Friday, March 30, 2012

Interesting Readings from McKinsey




How leaders kill meaning at work art 1. GOVERNANCE
How leaders kill meaning at work
Senior executives routinely undermine creativity, productivity, and commitment by damaging the inner work lives of their employees in four avoidable ways.
The executive's guide to better listening art 2. GOVERNANCE
The executive’s guide to better listening
Strong listening skills can make a critical difference in the performance of senior executives, but few are able to cultivate them. Here’s how.
A CEO's guide to innovation in China 3. STRATEGY
A CEO’s guide to innovation in China
Dynamic domestic players and focused multinationals are helping China churn out a growing number of innovative products and services. Intensifying competition lies ahead; here’s a road map for navigating it.
4. STRATEGY
Three snapshots of Chinese innovation
Chinese innovation is evolving in diverse ways and at an uneven pace across a range of different industries. Presented here are ground-level views from three of them: automobiles, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals.
5. OPERATIONS
The human factor in service design
Focus on the human side of customer service to make it psychologically savvy, economically sound, and easier to scale.
6. ECONOMIC STUDIES
What’s in store for China in 2012?
Despite food price inflation and a stagnant housing market, China should maintain a rapid rate of growth, argues a director in McKinsey’s Shanghai office. Read his ten predictions for the country this year.
7. ECONOMIC STUDIES
Working out of debt
An update of our research on the efforts of developed countries to work out from under a massive overhang of debt shows how uneven progress has been. US households have made the greatest gains so far.
8. ENERGY, RESOURCES, MATERIALS
Five technologies to watch
Innovation in energy technology is taking place rapidly. Five technologies you may not have heard of could be ready to change the energy landscape by 2020.
9. ORGANIZATION
Motivating people: Getting beyond money
This 2009 article argues that an economic slump offers business leaders a chance to more effectively reward talented employees by emphasizing nonfinancial motivators rather than bonuses.
10. STRATEGY
Are you ready for the era of ‘big data’?
Radical customization, constant experimentation, and novel business models will be new hallmarks of competition as companies capture and analyze huge volumes of data. Here’s what you should know.