Interesting Readings from McKinsey

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. 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. 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.