Health. Family and friends. Meaning and purpose. During the second year of the pandemic, we renewed our focus on what’s truly important. Organizational priorities also shifted, and the most-read posts of the year on the McKinsey Organization Blog reflect these changes.
Whether grappling with the future of work, creating a more inclusive culture, or inspiring and developing people, leaders sought guidance to navigate recovery and the new expectations of employees and customers. The following posts proved especially helpful for organizations in 2021.
Talent and performance management
- Are you building employee capabilities across these four critical areas?
By Alexander DiLeonardo, Taylor Lauricella, Laura Pineault, and Bill Schaninger
In today’s competitive environment, it’s not enough to focus capability building solely on developing job-level skills. Leaders can drive higher value and impact by building individual capabilities across these four quadrants. - Unlocking the true value of effective feedback conversations
By Sabrin Chowdhury, Bryan Hancock, and Owain Williams
Much of the fairness of a performance-management process rests on managers’ ability to coach effectively. Unlocking the true value of effective feedback conversations lies in equipping managers with the right tools to help them build their own capabilities.
The future of work
- The future of work: Balancing three symbiotic elements
By Bill Schaninger and Kartik Sharma
To adequately prepare for the future of work, organizations need to fully understand the nature of work they do, who is needed to perform that work, and where that work is done. Getting this right will determine the winners in the post-pandemic world. - The future of work: Seizing the opportunities of the new normal
By Marino Mugayar-Baldocchi, Bill Schaninger, and Kartik Sharma
To succeed in the future of work, the time for change is now. Organizations must seize this moment to transform ambiguity into opportunity across the three broad areas of work, workforce, and workplace. - The future of work: Managing three risks of the hybrid workplace
By Marino Mugayar-Baldocchi, Bill Schaninger, and Kartik Sharma
As organizations evaluate post-pandemic working models for the future of work, these three risk areas deserve careful attention.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Inclusion doesn’t happen by accident: Measuring inclusion in a way that matters
By Diana Ellsworth, Drew Goldstein, and Bill Schaninger
Research shows that more diverse companies outperform less diverse ones. But diversity alone is not the full story. In order for a diverse workforce to flourish, companies must also enhance inclusion. - Personal experience of inclusion: Critical to win the war for talent
By Drew Goldstein, David Mendelsohn, and Julia Sperling-Magro
Employees’ daily interactions with peers, teammates, and leaders are often overlooked by organizations seeking to create a more inclusive environment. These seven practices can improve personal experiences of inclusion and help diverse teams thrive.
Leadership and purpose
- How to reenergize your organization to overcome pandemic fatigue
By Aaron De Smet, Laura Tegelberg, Rob Theunissen, and Tiffany Vogel
Amid pandemic fatigue, companies are waking up to the need for greater compassion to unleash the full potential of their people. These five actions have shown to be effective in reenergizing organizations. - Running on all five sources: Actions leaders can take to create more meaningful work
By Timothy Bromley, Taylor Lauricella, and Bill Schaninger
When people view their work as meaningful, performance improves significantly. Knowing about the five sources of meaning is a great start, but the real magic occurs when leaders begin to embed them into how the work gets done. - Build your organizational identity
By Alexander DiLeonardo, Nikola Jurisic, and Bill Schaninger
Creating a coherent and complete identity can help organizations thrive amid uncertainty. The three elements of purpose, value, and culture can help organizations thrive long term.
We are grateful for the opportunity to support our readers and their organizations in 2021, and we aspire to remain a source of inspiration and impactful advice in the year ahead.