This international recognition highlights the research carried out at the Politecnico di Milano’s School of Management on platform thinking and the transformation processes of established companies.

Daniel Trabucchi and Tommaso Buganza, respectively  associate professor and full professor at the POLIMI School of Management at the Politecnico di Milano, have been included in the Thinkers50 Best New Management Books List 2026, the annual selection of ten of the most significant publications in the international management landscape.

The recognition is for The Digital Phoenix Effect, the result of several years of research on Platform Thinking conducted within the School and the Platform Thinking HUB of the Digital Innovation Observatories. Being included on the list is significant international recognition for research dedicated to understanding how established companies can innovate through platform-based approaches by leveraging the assets, relationships, and skills already present within organizations.

Thinkers50 is considered one of the leading international reference points in the debate on management thought. Each year, its Booklist selects works that contribute to reflections on leadership, innovation, strategy, and organizational transformation.

In the 2026 list, Trabucchi and Buganza appear alongside some of the most influential figures in contemporary management, including Ranjay Gulati, Linda Hill, Scott Anthony, Eric Ries, Nilofer Merchant and Joe Pine.

This recognition also highlights the growing focus on platform thinking as a managerial approach to tackling the transformation processes of mature companies. Trabucchi and Buganza’s research focuses on how organizations born in traditional industrial contexts can adopt platform-based approaches by reinterpreting their wealth of skills, processes, and relationships in innovative ways.

This line of research has emerged through scientific activities, educational initiatives and collaborations with businesses. These have contributed to the development of models, tools and practical applications that make the concept of a platform accessible and applicable in contexts beyond digital natives.

This recognition confirms the POLIMI School of Management’s role in contributing to the international debate on innovation, leadership and organizational transformation, and strengthens the dialogue between academic research and managerial practice.

The idea underpinning the work of Trabucchi and Buganza is that management research should support businesses and managers in interpreting complex phenomena and translating them into languages, tools and courses of action capable of generating a tangible impact.