BCG in the News

Fortune

Personalization Done Right

In Fortune and Harvard Business Review, BCG’s Mark Abraham and David C. Edelman discuss how AI-empowered personalization enhances customer experiences and could drive almost $2 trillion in incremental growth over the next decade. Based on their bestselling book, Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI, they explain how to measure a company’s ability to deliver personalization at scale. “Across industries, we find that personalization leaders consistently grow top-line revenues 10 points faster per year than laggards,” they write.

Forbes

Why Your Operating Model Matters More Than Your Strategy and Structure

In her column for Forbes, BCG’s Julia Dhar highlights the importance of an organization’s operating model to achieving its goals. She calls on leaders to clarify decision rights, align incentives with strategy, and regularly reassess their models. A dynamic operating model bridges strategy and execution, enabling organizations to adapt and excel. “An operating model is a living thing; it evolves with the needs of the organization and the requirements of its strategy,” she writes.

CNBC

Optimism Around Emerging Climate Tech

In an interview with CNBC at COP29, BCG’s Global Chair, Rich Lesser, discusses US leadership in the development of emerging technologies to mitigate climate change. “The US plays a really critical role as an engine for the global economy, a driver of new technology, a source of finance,” he states. In particular, Lesser highlights the potential of carbon capture technology and nuclear energy.

Forbes

Productive Disagreement: Getting Beyond “Agree to Disagree”

In her column for Forbes, BCG’s Julia Dhar highlights strategies to foster productive workplace disagreement. By encouraging a sense of understanding and common ground, teams can turn conflicts into constructive, outcome-focused discussions. Dhar explains that “curiosity conversations” open perspectives. She writes, “The real trick is that you must really be curious—and open-minded—about what you might hear in return, not merely waiting for your turn to persuade them of your worldview.”

Forbes

How a Shorter 2024 Holiday Season Impacts Retailers

In Forbes, BCG’s Mrin Nayak highlights the complex challenges facing retailers this holiday season, including the US election and five fewer prime shopping days compared to last year. Nayak emphasizes that “timing matters, though—direct, social media, and emerging marketplace channels see the most strength early in the holiday shopping season.” Retailers must focus on speed and agility to meet rising demand for fast fulfillment and competitive prices as consumers navigate a shortened and uncertain holiday shopping period.

CFO Dive

Maximizing the Value of AI

In CFO Dive, BCG’s Amanda Luther and Vladimir Lukic highlight that only 4% of companies fully capture the value of AI, with their biggest gains coming from business process upgrades. “When companies undertake digital or AI transformations, they need to focus two-thirds of their effort and resources on people-related capabilities, and the other third or so split between technology and algorithms,” says Luther. AI leaders anticipate 60% higher AI-driven revenue growth and 50% more cost reductions by 2027 compared to companies that are less focused on the technology.

Forbes

Generative AI: What Happens in HR Won’t Stay in HR

In her column for Forbes, BCG’s Julia Dhar highlights how generative AI could reshape pathways to the C-suite, particularly for human resources leaders. Dhar notes that HR teams are “leading the charge to integrate AI into corporate decision-making and operations,” with 70% to 80% of early AI adopters coming from HR. As these teams take the lead in AI integration, their roles may expand, creating more opportunities for leadership positions within organizations.

The Wall Street Journal

AI’s Role in Transforming Workflows

In The Wall Street Journal, BCG’s Sylvain Duranton highlights how many companies are embracing AI beyond chatbots by using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to connect internal data with large language models, transforming operations and workflows. “It’s massive. Most of what we do is RAG-based,” says Duranton. “Because AI requires constant access to all of the company’s data, it must be interconnected to the entire architecture. It’s a way to protect yourself.”

Financial Times

International Investment Summit Must Not Be the Peak of UK Government’s Ambitions

In the Financial Times and City AM, BCG’s Raoul Ruparel and Tim Figures emphasize that the recent International Investment Summit served as a key test of global investors’ commitment to UK growth. They highlight the UK’s strengths, such as its science base and financial services, while pointing to challenges like high energy costs, low infrastructure investment, and post-Brexit regulatory uncertainty. Ruparel notes that while executives likely “do not care all that much about the panels and agenda,” they do expect to hear “more than platitudes about the government’s plans” during such events.

The Jakarta Post

Business Messaging: Five Success Factors from RI’s Industry Leaders

Writing in The Jakarta Post, BCG’s Huy Nguyen-Tuong and Meta Indonesia’s country director highlight a Meta-commissioned Kantar survey revealing that 87% of Indonesians prefer messaging to communicate with businesses. They cite benefits like improved customer engagement and retention, alongside keys to success such as personalized responses, AI integration, and value-driven metrics. “Businesses need to consider this new world of instant communication across all interactions with customers, beyond single, isolated use cases,” the authors note.

Business Insider

GenAI Driving Workforce Innovation and Retention

In Business Insider, BCG’s Alicia Pittman highlights that over 70% of BCG’s 35,000 employees actively use generative AI thanks to the company’s upskilling efforts. She notes that GenAI boosts innovation and retention of human capital, saying, “It really changes the game in terms of the amount of learning you can keep within the team and not lose as people move around.” Moreover, it enables generalists to take on more technical tasks, with expert oversight for quality control.

Forbes

Gen Z: They Highly Value ‘Values,’ But It’s No Dealbreaker

In her column for Forbes, BCG’s Julia Dhar highlights that while most Gen Z professionals want company values to align with their personal beliefs, they also recognize the need to prioritize compensation and financial independence. “It’s much easier to be idealistic when there’s little or no cost—when jobs are plentiful, for example, and the number of people seeking jobs is far less so,” Dhar argues, acknowledging the trade-offs Gen Z faces.