft Research
"This book demonstrates, through experience, that leading innovation is possible and necessary in today's world. It offers a practical vision of how exceptional leaders drive large-scale innovation through their focus on purpose, generosity, and shared vision. In this adventure, there is no place for individual geniuses but rather for genius at scale capable of activating co-creation both within and beyond their organizations. A must read." - Valero Marin, Executive Managing Director of Client and Executive Committee member, Repsol Corporation, and Chairman, IndesIA.
"Genius at Scale is a bold blueprint for the leaders our times demand-those who can unite vision and action, ignite collaboration, and unleash innovation at speed. It speaks directly to my own journey, revealing how to catalyze change, co-create across boundaries, and scale impact in a world that never stops moving." - Dimitris Bountolos, Chief Innovation and Information Officer, Ferrovial
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
552 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64782-750-2 (9781647827502)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2026
Harvard Business Review Press
€30.99
Available for download
Persons
Linda A. Hill is the Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and Faculty Chair of the Leadership Initiative. She is the coauthor of Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation and the cofounder of InnovationForce, named by Fast Company in 2023 and 2024 as an Innovative Company to Watch.
Emily Tedards is a graduate researcher in organizational behavior at Harvard Business School and a doctoral fellow with the Reimagining the Economy Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School.
Jason Wild is the former Global Vice President of CEO Co-Innovation and Customer Engagement at Microsoft. Prior to that, he was the Senior Vice President of Transformation and Innovation at Salesforce.
Emily Tedards is a graduate researcher in organizational behavior at Harvard Business School and a doctoral fellow with the Reimagining the Economy Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School.
Jason Wild is the former Global Vice President of CEO Co-Innovation and Customer Engagement at Microsoft. Prior to that, he was the Senior Vice President of Transformation and Innovation at Salesforce.