McKinsey Quarterly - 2016 Issue 4
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Does your data have a purpose?

Explores how executives can ensure they’re putting their data to good use, the future of China’s business environment, the art of transforming organizations, and why leadership requires reason and emotion.

Cover package

Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Making data analytics work for you—instead of the other way around
– Does your data have a purpose? If not, you’re spinning your wheels. Here’s how to discover one and then translate it into action.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Straight talk about big data
– Transforming analytics from a “science-fair project” to the core of a business model starts with leadership from the top. Here are five questions CEOs should be asking their executive teams.

Shedding light on China

Article - McKinsey Quarterly

The CEO guide to China’s future
– How China’s business environment will evolve on its way toward advanced-economy status.
Interview - McKinsey Quarterly

Coping with China’s slowdown
– The China head of leading global elevator maker Kone says the country’s days of double-digit growth may be past, but market prospects there remain bright.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Chinese consumers: Revisiting our predictions
– As their incomes rise, Chinese consumers are trading up and going beyond necessities.

The art of transforming organizations

Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Transformation with a capital T
– Companies must be prepared to tear themselves away from routine thinking and behavior.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Reorganization without tears
– A corporate reorganization doesn’t have to create chaos. But many do when there is no clear plan for communicating with employees and other stakeholders early, often, and over an extended period.

Other features

Interview - McKinsey Quarterly

Leadership and behavior: Mastering the mechanics of reason and emotion
– A Nobel Prize winner and a leading behavioral economist offer common sense and counterintuitive insights on performance, collaboration, and innovation.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

The future is now: How to win the resource revolution
– Although resource strains have lessened, new technology will disrupt the commodities market in myriad ways.

Research, trends, and emerging thinking

Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Finding the true cost of portfolio complexity
– A fine-grained allocation of costs can help companies weed out “freeloader” products and improve performance.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Can you achieve and sustain G&A cost reductions?
– Yes, but not by playing it safe. Set big goals, insist on a cultural shift, and model from the top.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Will car users share their personal data?
– Surveyed consumers in China, Germany, and the United States say yes, if they see value in return.

Closing views

Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Rethinking work in the digital age
– Digitization and automation are upending core assumptions about jobs and employees. Here’s a framework for thinking about the new world taking shape.