WorkLab Havard's Raffaella Sadun on why it's so hard to become a Frontier Firm
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Nov 19, 2025 Raffaella Sadun, Charles E. Wilson Professor at Harvard Business School, delves into the essence of Frontier Firms—organizations that thrive through innovative experimentation and human-AI collaboration. She emphasizes the challenges of reskilling, advocating for a clear strategy and the right mindset shift for employees. Sadun also outlines practical steps for leaders to empower their teams and drive transformation. From embedding development in managers' roles to encouraging employees to become AI inventors, her insights are actionable and thought-provoking.
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Build Buy-In Before Scaling
- Build organizational buy-in early because winners and losers will emerge across teams.
- Prioritize adoption so pilots don't remain isolated in labs or small groups.
Managers Become Agent Trainers
- Adding AI agents changes the managerial role into training, delegating, and sense-making.
- Managers must ask the right questions and onboard agents like apprentices with context.
Match Leader Time To Adoption Phase
- Leaders should be hands-on during early experimentation and identify internal champions during diffusion.
- Match leader involvement to the firm's phase to preserve credibility and focus.