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Back to McKinsey Quarterly Magazine
McKinsey Quarterly 2014
McKinsey Quarterly 2014 Number 2

Resource revolution: Gathering force

Explores how technological advances are revolutionizing resource productivity, the future of lean, why leaders of organizational change must examine their own behavior, how to manage shareholder activists, and the rising risk of cyberattacks.

Resource revolution: Gathering force

Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Are you ready for the resource revolution?
– Meeting increasing global demand requires dramatically improving resource productivity. Yet technological advances mean companies have an extraordinary opportunity not only to meet that challenge but to spark the next industrial revolution as well.
Commentary - McKinsey Quarterly

Fred Krupp on the benefits of monitoring resource use
– The head of the Environmental Defense Fund describes how the rise of big data and sensing technologies could improve the bottom line for companies and the environment.
Commentary - McKinsey Quarterly

Daniel Yergin on the next energy revolution
– The global energy expert and Pulitzer Prize–winning author expects an energy landscape rife with innovations—and surprises.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

The disruptive potential of solar power
– As costs fall, the importance of solar power to senior executives is rising.

The future of lean

Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Next frontiers for lean
– Lean-production techniques have been revolutionizing operations for 50 years. Advances in technology, psychology, and analytics may make the next 50 even more exciting.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

When Toyota met e-commerce: Lean at Amazon
– Amazon’s former head of global operations explains why the company was a natural place to apply lean principles, how they’ve worked in practice, and where the future could lead.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

When big data goes lean
– The combination of advanced analytics and lean management could be worth tens of billions of dollars in higher earnings for large manufacturers. A few leading companies are showing the way.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Bringing lean thinking to energy
– Beset by rising costs, resource-intensive manufacturers are applying lean-management thinking in new ways to reduce the amount of energy used in production, to increase resource productivity—or both.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

(Still) learning from Toyota
– A retired Toyota executive describes how to overcome common management challenges associated with applying lean, and reflects on the ways that Toyota continues to push the boundaries of lean thinking.

Other highlights

Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Change leader, change thyself
– Anyone who pulls the organization in new directions must look inward as well as outward.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

The hidden value of organizational health—and how to capture it
– New research suggests that the performance payoff from organizational health is unexpectedly large and that companies have four distinct “recipes” for achieving it.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Building a forward-looking board
– Directors should spend a greater share of their time shaping an agenda for the future.
Book Excerpt - McKinsey Quarterly

Building a sense of purpose at Pixar
– The cofounder of Pixar Animation Studios recalls how a serious organizational rift led him to a new sense of mission—and how it helped Pixar develop a more open and sustainable creative culture.

Research, trends, and emerging thinking

Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Finding the sweet spot for allocating innovation resources
– A survey finds that when it comes to reallocating R&D expenditures, more isn't necessarily better.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

High-performing boards: What’s on their agenda?
– Directors report that they have a greater impact as they move beyond the basics.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

The rising strategic risks of cyberattacks
– Research by McKinsey and the World Economic Forum points to a widening range of technology vulnerabilities and potentially huge losses in value tied to innovation.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Why gender diversity at the top remains a challenge
– McKinsey’s survey of global executives finds that corporate culture and a lack of convinced engagement by male executives are critical problems for women.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

A new act for fracking?
– The latest wave of innovation could greatly improve production and lower costs.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Monetizing mobile apps: Striking the right balance
– More companies are discovering that an application programming interface can turn their data into new revenue streams.