McMaster University · DeGroote School of Business

Goran Calic

Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurial Leadership, and Associate Professor of Strategic Management

I study how organizations make consequential decisions under uncertainty — and what leaders can do about it. My work sits at the intersection of strategy, energy, and innovation, drawing on cases from industries like nuclear power, airlines, and tech to surface principles that apply broadly. I teach in McMaster's MBA and Executive Education programs, and work directly with boards and leadership teams on strategic clarity, competitive advantage, and managing change.

Goran Calic

What I study

Strategy. What turns a set of choices into a strategy — and what makes that strategy effective? I study how leaders build advantage through simple, stable, and differentiated choices.

Innovation. Organizations say they want creativity. Research shows they systematically reject it. I study why some organizations are more innovative than others — and why the most creative people are often the least rewarded.

Generative AI. AI hasn't changed what strategy is. It has changed who can execute it. I help boards and executives separate the myths from the real strategic implications of generative AI.

Technology & energy. Technology and energy are the richest strategy laboratory in the world. I study the organizational challenges of technology broadly, and the energy industry — nuclear especially — in depth.

Selected writing

Elsewhere

Speaking, advisory, research, and media inquiries are welcome. Get in touch.

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