Ability to Execute

Enable enterprise-wide transformations through capability building

Capability gaps are among the most difficult and important challenges faced by leaders in any organization. Rooted in the latest thinking in behavioral science, Ability to Execute is a suite of programs designed to build individual capabilities to drive and sustain transformational change at scale. Designed by our Transformation consultants and McKinsey Academy learning experts, Ability to Execute provides enterprise-wide solutions on the skills and mindsets that matter most to unlock an organization’s full potential, while empowering employees to improve the way they work.

What we do

Execution essentials

Rapidly upskill employees with the tools, capabilities, and common language that are proven to support better execution in any large-scale change efforts.

Performance lift

Kickstart the transformation journey by enabling leaders to develop the mindsets and skills to deliver their performance aspirations.

Organizational health

Help employees understand the core concepts of organizational health: alignment, execution with excellence, and renewal, and how to drive supporting behaviors.

Functional fundamentals

Build critical functional capabilities that will help every leader unlock value at scale across an organization, including strategy, finance, procurement, and pricing, among others.

Our Approach

Ability to Execute uses a proven, case-based approach to drive enterprise-wide transformational change, leveraging the latest science around behavior change and capability building.

Virtual delivery: Digital experience enables rapid scaling of capability building across the entire organization (available in eight languages).

Distinctive content: Comprehensive learning journey, brought to life through practical, engaging digital modules and simulations on real business challenges.

Reinforcement: Suite of reinforcement mechanisms embed the new behaviors and skills to ensure that mindsets shift and changes stick.

Sample program

Ability to Execute: Essentials

This experiential capability building program empowers employees with the execution toolkit and competencies needed to drive and sustain transformational change at scale.

Target audience

The entire organization—this scalable program effectively delivers impact from the c-suite to the frontline.

Learning objectives

Understand and deploy key execution skills that underpin high performance, including driving to action, risk mitigation, prioritization, and structured problem solving, among other topics.

Timing and delivery

Platform combines bite-sized digital modules and immersive workshops (in-person or virtual) to drive new ways of working over the course of 17 weeks, along with longer-term reinforcement tools.

Examples of our work

Embedding rigorous execution

A global advanced industries company needed a scalable way to fundamentally improve the way it functioned. The organization rolled out Ability to Execute Essentials to 40,000+ employees across 150 countries, increasing the effectiveness of meetings, communications, reporting and risk planning to sustain transformational change.

Accelerating performance

Facing pressure from new market entrants and industry disruption, a top insurance provider in the Caribbean partnered with Ability to Execute to empower hundreds of its leaders with the skills to rapidly execute their transformation plan, achieving a step change in the pace of the transformation.

Improving organization health

A multinational chemical company experiencing bottom quartile organizational health deployed Ability to Execute to accelerate and sustain its transformation program, reaching all employees in the organization across 30+ countries. Within 24 months, organizational health scores improved from the bottom to the second quartile.