Productivity first: AI and the COO agenda

This is the McKinsey Podcast, where we help you make sense out of our world's toughest business challenges. Welcome to the show. I'm Lucia Rahili and I'm Roberta Fassaro. I think that underlying mindset of continuous improvement, be curious, think about what could we do better. Don't be defensive about how we've always done things.

Those mindset pieces are critically, critically important, and I think the COO often sets the tone on that. That's McKinsey's senior partner Dan Swan. The chief operating officer's role is growing more important as companies try to use technologies like AI to improve productivity. COOs can influence AI adoption more than they think.

We'll hear more from Dan in a minute. First, just a couple of pieces of recommended reading from McKinsey.com. COP30, the UN's annual climate change conference, is wrapping up this week. And it's a great time to check out our research on the physical challenges of the energy transition. In fact, I'd say it's required reading for any business leader thinking about navigating increased power needs.

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