2025 marked a pivotal moment for operations. Generative AI, automation, and advanced analytics moved from experimentation to real impact—and reshaped how organizations run. 
 
In this special year-end episode of McKinsey Talks Operations, hosts Daphne Luchtenberg and Christian Johnson reflect on the defining shifts of the year, from deploying agentic AI and redesigning end-to-end processes to scaling digital twins, robotics, and data-driven sustainability. Against a backdrop of geopolitical volatility and supply chain disruption, leaders redefined what operational excellence really means. 
 
Join us to revisit standout conversations from across operations to explore how organizations unlocked productivity, accelerated innovation, and built more resilient, intelligence-enabled operations. 
 
McKinsey Talks Operations offers much more on the forces shaping the future of the function. Visit McKinsey Talks Operations to explore events and insights from McKinsey’s Operations Practice and join our community. Connect with us on LinkedIn.

2025 marked a pivotal moment for operations. Generative AI, automation, and advanced analytics moved from experimentation to real impact&mdash;and reshaped how organizations run.&nbsp; &nbsp; In this special year-end episode of McKinsey Talks Operations, hosts Daphne Luchtenberg and Christian Johnson reflect on the defining shifts of the year, from deploying agentic AI and redesigning end-to-end processes to scaling digital twins, robotics, and data-driven sustainability. Against a backdrop of geopolitical volatility and supply chain disruption, leaders redefined what operational excellence really means.&nbsp; &nbsp; Join us to revisit standout conversations from across operations to explore how organizations unlocked productivity, accelerated innovation, and built more resilient, intelligence-enabled operations.&nbsp; &nbsp; McKinsey Talks Operations offers much more on the forces shaping the future of the function. Visit <a href="https://mckinseytalksoperations.com/">McKinsey Talks Operations</a> to explore events and insights from McKinsey&rsquo;s Operations Practice and join our community. Connect with us on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations/">LinkedIn</a>.

The next normal demands resilience, flexibility, and agility.

Join us on www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com where the world’s C-Suite leaders and McKinsey experts cut through the noise to uncover how to create a new operational reality. Each episode considers the challenges companies and economies are facing, and the opportunities leaders can seize for competitive advantage. We’ll look at how to connect boardroom strategy to the frontlines, ways to increase performance, where and when to infuse operations with technology, and why empowering the workforce with skills and capabilities is key to success.

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

The next normal demands resilience, flexibility, and agility.
Join us on <a href="http://www.mckinseytalksoperations.com">www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com</a> where the world’s C-Suite leaders and McKinsey experts cut through the noise to uncover how to create a new operational reality. Each episode considers the challenges companies and economies are facing, and the opportunities leaders can seize for competitive advantage. We’ll look at how to connect boardroom strategy to the frontlines, ways to increase performance, where and when to infuse operations with technology, and why empowering the workforce with skills and capabilities is key to success.
McKinsey Talks Operations has much more content to offer on the Operations topics that connect strategy with lasting success. Visit <a href="http://www.mckinseytalksoperations.com">www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com</a> 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 <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1674896999531000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0Sp0r3t_R1DWVeTui08BhV">www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations</a>

The next normal demands resilience, flexibility, and agility. McKinsey Talks Operations, brings together the world’s C-Suite leaders and McKinsey experts cut through the noise to uncover how to create a new operational reality.

McKinsey Talks Operations

The next normal demands resilience, flexibility, and agility. Join us on McKinsey Talks Operations, where the world’s C-Suite leaders and McKinsey experts cut through the noise to uncover how to create a new operational reality. Each episode considers the challenges companies and economies are facing, and the opportunities leaders can seize for competitive advantage. We’ll look at how to connect boardroom strategy to the frontlines, ways to increase performance, where and when to infuse operations with technology, and why empowering the workforce with skills and capabilities is key to success.

The race to rewire operations: How the story unfolded in 2025

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. 

 

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? &nbsp;
&nbsp;In this episode, host Daphne Luchtenberg is joined by Eric Buesing, Partner at McKinsey &amp; 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. &nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;McKinsey Talks Operations has much more content to offer on the Operations topics that connect strategy with lasting success. Visit <a href="https://www.mckinseytalksoperations.com">www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com</a> to explore events and insights from McKinsey&rsquo;s Operations Practice, and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations/">www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations</a>.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Beyond the bot: building empathetic customer experiences with agentic AI 

Organizations today are under constant pressure to do more with less—improving efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing experiences. Process intelligence is emerging as a game changer, revealing how work truly happens inside organizations and uncovering new opportunities for impact. 

In this episode of McKinsey Talks Operations, host Daphne Luchtenberg is joined by Mike Kaufmann, healthcare leader, board member, and former CEO of a Fortune 15 company, and Steven Eklund, McKinsey partner specializing in service operations. Together, they explore how process intelligence is transforming healthcare and service industries—illuminating inefficiencies, accelerating decision making, and driving measurable results. 

From diagnosing operational bottlenecks to enabling smarter automation, the discussion dives into how leaders can harness data-driven insights to redesign workflows, improve outcomes, and build more resilient organizations. 

Tune in to discover how process intelligence can help leaders see their operations in a whole new light—and take performance to the next level. 

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 

Organizations today are under constant pressure to do more with less&mdash;improving efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing experiences. Process intelligence is emerging as a game changer, revealing how work truly happens inside organizations and uncovering new opportunities for impact.&nbsp;
In this episode of McKinsey Talks Operations, host Daphne Luchtenberg is joined by Mike Kaufmann, healthcare leader, board member, and former CEO of a Fortune 15 company, and Steven Eklund, McKinsey partner specializing in service operations. Together, they explore how process intelligence is transforming healthcare and service industries&mdash;illuminating inefficiencies, accelerating decision making, and driving measurable results.&nbsp;
From diagnosing operational bottlenecks to enabling smarter automation, the discussion dives into how leaders can harness data-driven insights to redesign workflows, improve outcomes, and build more resilient organizations.&nbsp;
Tune in to discover how process intelligence can help leaders see their operations in a whole new light&mdash;and take performance to the next level.&nbsp;
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&rsquo;s Operations Practice, and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations/">www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations</a>&nbsp;

Unlocking hidden value with process intelligence in healthcare and beyond 

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-operations

Innovation has long been the engine of economic growth, but today&rsquo;s R&amp;D efforts are hitting roadblocks. Progress is becoming harder, more complex, and increasingly expensive, signaling a decline in R&amp;D productivity. So, how can leaders turn the tide and unlock the next wave of breakthroughs?&nbsp;
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&amp;D landscape.&nbsp;
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.&nbsp;
Tune in to discover how leaders can harness AI to reimagine R&amp;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 <a href="https://www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com">www.McKinseyTalksOperations.com</a> to explore events and insights from McKinsey&rsquo;s Operations Practice, and join the McKinsey Talks Operations community. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn at <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations/">www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-operations</a>

The race to rewire operations: How the story unfolded in 2025

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