How the World’s Most Admired Companies Win Through Strategic Disruption

According to Korn Ferry’s annual survey of more than 400 executives, the most respected organizations across industries share a distinctive trait. They are strategic disruptors—companies that intentionally rewire how they work in order to adapt, innovate, and lead.

“This year’s WMACs stand out because they’re highly responsive to changing conditions. They’re not afraid to reinvent to meet emerging challenges.” —Mark Royal, Korn Ferry

Why Strategic Disruption Matters

Being responsive is no longer enough. In a market defined by technological acceleration, shifting customer needs, and economic uncertainty, even the strongest business models have an expiration date. Today, disruption is not a threat to manage; it’s a capability to build.

WMACs thrive because they treat innovation, agility, and change-readiness as core competencies. They disrupt not just to survive, but to define the future.

Best Practice: Invest With Intent

Everyone talks about innovation. But WMACs actually put their money where it matters. They outspend peers on R&D, yes—but they also make smarter, more disciplined bets. Their secret?

• Selective focus: They prioritize innovation efforts in areas where they can create outsized impact.
• Patience: They fund promising ideas over the long term, avoiding premature shutdowns.
• Clarity: They cut losses fast when projects fail to deliver.

“Top-performing WMACs avoid the trap of escalating commitment. They don’t ride a bad horse for too long.” —Mark Royal, Korn Ferry

This dual mindset of courage and control allows them to scale what works and pivot away from what doesn’t—without getting stuck in sunk-cost thinking.

Make Innovation Everyone’s Job

One reason WMACs are so successful at disrupting themselves? They democratize innovation.

Rather than limiting creativity to innovation teams or select functions, they embed it into the everyday behavior of the business.

“WMACs see innovation as a core capability—not a side hustle for a few people with ‘innovation’ in their title.” —Mark Royal, Korn Ferry

That cultural shift doesn’t happen by accident. Leading companies create systems and norms that:

• Encourage experimentation
• Reward curiosity
• Normalize intelligent risk-taking
• Celebrate internal wins as much as market-facing ones

Reframe What Innovation Means

A common mistake? Treating innovation only as moonshot products or major tech breakthroughs.

WMACs know that real innovation often happens behind the scenes:

• A reengineered process that saves hundreds of hours
• A new internal workflow that improves cross-functional collaboration
• A small change to a service offering that delights customers

“Innovation isn’t just big, flashy wins. It’s also the quiet, continuous improvements that drive sustainable change.” —Laura Manson-Smith, Korn Ferry

Create Psychological Safety Around Risk

Taking risks is scary—especially in cultures where failure is penalized. WMACs remove the stigma from failed ideas. Instead, they:

• Recognize effort and learning, even when ideas don’t pan out
• Use failure as a strategic input for iteration
• Encourage transparency about what didn’t work

This psychological safety encourages broader participation and accelerates learning.

Lessons for HR and Business Leaders

Strategic disruption is no longer the domain of tech startups and unicorns. It’s a playbook for resilient, legacy companies that want to stay relevant.

For HR leaders, this means:

• Redesigning performance systems to reward curiosity and experimentation
• Building change-ready talent pipelines that emphasize adaptability
• Embedding agility in structures, not just slogans
• Partnering with business units to identify and scale grassroots innovation

“Strategic disruptors aren’t reckless. They’re intentional, agile, and bold. They don’t wait for the future. They build it.”

Final Thought

The world’s most admired companies don’t just respond to disruption—they lead it. They bake innovation into their DNA, empower every employee to contribute, and treat change as a constant.

If you want to join them, it’s time to move beyond cautious change management. Embrace strategic disruption as a way of life.