A conversation with Gary Hamel: it's time to reinvent management

Purpose – Gary Hamel, world renowned strategic thinker, has adopted the controversial position that “Management is the single largest constraint on business performance.” S&L wanted to find out what he means by this provocative statement and how firms benefit from his ideas. this paper aims to investigate this Design/methodology/approach – Strategy & Leadership interviewed Hamel, who recently published the controversial book The Future of Management, to ask him why he believes a new management model is urgently needed. Findings – The paper finds that Hamel says that, “Management as we practice it today is just another old technology that needs to be reinvented.” Practical implications – Hamel offers suggestions for leading management innovation and recruiting innovative leaders. Originality/value – Hamel challenges managers to see that most firms are limited by their management model, which is characterized by bureaucratic processes and top‐down decision‐making, concentration of power at the top and deafness to contrary ideas.