McKinsey Global Surveys

Conducting research with global executives on the pressing business, economic, and management issues they face.

Since 2004, McKinsey Global Publishing’s survey team has polled our panel of thousands of executives and managers to generate new and distinctive insights on today’s critical business topics. The findings from our surveys help business leaders to understand best practices, compare their companies’ ways of working and performance with a global benchmark, and make informed and effective decisions.

Our Latest Survey Research

ESG momentum: Seven reported traits that set organizations apart

– Survey respondents reporting increased ESG impact say their organizations focus on both protecting and creating value.

Managing change and uncertainty

Survey

How to implement transformations for long-term impact
– When it comes to implementing large-scale organizational change, the most successful organizations commit themselves fully to the effort from start to finish.
Survey

New-business building in 2022: Driving growth in volatile times
– A new global survey finds that new-business building can boost growth and value. However, to meet revenue expectations in the future, companies must dramatically increase their efforts.
Survey

Five ways to increase your board’s long-term impact
– Directors are spending more time on their work, yet few say their boards are better at creating long-term value. Survey data highlight the operating models that correlate most with value creation.
Survey

Three new mandates for capturing a digital transformation’s full value
– Most organizations achieve less than one-third of the impact they expected from recent digital investments. What can companies learn from the best performers about how to beat the odds today?

Would you like to join McKinsey’s survey panel?

Apply for the panel

Technology trends

Survey

The state of AI in 2022—and a half decade in review
– The results of this year’s McKinsey Global Survey on AI show the expansion of the technology’s use since we began tracking it five years ago, but with a nuanced picture underneath.
Survey

Your questions about automation, answered
– A new survey sheds light on the state of automation, the benefits that automation brings, and best practices for scaling automation technologies successfully.
Survey

The state of AI in 2021
– A majority of companies now adopt AI, and leaders are using more sophisticated tools and practices.
Survey

The new digital edge: Rethinking strategy for the postpandemic era
– Our survey confirms that the future will belong to companies that put technology at the center of their outlook, capabilities, and leadership mandate.

Economic sentiment

Survey

Survey results: Expectations for company performance, by industry
– Respondents’ enthusiasm for their companies’ prospects rose, and then came back to earth, in our latest surveys.
Survey

Economic conditions outlook during turbulent times, March 2023
– Executives’ enthusiasm for the economy rose—and then came back to earth. Meanwhile, concerns about financial-market volatility as a risk to growth have increased.
Survey

Economic conditions outlook during turbulent times, December 2022
– Sentiments on the global economy have lifted after a negative turn in June, though executives remain uneasy. They continue to see geopolitical conflicts and inflation as top economic threats.

People in focus

Article

Stop wasting your most precious resource: Middle managers

– In the modern workplace, middle managers face many challenges. A new survey finds three areas where organizations can better support their managers and help them accomplish more.
Survey

Into the storm: CFOs pivot to managing financial headwinds
– The latest McKinsey Global Survey shows that CFOs have been reshuffling priorities as the global economy grapples with a slew of financial risks.
Survey

Building workforce skills at scale to thrive during—and after—the COVID-19 crisis
– A new survey shows that skill building is becoming common practice, social and emotional skills are in demand, and there’s a recipe for successful skill transformations.
Survey

Psychological safety and the critical role of leadership development
– While the benefits of psychological safety are well established, a new survey suggests how leaders, by developing specific skills, can create a safer and higher-performance work environment.

MORE INSIGHTS

Survey

The coronavirus effect on global economic sentiment
– In the latest survey, inflation and geopolitical conflicts remain the top perceived economic risks, while concerns about energy volatility predominate in Europe.
Survey

Prioritizing technology transformations to win
– Our latest IT survey confirms the accelerating pace of at-scale core technology transformations. The road map for success reflects the practices and capabilities of leading companies.

McKinsey Global Surveys, 2021: A year in review

Our collection of research-based insights confirms the countless tests that companies have endured this year—and suggests a way forward in a still-evolving and ambiguous business landscape.
Download the collection (77 pages)
Survey

Economic conditions outlook, 2021
– Executive sentiment ends the year on a generally positive note, with most survey respondents expecting 2022 to bring better economic conditions despite heightened risks from the pandemic and inflation.
Survey

Losing from day one: Why even successful transformations fall short
– Our latest transformations research confirms that success remains elusive and reliant on a holistic approach. Yet some actions are especially predictive of realizing the financial benefits at stake.
Survey

2021 global report: The state of new-business building
– Business leaders predict that by 2026, half of their revenues will come from products, services, or businesses that haven’t yet been created. Here’s how new-business building can help bridge that gap through sustainable, inclusive growth.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

How one approach to M&A is more likely to create value than all others
– Two decades of research show that, while large deals still have their place, programmatic M&A strategies continue to create gains in excess total returns to shareholders, at lower levels of risk.
Survey

Mastering change: The new CFO mandate
– New research shows that now is the time for finance leaders to lean into the evolution of their roles and reassert themselves as strategic partners and digital enablers to the business.
Article

The postpandemic board agenda: Redefining corporate resilience
– As boards move beyond crisis management, survey results suggest that specific risks and organizational issues are increasingly top of mind.
Interactive

Nine scenarios for the COVID-19 economy
– Learn more about potential economic outcomes of the COVID-19 crisis and how global executives rate the likelihood of each one.
Survey

The impact of agility: How to shape your organization to compete
– Insights from over 2,000 global respondents reveal the recipe for an agile transformation that delivers real business impact.
Sorry, we couldn't find any results. Try removing some filters.
View more

McKinsey’s Global Survey Panel is a community of more than 33,000 participants around the world. Members of the panel receive an exclusive first look at the survey results before they are published, as well as membership in a private LinkedIn group and immediate access to carefully curated McKinsey knowledge on the survey topic.

If you are interested in joining the panel, please write to us.

Contact us

About us

Heather Hanselman is an editor in McKinsey’s Atlanta office, and Daniella Seiler is an executive editor in the New York office.