Drum roll, please. Every year we publish hundreds articles, reports, blog posts and podcasts based on McKinsey research. So our annual 'most popular' list is something of a guide to the topics that are generating the most excitement - and anxiety - among business leaders. This time around one dominant theme stands out: the application of digital technologies across the business landscape, and the pressing need for companies to retool everything from operating models to roles to corporate cultures. Digital reinvention? Digital transformation? Call it what you will. Looking at the list below, it was clearly the big theme of this year - and we reckon it is far from played out heading into 2018.
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1. The next-generation operating model for the digital world
March 2017 – Companies need to increase revenues, lower costs, and delight customers. Doing that requires reinventing the operating model.
2. The case for digital reinvention
February 2017 – Digital technology, despite its seeming ubiquity, has only begun to penetrate industries. As it continues its advance, the implications for revenues, profits, and opportunities will be dramatic.
3. What makes a CEO ‘exceptional’?
April 2017 – We assessed the early moves of CEOs with outstanding track records; some valuable lessons for leadership transitions emerged.
4. Harnessing automation for a future that works
January 2017 – Automation is happening, and it will bring substantial benefits to businesses and economies worldwide, but it won’t arrive overnight. A new McKinsey Global Institute report finds realizing automation’s full potential requires people and technology to work hand in hand.
5. ING’s agile transformation
January 2017 – Two senior executives from the global bank describe their recent journey.
6. Product managers for the digital world
May 2017 – The role of the product manager is expanding due to the growing importance of data in decision making, an increased customer and design focus, and the evolution of software-development methodologies.
7. Culture for a digital age
July 2017 – Risk aversion, weak customer focus, and siloed mind-sets have long bedeviled organizations. In a digital world, solving these cultural problems is no longer optional.
8. The seven decisions that matter in a digital transformation: A CEO’s guide to reinvention
February 2017 – A successful digital transformation requires making trade-off decisions. Here’s how successful CEOs guide their businesses’ reinvention.
9. How artificial intelligence can deliver real value to companies
June 2017 – Companies new to the space can learn a great deal from early adopters who have invested billions into AI and are now beginning to reap a range of benefits.
10. Battery storage: The next disruptive technology in the power sector
June 2017 – Low-cost storage could transform the power landscape. The implications are profound.