McKinsey Quarterly 2018 Number 1
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Games in the strategy room

Shows how companies can unlock big strategic moves to boost their odds of success, why competing in the digital age demands an agile organization, and how to navigate advances in artificial intelligence.

Featured Insight

Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Strategy to beat the odds
– If you internalize the real odds of strategy, you can tame its social side and make big moves.

THE TECH- AND DATA-ENABLED ORGANIZATION OF THE FUTURE

Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Organizing for the age of urgency
– To compete at the speed of digital, you need to unleash your strategy, your structure, and your people.
Interview - McKinsey Quarterly

Data as jet fuel: An interview with Boeing’s CIO
– It isn’t always comfortable, but data analytics is helping Boeing reach new heights.

REACHING FOR THE DIGITAL PRIZE

Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Why digital strategies fail
– Most digital strategies don’t reflect how digital is changing economic fundamentals, industry dynamics, or what it means to compete. Companies should watch out for five pitfalls.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Why digital transformation is now on the CEO’s shoulders
– Big data, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence hold such disruptive power that they have inverted the dynamics of technology leadership.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Competing in a world of digital ecosystems
– New players and blurring sector borders are starting to influence the competitive outlook in a wide range of industries. Here’s a close-in look at changes afoot in automobiles and banking.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Resetting the cost base
– Technology is creating opportunities and threats for the supplies of traditional industries from utilities to pulp and paper to construction.

OTHER FEATURES

Article - McKinsey Quarterly

What AI can and can’t do (yet) for your business
– Artificial intelligence is a moving target. Here’s how to take better aim.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

The four questions to ask when serving on a nonprofit board
– Directors need to probe, nudge, and prod to make sure the organization achieves its full potential.
Interview - McKinsey Quarterly

Working across many cultures at Western Union
– The CEO of the global money-transfer company explains how it brings in the multicultural voice of the consumer through a broadly diverse team of top executives.

Research, trends, and emerging thinking

Article

Should assessing financial similarity be part of your corporate portfolio strategy?
– Businesses with different financial profiles can tax managers and put performance at risk. When divesting isn’t an option, here’s how to manage the conflicts.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

A closer look at impact investing
– Impact investing directs capital to enterprises that generate social or environmental benefits. Our findings challenge the myth that this kind of “social” investment yields weak returns that take too long to realize.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Accelerating the diffusion of technology-enabled business practices
– New research highlights some of the most important actions available to executives.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Shaking up the leadership model in higher education
– Economic pressures, digital disruption, and rising job complexity are prompting universities to seek more “outsider” leaders for their top jobs.
Commentary - McKinsey Quarterly

How companies can guard against gender fatigue
– Show you are serious about basics such as mentoring and work–life flexibility—then hold yourself accountable.