The So What from BCG

We are closing in on the first anniversary of the public release of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and GPT-4. And yet the ever-changing field of human-machine collaboration remains poorly understood. François Candelon, global director of the BCG Henderson Institute, explains the findings of recent research that explores where AI work is more effective than people and where it isn’t. &nbs...

Downtowns were built for a 9-5 world that no longer exists. Santiago Ferrer, BCG’s North American lead for cities, real estate, and infrastructure development, says civic leaders have an opportunity and responsibility to rethink the best use of buildings, transportation systems, and other infrastructure.     Learn More:     https://on.bcg.com/46FFo6s   https://on.bcg....

A price is an expression of value and part of a conversation with customers. Jean-Manuel Izaret, BCG’s global leader of pricing, discusses the importance of designing a pricing strategy that creates value for customers and companies alike. Businesses must know when to leave money on the table and be careful to avoid prices so high they actually hamper sales. Jean-Manuel highlights seven pricing ga...

Should the workplace of the future consist of a mostly in-office, remote, or hybrid model? Deborah Lovich, leader of BCG’s work on people strategy, argues we’re asking the wrong question entirely. Organizations should focus on creating productivity for themselves and joy for their employees. It will take more than a memo from the top to create this new working model. Time, resources, and strong ma...

In 2015, the UN established Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030. In 2023, we are halfway there and have achieved only about 12% of those goals. Rich Hutchinson, global leader of BCG’s Social Impact practice, suggests that companies both can help achieve those goals and boost their bottom line. Organizations need to set ambitious goals. Leaders need to do more than treat ESG as a c...

Cost-cutting gets a bad rap, but the exercise is actually an opportunity to find money that can be reinvested in the business. Mark Austin, BCG’s global topic leader of cost and zero-based transformation, challenges executives to create more efficient and effective operating models by empowering employees to find areas of unnecessary spending in places that may not be obvious. They can then look t...

As the school year approaches, we are reaching into The So What from BCG archives. Join us as we revisit our examination of why education remains rooted in a bygone era of neat orderly rows of desks and lesson plans, even as the world races ahead into the metaverse and beyond. In this wide-ranging conversation first published in June 2022, Leila Hoteit, managing director and senior partner wh...

How do the top 5% of companies ascend to their spots—and stay there? Extensive BCG research shows that they excel in six areas, among them: focusing on a clear vision, remaining agile, and creating a solid, yet flexible tech base. A leader of that research, Romain de Laubier, shares insights from working alongside executives and helping them take an honest look at what their companies do well—and...

Jessica Apotheker, chief marketing officer of BCG and BCGX, and Akbar Hamid, co-founder of People of Crypto Lab, explain how the metaverse can combine the best of the physical and virtual worlds to create a seamless immersive experience—or amplify what’s wrong in the physical world.   This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy...

AI is evolving daily, challenging businesses to adjust and adapt. Vladimir Lukic, global leader of BCG’s Tech & Digital Advantage practice, demystifies what companies need to get right when implementing AI. A shift in mindset can go a long way toward unlocking AI’s potential.   This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Thi...

Leaders frequently talk about purpose and vision. Too often, these concepts get stuck at the top and do not cascade down throughout the organization. BCG’s David Ritter explains how organizations can unlock latent productivity and creativity by connecting purpose and vision to the day-to-day work of teams.    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable -...

Customers are demanding speed and convenience in their interactions with companies. Technology, especially artificial intelligence, is often better at meeting customer needs than humans. Karen Lellouche Tordjman, leader of BCG’s customer experience work, explains how companies can combine technology and humans to create the most compelling customer journeys and touchpoints.    This...

The post–World War II order of free markets, democratic government, and global institutions is breaking apart, argues Nikolaus Lang, who leads BCG’s Global Advantage practice. With the future uncertain, companies should prepare for a range of scenarios that likely involve greater uncertainty and less global trade.   This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable...

Sylvain Duranton helps companies build AI-enabled businesses. As the the global leader of BCG X, he has a front row seat to the generative AI revolution. He discusses the industries likely to face the most disruption, the future of work, and how generative AI can help solve challenges in climate and health. His advice to companies unsure how to get started? Pick a difference-making opportunity; in...

CEOs generally face either economic uncertainty (the Great Recession) or great change (the digital-driven era preceding the pandemic). Today’s leaders are facing both at the same time, explains Rich Lesser, BCG’s chair. While uncertainty requires resilience, change requires evolution. It’s hard to do both. Nonetheless, Lesser sees great potential with the advances in AI but also physical technolog...

Companies and banks have often pursued social goals such as financial inclusion as an obligation rather than a business opportunity. Douglas Beal, who leads BCG’s client work with financial institutions on sustainable finance and investing, argues that doing good is also good business. Companies and banks can build profitable, sustainable social business and improve their bottom lines.   This...

Financial crime has become big business. The United Nations estimates that 2%–5% of global GDP is laundering every year. If businesses—all businesses, not just banks—are not part of the solution, they are part of the problem, argues BCG’s Hanjo Seibert. Over the past ten years, half of all fines levied in financial crime cases have been regular businesses. Beyond satisfying their legal obligations...

In Indonesia, consumers began mixing together several orders of McDonald’s soft serve ice cream into a dessert mashup. Videos of this quirky development quickly went viral, and the trend spread to Thailand. Rather than worry about losing control over its carefully crafted image, McDonald’s encouraged the activity by creating an online video ad campaign around their customers’ videos. Welcome to th...

Nadjia Yousif, BCG’s chief diversity officer, explains how an inclusive workforce creates happier employees who are more likely to stay—and she has the numbers to back her up. Executives and leadership extol the virtues of teamwork. Inclusion is just that—the feeling of being part of something larger than yourself. Nadjia Yousif says that if people feel included, they will be happy, feel a greater...

James Lowry has devoted most of his professional life trying to bring corporations and minority communities closer together. While Lowry views many of the corporate diversity efforts in the 1960s and 1970s as charity, he says companies are finally starting to create business-driven initiatives supported with resources and leadership commitment. Lowry talks about how corporations and communities al...

Artificial intelligence has generated both business rewards and reputational risk for companies. Consumers and customers have legitimate concerns over the use of AI in business. The best way to address those concerns, says Steven Mills, the chief AI ethics officer for BCG X, is to develop responsible AI principles that set forth how organizations will and will not deploy AI—and what they will do w...

In 2011, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen famously declared that “software is eating the world,” meaning it would disrupt traditional industries. Alex Koster, who leads BCG’s automotive technology and software business, explains just how fundamentally software is altering an industry, whose main product, the car, has changed relatively little in 100 years. In self-driving vehicles, for example,...

Three decades after the development of the commercial Internet, nearly half the world’s 8 billion people do not have access to high-speed Internet. For Vaishali Rastogi, BCG’s global leader of its technology, media, and telecommunications practice, closing this gap is an economic, social, and moral imperative. It’s also personal, a reflection of her broader interest in inclusion. For the past 30 y...

Over the past 20 years, assets under management of financial firms have nearly quadrupled to more than $110 trillion, powered by the growth in equity values. Dean Frankle—who leads BCG’s asset and wealth management in Western Europe, South America, and Africa—foresees a more textured and nuanced future for the industry. Alternative asset classes, such as toll roads and other infrastructure, could...

Linear thinking is valuable when the environment is relatively stable and familiar. But in uncertain economic times, executives also need to think expansively about the future, analyzing a range of potential scenarios. Alan Iny discusses how executives can prepare for uncertainty rather than be overwhelmed by it. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https:...