Re:think

Our twice monthly Re:think newsletter delivers fresh ideas from our partners in 700 words or less. Sign up to get it and other new insights from the McKinsey Quarterly, our flagship business publication.

Humayun Tai:
Will the US energy transition be orderly?

– The United States has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. The question now is: Will that transition be orderly or disorderly? Here’s what both scenarios could look like.

Marcus Wilthaner:
Hydrogen’s potential in the net-zero transition

– Most hydrogen today is produced with fossil fuels. To scale up clean hydrogen, production costs need to drop and infrastructure must grow. The challenges and opportunities for achieving both are real.

Dee Yang:
The world’s next big challenge is becoming nature positive

– Most people understand that global warming is an issue that requires action. But protecting all of nature is equally important to humanity’s future.

Jen Henry:
How restaurants are cooking up solutions

– Higher ingredient and labor costs, and lower consumer tolerance for price increases, are colliding in a tough moment for restaurants. Some creative operating models are hitting the menu.

Diana Ellsworth:
Five ways to drive successful DEI initiatives

– For some companies, progress on DEI has been elusive. Our research reveals that there are five keys to driving successful DEI initiatives.

Kersten Heineke:
Shared rides and the future of urban transit

– By 2030, mobility could change dramatically in urban areas as reliance on private vehicles declines. What could that mean for cities, mobility leaders, and the auto industry?

Hamza Khan:
The future of a post-hype metaverse

– Last year’s buzz about the metaverse has quieted down. That may be a good thing.

Sandra Sancier-Sultan:
Turning a transformation into a reinvention

– How can companies go beyond incremental change to reinvent themselves for the future? Five actions can help.

David Hamilton:
Operational excellence takes the spotlight. Here’s why.

– If your business has survived—or even thrived—during three years of historic challenges, you might think that you’re set for whatever comes next. But how can you be sure? Consistently high-performing organizations know that skill matters, in the form of operational excellence.

Maria Valdivieso de Uster:
B2B sales during times of uncertainty

– As inflation and economic uncertainty loom, how can companies accelerate B2B sales growth? By being fast and flexible.

Federico Marafante:
How real estate is changing

– During the height of the pandemic, many people worked and shopped primarily from home. Now that we have more freedom to do both flexibly, how should office and retail real estate change?

Kweilin Ellingrud:
How do Americans view their economic opportunities?

– McKinsey’s American Opportunity Survey reveals that Americans feel more pessimistic about their economic futures than in our prior surveys. Inflation, a jobs–skills mismatch, and mental health rank as top concerns.

Nicolas Denis:
A more efficient food system can build global resilience

– Converging crises, including the war in Ukraine and early climate change effects, are throwing the world’s food system into a state of high risk. Here’s what’s happening and why.

Tiffany Burns:
Shifting to a new mindset for equitable business outcomes

– Consumer-facing companies say they want to imbue services and offerings with equity, but what does that really mean? Here’s what they need to think about.

Anna Granskog:
Doubling down on net zero

– We’re seeing an increasing urgency to scale climate technologies. But uncertainty in the financial markets and supply chain challenges create a sense that launching or scaling a green business is complicated.

Steve Van Kuiken:
Four trends reshaping IT—and companies

– It’s almost impossible to keep up with technology trends. But these four, which fall under the category of “innovation at the edge,” reshape the way leaders must run their companies.

Matt Stone:
Decarbonized supply chains are resilient supply chains

– We expect the global shipping industry to release about 20 percent more CO₂ between now and 2050. But decarbonized supply chains can be more resilient—and may even be cheaper in coming years.

Anu Madgavkar:
A new approach to keeping talent

– Approaching human capital by thinking about how to enrich an employee's personal journey can be more promising for companies than thinking about, “How can I profit from these people?”

Alastair Green:
Cut your real-estate emissions

– Real estate accounts for about 40 percent of all GHG emissions and for more than half of emissions that most companies can practically reduce between now and 2030. Here are three steps to consider for any company with real-estate holdings.

Jennifer Schmidt:
Frenemy wins

– In the past few years, companies across sectors have struggled with supply chain challenges. One of the most counterintuitive approaches comes from an apparel retailer, whose solution is to turn competitors into collaborators and customers.

Shelley Stewart:
Making diversity pledges matter

– After the murder of George Floyd, big US companies pledged well over $50 billion toward diversity and racial-equity efforts. Here are some key steps they can make to deliver on those commitments.

Lareina Yee:
Signals of the metaverse

– Once again, technology innovation is leading us into something that might transform the experience of consumers and companies in some unforeseen way. How should companies think about the nascent metaverse?

Carolyn Dewar:
How new CEOs get a handle on the job

– CEOs often feel ill-prepared for the big job. The best ones come to understand that they must concentrate on the things that only they can do. Everything else must get pushed out to others on the team.

Bill Schaninger:
#yourhalftimeismyfulltime

– Companies can build lasting loyalty in a competitive talent market by offering workers real flexibility. One example? Offer 20-hour workweeks with benefits. Within five years, this will be more of a norm.

Miklos Dietz:
Changing the rules of business

– By 2030, virtually every sector in the world will be orchestrating ecosystems, driving around $80 trillion in annual revenue—a third of total global revenue.

Eric Falardeau:
The future of fitness

– The pandemic created a chance for people and fitness companies to think through everything from what makes for a better workout to how people can live better, happier, healthier lives.

Julia Sperling-Magro:
Bring your brain to work

– No matter how self-aware you are, it can be hard to remind yourself of your own implicit bias when you’re about to make a decision. You may need a cue, something to tell yourself, “Stop. Wait a minute.”

Tera Allas:
Don’t just follow the money

– The majority of people surveyed about what happened to their well-being and finances during the pandemic report that the drop in their well-being has been dramatically worse than the impact on their finances.

Aaron De Smet:
Be a leader, not a vestige

– When you ask workers, “Who’s your boss,” a big percentage say, “I don’t exactly have a boss in the traditional sense”? Bosses who micromanage and dictates are not going to fly much longer.

Erica Coe:
A reason to hope

– The COVID-19 crisis has taken a severe toll on our collective psyche. Here are three ways each of us can be better mental-health advocates for our families, our communities, and our workplaces.

Chris Bradley:
Mix boldness and humility

– The exit path you take out of the pandemic may define your company for a decade. At a moment of disequilibrium and uncertainty, you need optionality and flexibility in your strategy.