McKinsey Talks Operations

Supply chain leaders have invested heavily in technology over the last few decades and were among the earliest adopters of AI. Yet despite 90% of companies reporting AI use, only 7% have successfully scaled it. For many, supply chain execution remains manual, fragmented, and slow. What separates the companies that have scaled AI from the 90% still stuck in pilot purgatory? And why aren't more organizations seeing meaningful returns?  In this episode, host Christian Johnson speaks with Rahul Shahani, a Partner in McKinsey's Operations Practice and AI and technology enablement leader for manufacturing and supply chain, and Kapil Dev Bansal, an Associate Partner and global leader for agentic AI in manufacturing and supply chain. Together, they explore why domain-level workflow orchestration outperforms traditional use-case thinking, and how companies can generate durable value instead of launching yet another stalled pilot.  McKinsey Talks Operations offers more insights at the intersection of strategy and execution. Visit www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com to explore upcoming events and thought leadership from McKinsey's Operations Practice and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

The pace of innovation is reshaping industries at an unprecedented speed, but technology alone is not a source of advantage. To compete in a rapidly evolving global landscape, organizations must move beyond isolated tech deployments and embrace end-to-end process transformation. The real question for 2026 is: how can leaders rewire their operations to capture the full value of what’s possible? In this episode, host Daphne Luchtenberg speaks with McKinsey senior partners Dan Swan and Ruth Heuss, Global Co-Conveners of McKinsey’s Operations Practice, about what it takes to turn operational excellence into sustained competitive advantage, and the critical questions operations leaders should be asking now. McKinsey Talks Operations offers more insights at the intersection of strategy and execution. Visit www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com to explore upcoming events and thought leadership from McKinsey’s Operations Practice and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Across industries, organizations are asking more of their COOs: to drive efficiency, unlock growth, build resilience, lead cross-functional change, and help shape the business agenda. But what does it really take to excel as a modern operations leader today?   In this episode of McKinsey Talks Operations, host Daphne Luchtenberg speaks with McKinsey partners Darryl Piasecki and Tony Gambell, who lead the firm’s global COO Excellence initiative. Together, they break down the essential components of a high-impact COO, from a clear vision grounded in business strategy to an executable plan, strong stakeholder relationships, the right talent, and a personal operating model that enables sustained performance.  McKinsey Talks Operations has much more content to offer on the Operations topics that connect strategy with lasting success. Visit www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com. to explore events and insights from McKinsey’s Operations Practice, and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Improving operations, generating revenue and implementing the right technology have all become key priorities for customer care professionals over the last decade. Organizations must find customer service operating models that scale, whilst maintaining customer satisfaction. In an evolving landscape where the leaders are those making significant strides in agentic AI adoption, one question remains: can an agentic AI voice agent truly be empathetic?    In this episode, host Daphne Luchtenberg is joined by Eric Buesing, Partner at McKinsey & Company and Gadi Shamia, CEO and Co-founder of Replicant. Together, they discuss the evolving landscape of customer care and explore how agentic AI is transforming contact centres.     McKinsey Talks Operations has much more content to offer on the Operations topics that connect strategy with lasting success. Visit www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com to explore events and insights from McKinsey’s Operations Practice, and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations.   See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Innovation has long been the engine of economic growth, but today’s R&D efforts are hitting roadblocks. Progress is becoming harder, more complex, and increasingly expensive, signaling a decline in R&D productivity. So, how can leaders turn the tide and unlock the next wave of breakthroughs?  In this episode of McKinsey Talks Operations, host Daphne Luchtenberg is joined by Ravi Rajamani, Managing Director and Global Head of AI Blackbelts at Google Cloud, and Ben Meigs, associate partner in McKinsey's Product Development practice. Together, they explore how AI is reshaping the R&D landscape.  From accelerating processes and enhancing design generation to streamlining validation, the discussion dives into the transformative potential of AI to reverse declining productivity. They also tackle the critical role of organizational change, fostering a culture of experimentation, and making smart AI investments to drive meaningful ROI.  Tune in to discover how leaders can harness AI to reimagine R&D and fuel the next era of innovation. McKinsey Talks Operations has much more content to offer on the Operations topics that connect strategy with lasting success. Visit www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com to explore events and insights from McKinsey’s Operations Practice, and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operationsSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Companies across industries are eager to adopt robots that can perform a variety of tasks with human-like flexibility. But achieving general-purpose robotics is no small feat—technical challenges like energy consumption, sim-to-real transfer, and safety concerns slow progress. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Operations, host Daphne Luchtenberg is joined by McKinsey partner Ani Kelkar to discuss how advances in embodied AI, foundation models, and robotics design are breaking new ground. As robots learn to perceive, decide, and act in real-world environments. McKinsey Talks Operations has much more content to offer on the Operations topics that connect strategy with lasting success. Visit www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com to explore events and insights from McKinsey’s Operations Practice, and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operationsSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Companies want to future-proof their supply chains without sacrificing agility or growth. Yet escalating tariffs and policy volatility could force them into reactive cycles, compounded by a lack of visibility in global supply chains and changing consumer preferences. From inventory tactics to operating model overhauls, our panel of experts explores how to shift from firefighting to foresight—creating systems that withstand shocks and unlock value. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Operations, host Daphne Luchtenberg is joined by McKinsey partners Liz Hempel, Roman Belotserkovskiy, Valerio Dilda, and Riccardo Drentin for a conversation on navigating tariffs, shifting trade policy, and global supply chain complexity. McKinsey Talks Operations has much more content to offer on the Operations topics that connect strategy with lasting success. Visit www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com to explore events and insights from McKinsey’s Operations Practice, and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operationsSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Many organizations struggle with outdated workforce models, limited AI adoption, and a disconnect between their global capability centers (GCCs) and core business strategies. To overcome these challenges, a global operating model can create capability centers that are an integral part of an organization’ s operations. They function as a microcosm of the company, with leadership, talent, and innovation globally distributed to create a resilient, globally distributed workforce. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Operations, host Daphne Luchtenberg talks with Indy Banerjee, Senior Partner at McKinsey, and Jack Madrid, President and CEO of the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) about how organizations can adopt a global operating model approach by upskilling and right-skilling their talent pools, embedding AI, and fostering a culture of continuous innovation. What steps can your organization take to turn its GCC into an engine of innovation? McKinsey Talks Operations has much more content to offer on the Operations topics that connect strategy with lasting success. Visit www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com to explore events and insights from McKinsey’s Operations Practice, and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operationsSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Companies are striving for end-to-end visibility, efficiency, and agility in their supply chains. Yet, outdated infrastructure, fragmented data, and supply chain disruptions make these goals difficult to achieve. Can Generative AI bridge the gap? In this episode, host Daphne Luchtenberg speaks with Knut Alicke, Author and Leader of McKinsey's Supply Chain Academy; Alberto Oca, Co-leader of McKinsey's Digital Warehousing Practice in North America; Asaf Somekh, Co-founder of Iguazio, a McKinsey Company, and Sanjit Biswas, CEO and Co-founder of Samsara, to explore how AI-driven innovation is reshaping logistics, forecasting, and real-time decision-making. McKinsey Talks Operations has much more content to offer on the Operations topics that connect strategy with lasting success. Visit www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com to explore events and insights from McKinsey’s Operations Practice, and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operationsSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

At the end of 2023, the final podcast of McKinsey Talks Operations concluded that there was no normal for operations leaders. Looking back on the 12 months since then, it seems the sentiment holds true—both everything and nothing has changed. In this episode, hosts Christian Johnson and Daphne Luchtenberg reflect on four recurring themes from their discussions with McKinsey experts and industry guests: building resilient operations ecosystems, decarbonizing operations, winning with talent, and tech-enabling operations with digital and generative AI.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Organizations are striving to maintain operational excellence amidst rapid digital transformation, yet integrating advanced technologies while maintaining efficiency and employee engagement is a complex task. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Operations, Juan Luis Kruger, CEO of Minsur, and McKinsey Partner Ferran Pujol join host Christian Johnson to discuss how digital tools and Lean management principles can enhance operational performance and foster a culture of continuous improvement.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Enterprises are looking to Global Capability Centers (GCCs) as critical innovation hubs to stay ahead in the competitive landscape, but the difficulty lies in aligning strategic priorities with the capabilities of GCCs to maximize their impact. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Operations, host Daphne Luchtenberg is joined by McKinsey partners Abhilash Sridharan and Malcolm Gomes, Debasis Panda of TransUnion, and Pravin Goel of BlackRock India, to discuss how GCCs are evolving to become central to enterprise innovation and strategic success. How can enterprises ensure that their GCCs build the talent they need and capture the value of new technologies? McKinsey Talks Operations has much more content to offer on the Operations topics that connect strategy with lasting success. Visit www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com to explore events and insights from McKinsey’s Operations Practice, and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operationsSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

With the coming of age of Gen Z—both as customers and new entrants to the workforce—customer demands are changing. At the same time, the arrival of generative AI (gen AI) is changing the way contact centers can respond to those demands. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Operations, host Daphne Luchtenberg is joined by McKinsey partners Eric Buesing and Brian Blackader to discuss the latest trends, the importance of a cohesive support strategy, and actionable steps contact center leaders can take to improve their customer care functions. Organizations must navigate the changing landscape of customer care with agility to stay ahead of the game—but is it a game they can ever win? McKinsey Talks Operations has much more content to offer on the Operations topics that connect strategy with lasting success. Visit www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com to explore events and insights from McKinsey’s Operations Practice, and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy informationSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information