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FOUR OF OUR BEST NEW IDEAS

Curated by Liz Hilton Segel, chief client officer and managing partner, global industry practices, & Homayoun Hatami, managing partner, global client capabilities

Twice monthly, we bring you four new insights out of the dozens we publish that we think are worth a second glance from any business leader in any geography. In this edition, we look closely at how to have a good argument, understanding geopolitical risks, and more. We hope you enjoy the read.

—Liz and Homayoun

Image of two water streams colliding against each other in midair

What’s new

Dare to disagree. What did you do the last time someone disagreed with you? Did you welcome the interruption? Did you actively engage with the naysayer? Or did you get defensive, or even shut down? While we can all agree in theory that dissent is a good thing, managing it in practice is both an art and a science. Done sensitively, dissent can move discussions of all kinds toward better outcomes without undermining group cohesion.

A new article—Into all problem-solving, a little dissent must fall, by Ben Fletcher , Chris Hartley , Rupe Hoskin, and Dana Maor —delves into three specific behaviors that leaders can encourage among their teams to foster effective cultures of dissent.

Digital illustration of a sphere constructed with various blue patches

What’s now

Know your geopolitical risks. Color coding makes it easy: black swans are out-of-this-world events that no one expects; gray rhinos are predictable and potentially calamitous, but everyone downplays the risk; silver linings are the unexpected openings that, like a ray of sunshine, can break through storm clouds. Boards and management teams worldwide are coloring in their scenarios as they grapple with the new complexities of geopolitics.

Before you put on your painter’s smock, read Black swans, gray rhinos, and silver linings: Anticipating geopolitical risks (and openings), by Andrew Grant , Ziad Haider, and Anke Raufuss .

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What’s next

Productivity is a puzzle. In most Western economies, productivity has sagged in the past few decades, despite stunning advances in technology. Why? One clue might lie in the varying practices of leaders and laggards. The McKinsey Global Institute found sharp differences among US states, sectors, and cities—as well as companies, where leaders do more to build a future-ready workforce, get the most out of today’s technologies, and are already putting tomorrow’s tech to work.

Missing a piece of the puzzle? Find it in Rekindling US productivity for a new era, by Charles Atkins, Olivia White , Asutosh Padhi , Kweilin Ellingrud , Anu Madgavkar , and Michael Neary.

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What’s needed

The winds of change are blowing. To withstand the gusts, leaders at all levels need to embrace the inevitability of change, rather than fight against it. To transform your relationship with uncertainty, try adopting a service-based leadership style: practice treating transitions as an opportunity for renewal, for everyone. For example, instead of focusing on questions like “What legacy will I leave?” try asking, “What organizational purpose do I serve?”

For more, including five concrete steps leaders can take to jump-start an adaptability mindset, check out the latest McKinsey Quarterly Five Fifty, Mindsets for success: Lessons from top CEOs.

We hope you find this synthesis helpful. See you in two weeks with four more ideas from McKinsey.

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by "McKinsey Shortlist" <publishing@email.mckinsey.com> - 02:38 - 10 Mar 2023

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