Turning geopolitical volatility into an advantage, scaling HBCU online learning, and more

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Brought to you by Alex Panas, global leader of industries, & Becca Coggins, global leader of functional practices and growth platforms

Welcome to the latest edition of The Weekend Read. We hope you find our perspectives useful. Let us know what you think at Alex_Panas@McKinsey.com and Becca_Coggins@McKinsey.com.

—Alex and Becca

Catch up on the week’s big insights on turning geopolitical volatility into an advantage, scaling HBCU online learning, reimagining primary care, and more.

A globe styled as a chessboard, with chess pieces scattered across its surface.

Geopolitical disruption is no longer transitory—it is structural. Cindy Levy, Ezra Greenberg, Matt Watters, Shubham Singhal, and Ziad Haider outline a practical five-part agenda for leaders seeking to turn volatility into a source of competitive advantage.

Lead in the new trade era

Many historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) face persistent structural challenges that limit their ability to scale impact—particularly in online education. Delaware State University partnered with McKinsey to form a first-of-its-kind multiuniversity consortium to expand access to degrees, credentials, and career pathways for online learners nationwide.

Dive into the case study

An image linking to the web page “Primary care, reimagined”

Primary care is the backbone of the health system, yet access remains a challenge globally. In collaboration with West Health, the McKinsey Health Institute developed the Primary Care Access and Capacity Explorer, an interactive tool illustrating the gap between the true potential demand for primary care and the available supply of services in the United States through 2050. Explore the analysis by Carina Serreze, Kana Enomoto, Matt Wilson, and coauthors and reimagine what the future of primary healthcare could look like.

Take action

A moat of protective data runs diagonally across the digital surface.

AI adoption has exploded, but most companies are deploying the same large language models to improve productivity. If everyone has the same advantage, it’s not really an advantage. Apps and tools can be copied, but lasting value comes from building competitive moats that are difficult to replicate. Dago Diedrich, Evan Williams, Tanguy Catlin, and Tim Fountaine share six strategies and three capabilities that can help organizations turn AI from table stakes into sustained competitive advantage.

Explore 6 strategies and 3 capabilities

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Stronger after the storm: Supporting Jamaica’s recovery and resilience

After Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica, the American Friends of Jamaica was on the ground responding. To manage the unprecedented scale, it partnered with McKinsey to maximize impact and emphasize long-term resilience for local communities.

Supporting Jamaica’s recovery

Car Factory Office: Female Engineer Talks with Male Scientist, Use Tablet Computer to Design Production Conveyor for Advanced Power Engines. Automated Robot Arm Assembly Line Manufacturing Vehicles

For industrials, the next decade belongs to builders

As core growth stalls, a small set of AI-enabled business-building plays is emerging as the fastest path to new revenue for industrial and energy leaders that know how to execute successfully.

Capture the venture-building opportunity

Numerous small blue cubes swirl in curved, ring-like paths, forming a dynamic, abstract structure against a gradient background. A single red cube breaks away from the others.

Why it’s even more important to consider restructuring before spin-offs

The market is always revealing new reasons for leaders to consider improving assets before spinning them off—but the principles for how to manage such transactions are enduring. Here are three of them.

Act before the deal is done

—Edited by Joyce Yoo, editor, New York

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Geopolitical disruption is no longer transitory—it is structural. Cindy Levy, Ezra Greenberg, Matt Watters, Shubham Singhal, and Ziad Haider outline a practical five-part agenda for leaders seeking to turn volatility into a source of competitive advantage.﻿﻿﻿

﻿Stronger after the storm: Supporting Jamaica’s recovery and resilience﻿

﻿For industrials, the next decade belongs to builders﻿

﻿Why it’s even more important to consider restructuring before spin-offs﻿

Geopolitical disruption is no longer transitory—it is structural. Cindy Levy, Ezra Greenberg, Matt Watters, Shubham Singhal, and Ziad Haider outline a practical five-part agenda for leaders seeking to turn volatility into a source of competitive advantage.

Stronger after the storm: Supporting Jamaica’s recovery and resilience

For industrials, the next decade belongs to builders

Why it’s even more important to consider restructuring before spin-offs