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 about the costs of middle management gone awry—and about a new model for getting it right.  Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy informationSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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, customizable paths that organizations can take to succeed with their digital transformations—and stay nimble in the face of constant change. The authors discuss the book on this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, which is hosted by McKinsey editorial director Roberta FusaroSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 privacy information

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 for inflation, interest rates, and growth to 2030 and considers their implications for the future health and wealth of the global economy. After, we get a better understanding of the working class from Farah Stockman, author of  American Made, in an excerpt from our Author Talks series. Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy informationSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 she took that risk and reaped the rewards—from our My Rookie Moment series Theme music is composed, produced, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 boost US productivity. Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 moving now to create opportunities and mitigate rising risks. After, K–12 teachers in the United States are leaving their jobs in unprecedented numbers. McKinsey partner Jake Bryant shares what teachers need to stay. Theme music was composed, produced, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 turbulence and change. After, hear from former CEO of IBM, Ginni Rometty, on what she learned to prioritize as a leader in an excerpt from our Author Talks series. Theme music is composed, produced, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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, and achieve equity in healthcare for Black Americans. After, Asaf Somekh, the CEO and cofounder of Iguazio, a company recently acquired by McKinsey, talks about artificial intelligence and offers some solutions for addressing pilot fatigue. The McKinsey Podcast is cohosted by Roberta Fusaro and Lucia Rahilly. Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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 way in this fragmented world, how to balance risk versus returns, and how to navigate corporate responsibility. After, McKinsey partner Jennifer Stanley, who thought of herself as a social scientist rather than a businessperson, and shares how a shift in self-perception was all it took to feel capable in this excerpt from our My Rookie Moment series. Theme music produced, composed, and performed by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information