Across the United States, consumers are continuing to spend, but they’re not opening their wallets too wide. Joining us are McKinsey partners Colleen Baum and Tamara Charm who say retailers that offer personalized promotions, same-day delivery, and “buy now, pay later” plans are more likely to capture cautious consumers’ holiday spending. Learn more about US consumers’ holiday shopping behaviors and expectations on this guest episode of the McKinsey on Consumer and Retail podcast, hosted by...

We’ve all heard lots about cloud technology, but, according to new McKinsey research, only 20 to 30 percent of industries are using it regularly and at scale. On today’s episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Mark Gu and James Kaplan share findings from the report, “In search of cloud value: Can generative AI transform cloud ROI?” They talk about why cloud technology is essential in business, what’s holding companies back from getting themost value from their cloud...

If productivity is down in your organization, it may be a sign that at least some employees are unmotivated and unhappy—and that other employees are feeding on that dissatisfaction, further eroding productivity and creating attrition. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Aaron De Smet and partner Angelika Reich talk about McKinsey’s latest research on employee productivity and their perspectives on a few types of workers, ranging from those who bring fellow...

AI, Travel, artificial intelligence

Hybrid work has roiled the real estate market—and it’s here to stay, according to new research from the McKinsey Global Institute. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Aditya Sanghvi and Jonathan Woetzel chat with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about how the persistence of the pivot to working from home has transformed the places we work, live, shop, and socialize—and about the unique opportunity hybrid presents to rethink real estate for our changing...

When times get tough, marketing budgets are among the first ones cut. But such cutbacks can be shortsighted. On this edition of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Kelsey Robinson chats with cohost and editorial director Roberta Fusaro about why chief marketing officers should instead be empowered to adopt an investor mindset—that is, focus on eliminating inefficient spending and reinvesting it in high-growth marketing activities. By taking a full-funnel approach to their marketing...

As companies struggle to understand the implications and applications of generative AI, one thing seems clear: AI and its future iterations are not going anywhere. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, senior partner Kweilin Ellingrud and partner Saurabh Sanghvi share findings from McKinsey’s latest report on gen AI with editorial director Roberta Fusaro and explain why companies must pivot to embrace the technology itself and the deep and lasting changes it may create. Individual and...

The stakes are high when it comes to tackling the unprecedented mental health issues facing today’s teens. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, global editorial director Lucia Rahilly speaks with McKinsey partner and coleader of the McKinsey Health Institute Erica Coe and the founding president and medical director of the Child Mind Institute, Harold Koplewicz, about what the struggle means for society at large. Then, Maggie Smith, author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful (Atria/One...

Good things will come to those companies that don’t wait. McKinsey AI experts Michael Chui and Alex Singla discuss McKinsey’s new reportabout the generative AI opportunity with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly. Hear how companies should immediately seize the gen AI opportunity to gain competitive advantage.But first, McKinsey senior partner Kelsey Robinson points out a consumer spending dichotomy in her first of a series of a quick US consumer behavior check-ins. See...

By 2050, about 25 percent of the world’s population will be from the African continent. What can be done now to support Africa’s educational infrastructure, bountiful resources, and technological innovation? On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey partner Mayowa Kuyoro and senior partner Acha Leke share details from their latest research on Africa and outline the strengths and assets the continent has that can help it vastly improve its productivity and reinvigorate its economy....

Business lore is freighted with misadventures in middle management. Yet middle managers are critical to organizational health and performance, and they are only becoming more so as work continues to transform, according to the new book Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work (Harvard Business Review Press, July 2023). On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, authors Emily Field, Bryan Hancock, and Bill Schaninger talk to global editorial director Lucia Rahilly...

By now, most leaders understand the importance—or, increasingly, the inevitability—of digital and AI transformation. But fewer executives are clear about how to knit systems, people, and processes together in the most productive way. McKinsey senior partners Eric Lamarre, Kate Smaje, and Rodney Zemmel have written Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI (Wiley, June 2023) with that disconnect in mind. The authors discuss Rewired which offers clear,...

When you’re grocery shopping and see a product that claims it’s “good for the planet” or “society” - are you more inclined to buy it? If yes was your answer, you’re not alone. This is according to a joint study by McKinsey and Nielson IQ about US consumer behavior and spending. Today we’re sharing an episode from the McKinsey on Consumer and Retail podcast that talks all about it. Regular programming for The McKinsey Podcast is back in two weeks.    See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for...

Banking instability. High interest rates. Pervasive geopolitical upset. These and other headwinds are pressing powerfully against leaders’ and organizations’ attempts to be more productive and create more economic value. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, senior partner Sven Smit puts these trends in context. He shares findings from the McKinsey Global Institute’s latest Future of Wealth research with podcast host and editorial director Roberta Fusaro. He offers four potential scenarios...

On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Dana Maor and Patrick Simon speak with McKinsey editorial director Roberta Fusaro about three of the ten most asked-about shifts featured in the recently released State of Organizations report: increasing speed and strengthening resilience, the hybrid workplace, and building capabilities in a rapidly changing workplace. After, it can be scary to share a dissenting opinion. But McKinsey senior partner Katy George shares a time...

Once an engine of US power and prosperity, US labor productivity has grown at a sluggish 1.4 percent since 2005. Imminent challenges such as workforce shortages, debt, inflation, and the cost of energy could be ameliorated with higher productivity. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Olivia White, a McKinsey senior partner and a director of the McKinsey Global Institute, and McKinsey partner Charles Atkins join McKinsey editorial director and host Roberta Fusaro to share tangible ways to...

From regular water shortages in California to a nitrogen crisis in the Netherlands, the deterioration of natural capital has had tangible consequences—and given rise to a reckoning within business and government. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey partner Josh Katz and associate partner Caroline De Vit talk with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about a recently published special report on natural capital: what it is, why it matters, and how Fortune 500 companies are...

Over the past few years, CEOs have found themselves repeatedly recalibrating in the wake of shock after shock. As 2023 shapes up to be another year of uncertainty, stable ground may continue to seem elusive. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Homayoun Hatami, senior partner and managing partner for global client capabilities, and chief client officer Liz Hilton Segel talk about what matters most—as well as how leaders can begin leaning forward to find new opportunities amid ongoing...

Forty percent of Black American households don’t have high-speed, fixed broadband, according to recent McKinsey research. That digital divide is just one of eight investment opportunities that have the highest potential to move the needle on Black economic mobility. On today’s episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Shelley Stewart III speaks with editorial director Roberta Fusaro about how impact investors can help close the digital divide, create more financial inclusion,...

Geopolitical risk, an issue once deferred, is now demanding immediate attention. Hear how leaders must challenge the fundamentals of how operations have traditionally been run to adapt to a multipolar world. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, senior partner Andrew Grant and global director of geopolitical risk Ziad Haider speak with to global editorial director Lucia Rahilly aboutMcKinsey’s latest research on geopolitical risk, including what questions leaders need to ask to find their...

"Women leaders are voting with their feet," says McKinsey senior partner Alexis Krivkovich on this week’s episode of The McKinsey Podcast. She and senior partner Lareina Yee speak with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly to dig into the latest Women in the Workplace research. They break down the reasons behind “the great breakup” and what organizations must do to materially value diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)—and what’s at stake if they don’t. After, everyone's talking about...

Globalization isn’t going away, but it is changing, according to recent research from theMcKinsey Global Institute (MGI). In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, MGI director Olivia White speaks with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about the flows of goods, knowledge, and labor that drive global integration—and what reshaping these flows might mean for our interconnected future. After, global brewer AB InBev has thrived in the throes of what its CFO Fernando Tennenbaum describes as...

Net zero doesn’t have to mean zero sum. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey partner Anna Moore and senior partner Humayun Tai talk to global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about the “devilish duality” leaders have faced since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine—and about how to follow through on longer-term decarbonization commitments while managing short-term energy disruptions successfully. After, hear how investors can use their capital and influence to help reverse the...

McKinsey analyzed 14 new trends in its latest report on business technology. Here are the three that leaders need to know about most. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, partners Michael Chui and Roger Roberts speak with McKinsey editorial director Roberta Fusaro about McKinsey’s latest report on technology trends, with a particular focus on the benefits and challenges of applied AI, cloud and edge computing, and bioengineering. After, we’ll hear from McKinsey partner Brian Rolfes, who...

The volume of information available from space is unprecedented. McKinsey experts Ryan Brukardt and Jesse Klempner join host and McKinsey partner, Mina Alaghband to share the incredible ways in which the space-for-earth economy has evolved and how it needs to scale. This is a guest episode from McKinsey's technology podcast, At the Edge. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information