The Daily Read

January 5, 2023 – Setting up a winning digital and advanced-analytics organization is hard. Decisions about talent and technology will often determine the transformation’s success.

December 12, 2022 – Our world is big and complex, but human progress is still about life on the ground, up close and in detail.

December 8, 2022 – 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.

November 30, 2022 – Space is no longer the sole domain of governments and aerospace and defense companies. Businesses that pursue emerging opportunities now may gain a first mover advantage.

November 22, 2022 – Five early indicators on women in the metaverse reveal gender inequality—especially in the leadership creating and setting metaverse standards.

November 17, 2022 – The best CEOs use the first six to 12 months of their tenure as a moment of great personal transition and institutional renewal. There are four keys to success.

November 9, 2022 – How many more years can be spent in optimal health if our society viewed mental and substance-use disorders as we do other conditions? The McKinsey Health Institute and the Healthy Brains Global Initiative collaboration sought to answer this question through a series of interactives.

November 3, 2022 – Business leaders are often focused on ambitions and achieving results—and less about developing an action plan, according to Richard Rumelt, professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

November 1, 2022 – Behind every great CEO, there’s a great COO. After a few years out of vogue—in 2018, only 32 percent of Fortune 500 companies had one—the COO is back in a big, bold way. Nearly half of Fortune 500 companies in the energy and financial sectors have COOs in 2022.

October 24, 2022 – In recent years, companies in Silicon Valley have dominated headlines—and for good reason: they are among the best performing stocks of the past decade.

October 20, 2022 – Did you know that for every 100 men promoted to managerial levels, only 87 women experience similar advancement?

October 12, 2022 – Put away your crystal ball. For enterprise organizations, the metaverse has the potential to help predict what's next with tremendous precision through mass simulations and artificial intelligence technologies.

October 3, 2022 – In stormy weather, survey respondents maintain realism about the global economy. While geopolitical conflicts and inflation remain top of mind, concerns about energy volatility predominate in Europe.

September 28, 2022 – A new McKinsey Health Institute survey finds that Gen Z may have higher levels of perceived stigma compared with other generations, but they may be more accepting of people with mental illnesses.

September 20, 2022 – The US economy continues to throw off mixed signals. But one thing is becoming clear: executives should prepare for an extended period of higher interest rates.

September 12, 2022 – McKinsey reveals 35 cutting-edge companies in the industrial tech sector, highlighting a robust “titanium economy” that creates American jobs and fuels innovation through sustainable, inclusive growth.

September 8, 2022 – More than two billion tons of food—representing up to 40 percent of the world’s food—are lost or wasted every year, yet one in nine people in the world can’t get enough to eat.

August 31, 2022 – Today’s challenging environment requires business leaders to hone their edge in three critical areas: insights, commitment, and execution.

August 25, 2022 – Which technology trends matter most for companies in 2022? New analysis by the McKinsey Technology Council highlights the development, possible uses, and industry effects of advanced technologies.

August 16, 2022 – Many respondents to McKinsey’s American Opportunity Survey say limited opportunities and a lack of skills are keeping them on the sidelines of the tightest labor market in 50 years.

August 10, 2022 – Although valid questions have been raised about ESG, the need for companies to understand and address their externalities is likely to become essential to maintaining their social license.

August 3, 2022 – Three of four frontline workers want to be promoted, but less than one in four achieves it. Companies can take targeted actions to better support these workers.

July 28, 2022 – For many companies, getting employees back into the office has been a challenge. Employees want in-person connectivity—younger folks, especially—but they want flexibility at the same time. And the commute can be—well, daunting.

July 18, 2022 – You may have seen the stunning new images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope last week. Space is an endlessly fascinating topic, and there is a lot of excitement and activity surrounding it, especially in recent years.

June 29, 2022 – Your job is a big part of your life, and the highs and lows that come with it—frustration at being micromanaged, pride from a glowing review—have a major impact on your day-to-day.

June 21, 2022 – While the world is still figuring out the metaverse and its role in our daily lives, one thing is certain: its potential is too big to ignore.

June 13, 2022 – Black Americans are a major force in the beauty industry. They are responsible for over 11 percent of the total beauty market in the US and spent over $6 billion on beauty products last year.

June 8, 2022 – As a global community, we are living through continuous, overlapping crises with long-lasting effects.

June 2, 2022 – Human capital—the strength of all the collective knowledge, attributes, skills, experience, and health of its workforce—is the most vital resource for any organization or economy. Individuals accumulate human capital throughout their working lives, and taking on new roles helps them become upwardly mobile.

May 24, 2022 – The metaverse: So much has been said about it, but what is it exactly? Although many continue to debate its definition, the metaverse can be characterized as an evolution of today’s internet—and an opportunity for marketers to engage consumers in new ways via immersive digital worlds.

May 18, 2022 – When it comes to flying, business trips have always been crucial to the airline industry. Before the pandemic, corporate trips made up about 12 percent of air traffic but accounted for about half of the airline sector’s profitability in the US.

May 17, 2022 – It’s no surprise that sustainability is on the minds of both companies and consumers. Many companies have made public commitments to sell goods that have less impact on the environment, and consumers want to buy products made from recycled plastics.

May 12, 2022 – As industries and governments around the globe look toward a net-zero future, the road to decarbonization will be a challenge, particularly for sectors that produce the majority of global greenhouse-gas emissions.

May 4, 2022 – As technological innovation accelerates, fashion companies have an opportunity to serve customers better while also creating a more efficient, responsive, and responsible business.

April 26, 2022 – We’re in the midst of an energy transition that continues to evolve.

April 19, 2022 – The war in Ukraine continues to have devastating consequences—particularly for vulnerable populations, both within the conflict zone and beyond. Now, the war is converging with other disruptions—supply-chain strains, inflation, the pandemic—to pose a looming threat to our global food supply.

April 15, 2022 – As more institutions step up in their commitments to achieve net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases, new business opportunities are emerging. In a net-zero future, there will be more demand for climate-friendly goods and services, and companies will tilt away from investing in high-emission assets.

April 8, 2022 – Why is Gucci getting into gaming? For the same reason Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, and other high fashion brands are linking up with the $176 billion industry. Shoppers—especially those in Gen Z—are spending more time than ever before in virtual spaces, or “second worlds.”

March 30, 2022 – Who doesn’t want to live a happier, healthier life? While we’ve made incredible progress in human health over the past century, there’s so much more we can do to improve the quality of life for everyone.

March 23, 2022 – Who are we at our most raw? Rich Diviney, retired Navy SEAL commander and author of the book The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance, has a view.

March 18, 2022 – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused the greatest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II. How can leaders get to grips with the dynamics of this unfolding crisis?

March 3, 2022 – Human resources is playing a critical role in helping organizations respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief human resources officers expect that influence to persist.

February 25, 2022 – The authors of the new book CEO Excellence, who interviewed dozens of the top-performing chief executives, share their most memorable encounters and stories.

February 15, 2022 – The insurance industry struggles to create economic profit. But amid COVID-19’s enduring changes, opportunities await.

February 7, 2022 – Real-estate leaders should revalue assets, decarbonize, and create new business opportunities. Here’s how.

February 1, 2022 – She also knows what you can—and can’t—do about it. Here are three surprising lessons from a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

January 27, 2022 – Structured conversation during brainstorming sessions removes some of the risks that can thwart honest discussion.

January 21, 2022 – Despite a shortage of cloud talent, top companies are finding ways to get past table stakes and build the capabilities needed.

January 11, 2022 – With endless meetings, incessant emails, and casts of thousands, companies have mastered the art of unnecessary interactions. Winning in the next normal requires much more focus on true collaboration.

January 6, 2022 – Women are doing more to support employee well-being but face higher stress levels as a result. Here’s how leaders can help.

December 21, 2021 – To solve the burnout epidemic, organizations need to look beyond traditional wellness perks.

December 16, 2021 – Get up to speed on what could lie ahead with an in-depth look at how Omicron affects a range of scenarios based on infectiousness, immune evasion, and disease severity.

December 2, 2021 – Half of banks can't cover their cost of equity, and more findings from McKinsey's Global Banking Annual Review 2021.

October 28, 2021 – The climate crisis is top of mind for many leaders. And while the world has seen promising developments in promoting a sustainable future, including country- and company-level commitments and rising attention from investors, net zero is not currently in sight.

September 7, 2021 – For many organizations, traditional talent-resourcing models no longer work. The disruption to business models prompted by the pandemic made it clear that companies need to get better at utilizing employees’ existing skills and capabilities. How can you prepare for the future of work and improve organizational speed and responsiveness?

July 21, 2021 – Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. Back in January, we made a series of projections about the trends that could characterize the economy in 2021. So, how have they held up?

June 16, 2021 – In the next decade, the world may see more progress than in the past 100 years, and organizations need to watch how technology is reshaping health and materials sciences, energy, transportation, and myriad other industries and domains.