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About Scott D. Anthony
Scott D. Anthony helps leaders build long-lasting organizational agility in a constantly evolving world. Over more than two decades of growth strategy work, he has advised senior leaders at organizations ranging from Procter & Gamble to DBS Bank and the government of Singapore, and as his firm's elected managing partner he oversaw a period in which it tripled its revenues and expanded internationally.
"It's hard to set a strategic direction in the midst of uncertainty. One persistent problem is that the data to justify a course of action only becomes clear when it's too late to act," Anthony writes in Harvard Business Review. "Leaders should deliberately wander to find fresh insight that can help them make sense and set a course through uncertainty."
Scott's Keynote Topics
The forces of disruption have repeatedly rewritten the rules of business, society, and human possibility. When the dust of disruption settles, there’s a clear line between before the disruption and after it. According to Dartmouth Tuck School of Business clinical professor Scott D. Anthony, “the messy middle” presents significant challenges for leaders. In this fascinating presentation, he draws on his book “Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World” to look back at past challenges and outline the paths that helped us move forward. From a 16th century proclamation from the King of England against innovation to gunpowder, disposable diapers, Julia Child, Steve Jobs and more, Anthony illustrates how appreciating the history of disruption helps to make sense of modern developments such as generative AI, cryptocurrency, autonomous vehicles, and precision fermentation. Audiences leave with a practical understanding of how to navigate disruptive change by stripping away the mythology to decode how genuine disruption actually happens.
Today’s turbulent times present unique and persistent challenges. According to Dartmouth Tuck School of Business clinical professor Scott D. Anthony, on a daily basis, leaders have to deal with seemingly conflicting demands – purpose vs. profits, empowerment vs. decisiveness, meritocracy vs. inclusivity – that can feel paralyzing. In this eye opening presentation, Anthony draws on cutting edge research and detailed analysis to show that yesterday’s strengths don’t have to become tomorrow’s weaknesses. Audiences will learn a practical, optimistic collection of mindsets, mental models and approaches that will allow leaders to stand calm in chaos, turn ambiguity into opportunity, and accelerate when the fog of uncertainty descends.
With the rush to implement powerful artificial intelligence tools, most leaders are focusing on the technology but not the potential impacts on office culture. As Dartmouth Tuck School of Business clinical professor Scott D. Anthony explains, “a decade ago, people thought going to the cloud was a technological issue, it’s not. It’s a sociological issue, and that’s even more true with AI.” In this revealing presentation, he shows that the leadership and cultural aspects of artificial intelligence initiatives are just as important to success as the technological implementation is. Attendees will learn how to create space for employees to experiment with AI, allowing them to develop new competencies that will ease discomfort, ultimately opening the door to creating powerful new strategic possibilities with the help of artificial intelligence.
Books by Scott D. Anthony
Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World
Harvard Business Review Press, 2025
Eat, Sleep, Innovate: How to Make Creativity an Everyday Habit Inside Your Organization
Harvard Business Review Press, 2020
Dual Transformation: How to Reposition Today's Business While Creating the Future
Harvard Business Review Press, 2017
The First Mile: A Launch Manual for Getting Great Ideas into the Market
Harvard Business Review Press, 2014
Building a Growth Factory
Harvard Business Review Press, 2012
The Little Black Book of Innovation: How It Works, How to Do It
Harvard Business Review Press, 2011
The Silver Lining: An Innovation Playbook for Uncertain Times
Harvard Business Review Press, 2009
The Innovator's Guide to Growth: Putting Disruptive Innovation to Work
Harvard Business Review Press, 2008
Seeing What's Next: Using Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change
Harvard Business Review Press; First Edition, 2004Articles by Scott D. Anthony
5 Timeless Lessons From the World’s Greatest Disruptors
October 2025Big ThinkGutenberg to Zuckerberg: How to Handle Disruption Without Hitting an Iceberg
September 2025Harvard Business ReviewWhat Disruptive Innovators Do Differently
September 2025Fast CompanyHow to Foster Innovation at Work
August 2025MIT Sloan Management ReviewThree Invisible Hurdles to Innovation
July 2025MIT Sloan Management ReviewFour Keys to Successful Horizon Scanning
March 2025MIT Sloan Management ReviewTackling Disruption Playfully
October 2024Harvard Business PublishingWhen It Comes to Gen AI, Let Your Students Play
October 2024MIT Sloan Management ReviewThe Perfectly Imperfect Start of Disruptive Innovations
July 2024MIT Sloan Management ReviewThe Anomalies of Disruption
April 2024Harvard Business ReviewWhen You Have to Make a Strategic Decision Without Much Data
March 2024MIT Sloan Management ReviewThe Hidden Opportunity in Paradoxes
December 2023Scott in the Media
The Most-Watched HBR Videos of 2025
Ten Lessons From a History of Disruptions
Dartmouth Professor Says He’s Surprised Just How Scared His Gen Z Students Are of AI
The 10 Best Business Books of 2025
The Power of Disruption: Lessons From History’s Boldest Innovations
The Ghosts That Hold Us Back: How Leaders Can Get Out of Their Own Way | DisrupTV Ep. 416
Interview With Scott D. Anthony: Epic Disruptions
How to Lead in the Most Disruptive Era in History With Scott D. Anthony
The Skills That Great Innovators Have
Epic Disruptions and the Evolution of Business Strategies
How to Lead Through Epic Disruptions
Scott D Anthony | Epic Disruptions of Yesterday and Today
How Scott Works with Organizations
Each engagement is built around your goals and audience.
01 · WORKSHOPNavigate Your Organization Through Disruption and Uncertainty With Confidence and Optimism
With interactive half- and full-day sessions that provide opportunities to learn new concepts, engage in active problem solving and strengthen team relationships, Dartmouth Tuck School of Business clinical professor Scott D. Anthony can customize workshops to include any, a combination of, or all of the following topics:
- Leadership in Disruptive Times – learn to imagine, design and create the future with accessible tools that allow leaders to accelerate when the fog of uncertainty descends, turning today’s ambiguity into tomorrow’s opportunity.
- Day to Day Innovation – develop specific ideas and strengthen your team’s culture of innovation.
- Driving Dual Transformation – develop and stress-test the Dual Transformation growth framework to align your team on a practical path forward.
Innovation has never been more important. Always motivated by the need to produce new products and services that fuel growth expectations and satisfy ever-shifting customer needs, today's companies must navigate a host of new challenges in the face of the dramatic uncertainty brought on by the global pandemic and widespread social unrest. This compelling and engaging guide serves as a timely and powerful resource for making innovation an organizational habit.
Amy C. EdmondsonNovartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School; author, "The Fearless Organization"
Culture change does not come from a wish or a prayer. It can only happen through an orchestrated program that changes and shapes people's behavior. 'Eat, Sleep, Innovate' presents a great way to achieve behavioral change through BEANs. The approach is unconventional but, trust me, it works!
Piyush GuptaCEO, DBS Bank
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