Issue Running after the wave: short-term takeouts crowd out workforce transformation

Summary

McKinsey uses the image of running after a wave to describe how many organizations approach AI and the workforce. Such organizations concentrate on initial cost takeouts and quick productivity improvements. By contrast, those getting ahead of the wave invest now in transforming their workforce for the next generation of business domains. In those domains, the report argues, collaboration between humans and agents will be the only way to capture full value. McKinsey concludes that the ability to reskill quickly and manage change inclusively will decide which organizations turn experimentation into lasting advantage.