US Federal Government Transitions Insights

February 1, 2021 – The COVID-19 crisis has created barriers to workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. New government leaders can use proven approaches to address these issues and build the workplace of tomorrow.

November 12, 2020 – The upcoming government transition presents public-sector leaders with the opportunity to establish processes for successfully scaling digital technologies.

November 12, 2020 – Government leaders can challenge the norms of how their organizations work and dramatically increase their decision-making speed and agility.

October 19, 2020 – Moving to the cloud is fraught with challenges. By answering five questions up front, public-sector leaders can ease and accelerate the journey.

October 12, 2020 – If you can recognize and avoid them, you can make your programs more successful—quickly. Start on your very first day.

September 9, 2020 – Attracting digital talent to government jobs has been a challenge, with consequences felt throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Leaders can rethink their approach to build resilience for future crises.

August 25, 2020 – Key negotiation practices can result in significant cost savings in public-sector procurement.

August 24, 2020 – Organizing for the future requires adopting an operating model that is more dynamic, more flexible, and less structured than most companies use today. Following five steps can help companies unlock value by making their structure more agile.

May 20, 2020 – “Mission command” and other military principles can guide policy makers and business leaders thrust into crisis.

April 30, 2019 – Decision making takes up a lot of time, much of it used ineffectively. New survey results offer lessons for making quick, high-quality decisions that support outperformance.

July 18, 2018 – Public-sector leaders recently met with leaders from the region’s most innovative companies to learn about their culture of innovation firsthand. Here’s what they heard.

July 9, 2018 – Five essential disciplines can more than triple the success rate of public-sector change efforts.

May 25, 2017 – Public-sector organizations have shown they can be nimble in a crisis. Focusing on agility could help them keep pace with changing needs during challenges—and beyond.

September 30, 2020 – The upcoming flu season in the Northern Hemisphere is expected to increase demand for COVID-19 testing. Decision makers may ask: Will there be enough flexible testing capacity to respond to global demand and avoid second lockdowns?

July 28, 2022 – Europe and the United States have entered the endemic stage of the COVID-19 outbreak: the virus is widespread, is significantly less fatal than it was in 2020, and is spurring only limited changes in public behavior. These endemic conditions are likely to continue through the summer and autumn, unless and until immunity-evading new variants emerge. As immunity wanes, however, the next stage remains highly uncertain. In this update, we discuss the outlook, the current and potential future use of boosters and therapeutics, and the shifts in response strategies to the COVID-19 crisis around the world. We also introduce the McKinsey COVID-19 Immunity Index—a tool for understanding a community’s current level of risk from the disease.

August 31, 2020 – After seven months of responding to the pandemic, we have learned some things. Here are some of the key lessons and how to apply them.

July 31, 2020 – McKinsey’s Center for Societal Benefit through Healthcare shares insights on underlying health inequities that contribute to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color and vulnerable populations.

June 18, 2020 – Examining what worked in response to previous crises can help policy makers as they make plans to revive economic activity.

June 2, 2020 – Board directors and executives can pool their wisdom to help companies grapple with the challenge of a lifetime.

May 29, 2020 – The safety protocols of hospitals, grocery stores, and other establishments that stayed open during the COVID-19 pandemic can offer ideas for businesses preparing to welcome employees and customers back.

March 12, 2021 – President Biden’s February 24, 2021, executive order calls for reviews of critical US supply chains. We share lessons and suggestions from our experience in building supply-chain resilience.

September 30, 2020 – This continually updated interactive tracks how executives around the world have viewed economic conditions and the economic prospects of their companies, and how those views have differed over time and across industries, regions, and types of company.

August 17, 2020 – Ending lockdowns alone won’t restore confidence or growth. Only when the novel coronavirus is under control will economic growth resume.

August 14, 2020 – As the COVID-19 crisis continues to devastate US lives and livelihoods, policy makers are challenged to emerge from it in a way that lays a foundation for a strong, healthy economy in the long run.

August 6, 2020 – Companies need an understanding of their exposure, vulnerabilities, and potential losses to inform resilience strategies.

November 13, 2017 – The erosion of US manufacturing isn’t a foregone conclusion. The decade ahead—with increased demand, new technology, and value chain optimization—will give the sector a chance to turn around.

December 2, 2020 – Despite decades of efforts by public-, private-, and social-sector organizations, racial inequity has only increased. Can a concerted, coordinated effort reverse this trend?

October 29, 2020 – The right business ecosystems can mitigate or negate the effects of structural obstacles to business building for Black business owners—and add $290 billion in business equity.

September 10, 2020 – The financial services talent pipeline shows a lack of representation of people of color, most acutely at senior levels. Changes in three key areas can help companies make progress.

July 30, 2020 – COVID-19 has disrupted everything from economic markets to personal finances, but not everyone feels its effects equally.

August 13, 2019 – The persistent racial wealth gap in the United States is a burden on Black Americans as well as the overall economy. New research quantifies the impact of closing the gap and identifies key sources of this socioeconomic inequity.

October 16, 2020 – US government agencies are using analytics to mitigate fraud at scale and ensure benefits get into the hands of citizens who need them most.

August 25, 2020 – Key negotiation practices can result in significant cost savings in public-sector procurement.

August 15, 2019 – As public expectations rise, government agencies are doubling down on improving service delivery to delight their customers.

October 15, 2018 – New data tools are giving government agencies the upper hand in taming fraud, waste, and abuse. Lessons from scaled approaches show how to capture the hundreds of billions of dollars at stake.

June 7, 2018 – To structure and manage complex contracts with the private sector, governments must have a range of skills and expertise. Six success factors are critical to these efforts.

September 9, 2020 – Next generation care management, health for all, consolidated care delivery, and reform efforts are among the trends that may shape healthcare in the years ahead.

July 17, 2020 – In this video, Penny Dash and Shubham Singhal, two leaders of McKinsey’s Healthcare Systems & Services Practice, reflect on how COVID-19 is transforming the healthcare industry. A transcript of their remarks follows below.

May 21, 2021 – The COVID-19 crisis reminds us how underprepared the world was to detect and respond to emerging infectious diseases. Smart investments of as little as $5 per person per year globally can help ensure far better preparation for future pandemics.

July 8, 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic has given the world a once-in-a-generation opportunity to advance broad-based health and prosperity.

February 20, 2020 – Income, employment, education, food security, housing, transportation, safety, and social support are all factors that affect health and well-being.

September 2, 2020 – In response to the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic, many tax authorities are considering new approaches to tax management, adjusting their collections strategies to reflect the new reality.

July 16, 2020 – Countries can not only take immediate steps to create a credible debt story for funding the deficit but also consider a portfolio of interventions to ensure their longer-term financial sustainability.

June 2, 2020 – A look at how US financial decision makers are paying bills and their plans for spending government support funds during the COVID-19 crisis.

June 4, 2019 – A look at the potential impact of what would be one of the most significant changes to the US retirement landscape.

October 18, 2022 – Women leaders are switching jobs at the highest rates we’ve ever seen, and ambitious young women are prepared to do the same. To make meaningful and sustainable progress toward gender equality, companies need to go beyond table stakes. That’s according to the latest Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey, in partnership with LeanIn.Org.

September 1, 2020 – Youngkin, chair of the Virginia Ready Initiative, talks about easing unemployment and strengthening Virginia’s economy by connecting people with training, financial support, and job opportunities.

February 7, 2020 – Digital and artificial intelligence technologies will likely have a substantial economic and social impact. Governments can act now to create shared prosperity and better lives for all citizens.

October 4, 2019 – Research shows that automation trends may be widening the racial wealth gap. This article reveals possible interventions that may help African American workers prepare for the future.

July 11, 2019 – The health of local economies today will affect their ability to adapt and thrive in the automation age.