What Do I Really Mean by Reinvention?

What Do I Really Mean by Reinvention?

“Reinvention” is a word that’s been tossed around a lot lately. One firm even calls itself “the reinvention firm.” But in most cases, what’s being labeled as reinvention is really just transformation dressed up in new clothes. And that’s a problem.

Why? Because calling incremental change “reinvention” risks diluting the urgency, scale, and depth of the real change we need. Business model tweaks and digital transformations are helpful—but they’re not nearly enough.

My own thinking about reinvention began during my time as Global Leader for Strategy and Leadership at PwC. I believe PwC has come closer than most to grasping what reinvention truly demands. It started with a simple but profound question: How must ecosystems evolve to meet the major trends shaping our future?

What we found was sobering. No single organization can drive the scale of change required today. It takes an entire system—an ecosystem of actors—working in concert. And these ecosystems span every major domain of human activity. PwC has continued to build on this insight in powerful ways, but even so, I believe we haven’t gone far enough.

To understand why, we need to look at the trends themselves. They’re not just profound—they’re converging. And they’re reshaping everything.

Four Forces Driving the Need for Reinvention

1. AI and Synthetic Biology

These technologies are unlike anything we’ve seen. AI touches nearly every domain involving thought—and it’s getting cheaper, faster, and more capable by the day. Most importantly, it does what once made humans unique: it passes knowledge across generations. That changes everything.

Universities, law firms, professional services, investment firms, education systems, government agencies, healthcare, defense—none will survive unchanged. Consider that over 60% of the work done by law firms could soon be better handled by AI. The implications are staggering.

2. Climate Change

The consequences are dramatic, but the real challenge lies in the scale of change required. We must reinvent the entire industrial technology system. This isn’t about adaptation—it’s about wholesale transformation.

3. Demographic Shifts

Aging populations are straining healthcare systems, while regions like Africa face critical shortages in employment and education. The people needed to drive change are either missing or locked into outdated mindsets.

4. Fractured World

Our world is increasingly divided. Repatriating capabilities is necessary, but difficult. Any proposed change now faces immediate opposition. Trust in leadership and expertise is eroding, making coordinated action harder than ever.

Each of these trends is seismic on its own. Together, they form a tidal wave. One that will destroy value across industries unless we reinvent—quickly and effectively.

So What Does Real Reinvention Require?

To meet this moment, reinvention must include at least six critical elements:

1. Radical Reassessment of Value

Understand how these trends affect your domain. Challenge every assumption. Rethink your purpose. Discover entirely new forms of value.

2. Focus on the Tangible

Real things—things we can touch, feel, and build—matter more than ever. AI’s impact is magnified when paired with robotics. Climate change demands a complete overhaul of how we produce physical goods. Defense needs new hardware. Software is vital, but only when it’s grounded in the real world. This is monumental, especially for economies built on services.

3. System-Level Change and Leadership

Reinvention isn’t a solo act. It requires new forms of leadership capable of orchestrating change across entire systems.

4. Wartime Speed and Scale

We’re in a race with these trends

—and we’re losing. The pace and breadth of change must rival that of wartime mobilization.

5. Turning Crisis into Catalyst

Crises will keep coming. Use them as fuel for change, not excuses for regression.

6. Grit

Reinvention is hard. It will be resisted. It demands resilience, courage, and persistence from those leading the charge.

Other forms of change aren’t useless—they’re just insufficient. This website, and the book to come, are designed to support those ready to embark on this journey. Sometimes through direct guidance, sometimes through stories, and eventually through deeper engagement.

I hope you find them valuable.