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1. Culture for a digital age
Risk aversion, weak customer focus, and siloed mind-sets have long
bedeviled organizations. In a digital world, solving these cultural
problems is no longer optional.
by Julie Goran, Laura LaBerge, and Ramesh Srinivasan
Shortcomings in organizational culture areoneofthemainbarriersto
companysuccessinthedigitalage.ThatisacentralfindingfromMcKinsey’s
recentsurveyofglobalexecutives(Exhibit1),whichhighlightedthreedigital-
culturedeficiencies:functionalanddepartmentalsilos,afearoftakingrisks,
anddifficultyformingandactingonasingleviewofthecustomer.
Eachobstacleisalong-standingdifficultythathasbecomemorecostlyin
thedigitalage.Whenriskaversionholdssway,underinvestmentinstrategic
opportunitiesandsluggishresponsestoquick-changingcustomerneeds
andmarketdynamicscanbetheresult.1 Whenaunifiedunderstandingof
customersislacking,companiesstruggletomobilizeemployeesaround
integratedtouchpoints,journeys,andconsistentexperiences,whileoften
failingtodiscernwheretobestplacetheirbetsasdigitalbroadenscustomer
choiceandtheactionscompaniescantakeinresponse.Andwhensilos
characterizetheorganization,responsestorapidlyevolvingcustomerneeds
areoftentoonarrow,withkeysignalsmissedoractedupontooslowly,simply
becausetheywereseenbythewrongpartofthecompany.
Canfixestoculturebemadedirectly?Ordoesculturalchangeemergeasa
matterofcourseasexecutivesworktoupdatestrategyorimproveprocesses?2
1
See Tim Koller, Dan Lovallo, and Zane Williams, “Overcoming a bias against risk,” August 2012, McKinsey.com.
2
Jay W. Lorsch and Emily McTague argue for culture emerging indirectly in “Culture is not the culprit,” Harvard
Business Review, April 2016, Volume 94, Number 4, pp. 96–105, hbr.org.
July 2017

2. 2
Inourexperience,executiveswhowaitfororganizationalculturestochange
organicallywillmovetooslowlyasdigitalpenetrationgrows,blursthe
boundariesbetweensectors(see“Competinginaworldofsectorswithout
borders,”onMcKinsey.com),andboostscompetitiveintensity.Ourresearch,
whichshowsthatculturalobstaclescorrelateclearlywithnegativeeconomic
performance(Exhibit2),supportsthisview.Sodotheexperiencesofleading
playerssuchasBBVA,GE,andNordstrom,whichhaveshownwhatitlooks
likewhencompaniessupporttheirdigitalstrategiesandinvestmentswith
deliberateeffortstomaketheirculturesmoreresponsivetocustomers,more
willingtotakerisks,andbetterconnectedacrossfunctions.
Executivesmustbeproactiveinshapingandmeasuringculture,approaching
itwiththesamerigoranddisciplinewithwhichtheytackleoperational
transformations.Thisincludeschangingstructuralandtacticalelements
inanorganizationthatruncountertotheculturechangetheyaretryingto
achieve.Thecriticalculturalinterventionpointsidentifiedbyrespondents
Exhibit 1
Culture is the most significant self-reported barrier to
digital effectiveness.
QWeb 2017
Culture in digital age
Exhibit 1 of 2
Which are the most significant challenges to meeting digital priorities?
% of respondents
Source: 2016 McKinsey Digital survey of 2,135 respondents
Cultural and
behavioral challenges
Lack of understanding
of digital trends
Lack of IT infrastructure
Organizational
structure not aligned
Lack of dedicated funding
Lack of internal alignment
(digital vs traditional business)
Business process too rigid
Lack of data
Lack of senior support
Lack of talent for digital
33
25
24
22
21
21
19
16
13
13
Cultural barrier Other barriers

3. 3
toour2016digitalsurvey—riskaversion,customerfocus,andsilos—are
avaluableroadmapforleadersseekingtopersevereinreshapingtheir
organization’sculture.Theremainderofthisarticlediscusseseachofthese
challengesinturn,spellingoutafocusedsetofreinforcingpracticestojump-
startchange.
CALCULATED RISKS
Toooften,managementwriterstalkaboutriskinbroad-brushterms,
suggestingthatifexecutivessimplyencourageexperimentationanddon’t
punishfailure,everythingwilltakecareofitself.Butriskandfailure
profoundlychallengeusashumanbeings.AsEdCatmullofPixarsaidina
2016McKinseyQuarterlyinterview,“Oneofthethingsaboutfailureisthat
it’sasymmetricalwithrespecttotime.Whenyoulookbackandseefailure,
yousay,‘ItmademewhatIam!’Butlookingforward,youthink,‘Idon’tknow
whatisgoingtohappenandIdon’twanttofail.’Thedifficultyisthatwhen
you’rerunninganexperiment,it’sforwardlooking.Wehavetotryextrahard
tomakeitsafetofail.”3
ThebalancingactCatmulldescribedappliestocompanies,perhapseven
morethantoindividuals.Capitalmarketshavetypicallybeenaverseto
investmentsthatarehardtounderstand,thatunderperform,orthattake
Exhibit 2
Cultural obstacles correlate clearly with negative
economic performance.
Negative correlation with economic performance
(correlation coefficient)
Strong Moderate
Source: 2016 McKinsey Digital survey of 2,135 respondents
Aversion to risk
Siloed mind-sets and
behavior
Nondigital culture overall
−0.36
−0.44
−0.47
QWeb 2017
Culture in digital age
Exhibit 2 of 2
0–0.4–0.8 –0.2 –0.1–0.6–0.9 –0.7 –0.3–0.5–1.0
3
See “Staying one step ahead at Pixar: An interview with Ed Catmull,” McKinsey Quarterly, March 2016,
McKinsey.com.

4. 4
alongtimetoreachfruition.Andthedigitalerahascomplicatedmatters:
Ontheonehand,willingnesstoexperiment,adapt,andtoinvestinnew,
potentiallyriskyareashasbecomecriticallyimportant.Ontheother,
takingriskshasbecomemorefrighteningbecausetransparencyisgreater,
competitiveadvantageislessdurable,andthecostoffailureishigh,giventhe
prevalenceofwinner-take-alldynamics.4
Leadershopingtostriketherightbalancehavetwocriticalprioritiesthatare
mutuallyreinforcingatatimewhenfast-followerstrategieshavebecomeless
safe.Oneistoembedamind-setofrisktakingandinnovationthroughall
ranksoftheenterprise.Thesecondisforexecutivesthemselvestoactboldly
oncetheyhavedecidedonaspecificdigitalplay—whichmaywellrequire
changingmind-setsaboutrisk,andinspiringkeyexecutivesandboardsto
thinkmorelikeventurecapitalists.
An appetite for risk
Buildingaculturewherepeoplefeelcomfortabletryingthingsthatmight
failstartswithseniorleaders’attitudesandrolemodeling.Theymust
breakthestatusquoofhierarchicaldecisionmaking,overcomeafocuson
optimizingratherthaninnovating,andcelebratelearningfromfailure.It
helpsconsiderablywhenexecutivesmakeitclearthroughactionsthatthey
trustthefrontlinestomakemeaningfuldecisions.INGandseveralother
companieshavetackledthisimperativehead-on,providingagilecoaches
tohelpmanagementlearnhowtogetoutofthewayaftersettingoverall
directionforobjectives,budgets,andtiming.5
However,delegatingauthorityonlyworksiftheemployeeshavetheskills,
mind-sets,andinformationaccesstomakegoodonit.Outsidehiresfrom
start-upsorestablisheddigitalnativescanhelpinjectdisruptivethinking
thatisasourceofinnovativeenergyandempowerment.Starbucks,for
example,haslaunchedadigital-venturesteam,hiringvicepresidentsfrom
Google,Microsoft,andRazorfishtohelpdriveoutsidethinking.
Alsoempoweringforfrontlineworkers(andriskdampeningfor
organizations)isinformationitself.Forexample,equippingcall-center
employeeswithreal-timeanalysisonaccountprofiles,ordataonusage
andprofitability,helpsthemtakesmall-scalerisksastheymodifyoffers
andadjusttargetinginrealtime.Intheretailandhospitalityindustries,
4
See Jacques Bughin, Laura LaBerge, and Anette Mellbye, “The case for digital reinvention,” McKinsey Quarterly,
February 2017, McKinsey.com.
5
See “ING’s agile transformation,” McKinsey Quarterly, January 2017, McKinsey.com.

5. 5
companiesaregivingfrontlineemployeesboththeinformation(such
assegmentandpurchasehistory)andthedecisionauthoritytheyneed
toresolvecustomerissuesonthespot,withouthavingtoescalateto
management.Suchinformationhelpsconnectthefrontlinetothecompany’s
strategicvision,whichprovidesacompassfordecisionmakingonthings
suchaswhatsortofdiscountorincentivetoofferinresolvingaconflictor
what“nextproducttobuy”toteeup.Benefitsincludeimprovementsinthe
customerexperiences(duetofasterresolution)andgreaterconsistency
acrossthebusinessinspottingandresolvingproblems.Thislowerscostat
thesametimeitimprovescustomersatisfaction.Inaddition,frontlinerisk
takingenablesmorerapidinnovationbyspeedingupiterationsanddecision
makingtosupportnimbler,test-and-learnapproaches.Thesesame
dynamicsprevailinmanufacturing,withnewalgorithmsenablingpredictive
maintenancethatnolongerrequiressign-offfromhigher-levelmanagers.
Regardlessofindustry,thecriticalquestionforexecutivesconcerned
withtheirorganization’sriskappetiteiswhethertheyaretrustingtheir
employees,atalllevels,tomakebigenoughbetswithoutsubjectingthem
toredtape.ManyCFOshavedecidedtoshiftallbutthelargestinvestment
decisionsintothebusinessunitstospeeduptheprocess.TheCFOatone
global500consumer-goodscompanynowsignsoffonlyonexpenditures
above$250,000.Untilrecently,anyspenddecisionover$1,000requiredthe
CFO’sapproval.
Making bold bets
Atthesametimetheyarelettinggoofsomedecisions,seniorleadersalso
areresponsiblefordrivingbold,decisiveactionsthatenablethebusinessto
pivotrapidly,sometimesatverylargescale.Suchmovesrequirerisktaking,
includingaggressivegoalsettingandnimbleresourcereallocation.
A culture of digital aspirations. Goalsshouldreflectthepaceofdisruption
inacompany’sindustry.TheNewYorkTimessettheaspirationtodouble
itsdigitalrevenueswithinfiveyears,enabledinpartbythelaunchofT
BrandStudioasanewbusinessmodel.InthefaceofAmazon,Nordstrom
committedmorethan$1.4billionintechnologycapitalinvestments
toenablerichcross-channelexperiences.TheIrishbankAIBdecided
customersshouldbeabletoopenanaccountinundertenminutes(90percent
fasterthanthenormprevailingatthetime).AIBinvestedtoachievethisgoal
andsawa25percentliftinaccountsopened,alongwitha20percentdropin
costs.Inmanyindustriesfacingdigitaldisruption,thisisthepaceandscaleat
whichexecutivesneedtobewillingtoplay.

6. 6
Embracing resource reallocation. Nimbleresourcereallocationistypically
neededtobackupsuchgoals.Inmanyincumbents,though,MAand
capital-expendituredecisionsaretooslow,withtoomanyroadblocksin
theway.Theyneedtoberetooledtotakeonmoreofaventure-capitalist
approachtorapidsizing,testing,investing,anddisinvesting.Thetopteams
atalargeglobalfinancial-servicesplayerandanIT-servicescompanyhave
beenreevaluatingalloftheirbusinesseswithafive-toten-yeartimehorizon,
determiningwhichonestheywillneedtoexit,wheretheyneedtoinvest,
andwheretheycanstaythecourse.Suchmovestaxtheriskcapacityof
executives;butwhenthemovesaremade,theyalsoshakethingsupandmove
theneedleonacompany’sriskculture.
Thefinancialmarketsaredouble-edgedswordswhenitcomestobold
moves.Whiletheyremainpreoccupiedwithshort-termearnings,theyare
alsocognizantofcautionarytalessuchasBlockbuster’s2010bankruptcy,
justthreeyearsafterthelaunchofNetflix’sstreaming-videobusiness.
CompanieslikeGEhavenonethelessplungedaheadwithlong-term,digitally
orientedstrategies.Inaggressivelysheddingsomeofitstraditionalbusiness
units,investingsignificantlytobuildoutitsPredixplatform,andlaunching
GEDigital,itsfirstnewbusinessunitin75years,withmorethan$1billion
investedin2016,GE’stopteamhasembraceddisciplinedrisktakingwhile
buildingforthefuture.
CUSTOMERS, CUSTOMERS, CUSTOMERS
Althoughcompanieshavelongdeclaredtheirintentiontogetcloseto
theircustomers,thedigitalageisforcingthemtoactuallydoit,aswellas
providingthemwithbettermeanstodoso.Accustomedtobest-in-classuser
experiencesbothon-andoff-linewithcompaniessuchasAmazonandApple,
customersincreasinglyexpectcompaniestorespondswiftlytoinquiries,to
customizeproductsandservicesseamlessly,andtoprovideeasyaccessto
theinformationcustomersneed,whentheyneedit.
Acustomer-centricorganizationalculture,inotherwords,ismorethan
merelyagoodthing—it’sbecomingamatterofsurvival.Thegoodnewsisthat
gettingclosertoyourcustomerscanhelpreducetheriskofexperimentation
(ascustomershelpcocreateproductsthroughopeninnovation)andsupport
fast-pacedchange.Ratherthanhavingtoguesswhat’sworkinginagiven
productorservicebeforelaunchingit—andthenwaitingtoseeifyourguess
isrightafterthelaunchtakesplace—companiescannowmakeadjustments
nearlyreal-timebydevelopingproductandservicefeatureswithdirect
inputfromendusers.ThisisalreadytakingplaceinproductsfromLegos

7. 7
toaircraftengines.Theprocessnotonlyhelpsderiskproductdevelopment,
ittightenstherelationshipbetweencompaniesandtheircustomers,often
providingvaluableproprietarydataandinsightsabouthowcustomersthink
aboutandusetheproductsorservicesbeingcreated.
Data and tools
Underlyingthenewcustomer-centricityarediversetoolsanddata.
Connectingtherightdatatotherightdecisionscanhelpbuildacommon
understandingofcustomerneedsintoanorganizationalculture,fostering
avirtuouscyclethatreinforcescustomer-centricity.Amazon’sabilityto
usecustomers’previouspurchasestoofferthemadditionalitemsinwhich
theymightbeinterestedisasignificantelementinitssuccess.Thevirtuous
circlethey’vecreatedincludescustomerreviews(toreassureandreinforce
othershoppers),alongwiththealgorithmsthatshare“whatcustomerswho
lookedatthisitemalsobought.”Ofcourse,Amazonhasalsoinvestedheavily
inautomatedwarehousesandasophisticateddistributionmodel.Buteven
thoseweretiedtothecustomerdesiretoreceivemerchandisefaster.
A unifying force
Atitsbest,customer-centricityextendsfarbeyondmarketingandproduct
designtobecomeaunifyingculturalelementthatdrivesallcoredecisions
acrossallareasofthebusiness.Thatincludesoperations,whereinmany
organizationsit’softenthefurthestfromview,andstrategy,whichmust
beregularlyrefreshedifitistoserveasareliableguideintoday’srapidly
changingenvironment.Customer-centricculturesanticipateemerging
patternsinthebehaviorofcustomersandtailorrelevantinteractionswith
thembydynamicallyintegratingstructureddata,suchasdemographics
andpurchasehistory,withunstructureddata,suchassocialmediaand
voiceanalytics.
TheinsurancecompanyProgressiveillustratestheunifyingroleplayed
bystrongcustomerfocus.Progressive’sabilitytopersuadecustomers
toinstallthecompany’sSnapshotdevicetomonitordrivingbehavior
isrevolutionizingtheinsurancespace,andnotjustasamarketingtool.
Snapshothelpsattractthegooddriverswhoarethemostprofitable
customers,sincethoseindividualsaretheonesmostlikelytobeattracted
bytheofferofbetterdiscountsbasedondrivingbehavior.Italsogivesthe
company’sunderwritersactualdatainplaceofmodelsandguesswork.This
newtechnologyisonethatProgressivecanmonetizeintoabusinessunitto
serveotherinsurersaswell.

8. 8
BUSTING SILOS
Someobserversmightconsiderorganizationalsilos—sonamedfor
parallelpartsoftheorgchartthatdon’tintersect—astructuralissue
ratherthanaculturalone.Butsilosaremorethanjustlinesandboxes.The
narrow,parochialmentalityofworkerswhohesitatetoshareinformation
orcollaborateacrossfunctionsanddepartmentscanbecorrosiveto
organizationalculture.
Silosareaperennialproblemthathavebecomemorecostlybecause,in
thewordsofCognizantCEOFranciscoD’Souza,“theinterdisciplinary
requirementofdigitalcontinuestogrow.Thepossibilitiescreatedby
combiningdatascience,design,andhumanscienceunderscorethe
importancebothofworkingcross-functionallyandofdrivingcustomer-
centricityintotheeverydayoperationsofthebusiness.Manyorganizations
haveyettounlockthatpotential.”6 Theexecutiveswesurveyedappearedto
agree,rankingsiloedthinkingandbehaviornumberoneamongobstaclesto
ahealthydigitalculture.
Howcanyoutellifyourownorganizationistoosiloed?Discussions
withCEOswhohaveledold-linecompaniesthroughsuccessfuldigital
transformationsindicatetwoprimarysymptoms:inadequateinformation,
andinsufficientaccountabilityorcoordinationonenterprise-wideinitiatives.
Getting informed
Digitalinformationbreakdownsechothefamiliarstoryoftheblindmenand
theelephant.Whenemployeeslackinsightintothebroadercontextinwhich
abusinesscompetes,theyarelesslikelytorecognizethethreatofdisruption
ordigitalopportunitywhentheyseeitandtoknowwhentherestofthe
organizationshouldbealerted.Theycanonlyinterpretwhattheyencounter
throughthelensoftheirownnarrowareaofendeavor.
Thecorollarytothisisthateverypartoftheorganizationreachesdifferent
conclusionsabouttheirdigitalpriorities,basedonincompleteorsimply
differentinformation.Thiscontributestobreaksinstrategicandoperating
consistencythatconsumersarefasttospot.Thereisn’ttheluxuryoftime
intoday’sdigitalworldforeachdivisiontodiscoverthesameinsight;a
digitalattackerormoreagileincumbentislikelytoswoopinbeforethe
siloedorganizationevenknowsitshouldbemountingaresponse.Sothe
firstimperativeforcompanieslookingtobreakoutofasiloedmentalityis
6
Francisco D’Souza in discussion with the authors, July 2016.

9. 9
toinspirewithinemployeesacommonsenseoftheoveralldirectionand
purposeofthecompany.Dataandthoughtfulmanagementrotationoften
playarole.
Data-driven transparency. Datacanhelpsolvetheblind-men-and-the-
elephantproblem.Asocial-servicescompany,forinstance,createda
customer-engagementgrouptobetterunderstandhowcustomersinteract
withthecompany’sproductsandbrandsacrosssilos—andwherecustomers
wererunningintodifficulty.Amongotherthings,thisrequiredclose
examinationofhowthecompanycollected,analyzed,anddistributeddata
acrosssilos.Theteamdiscovered,forexample,thatsomecustomerswere
cancellingtheirmembershipsbecauseofthedelugeofmarketingoutreaches
theywerereceivingfromthecompany.Toaddressthis,theteamcombined
customerdatabasesandpropensitymodelsacrosssilostocreatevisibility
andcentralizedaccessrightswithregardtowhocouldreachouttomembers
andwhen.Amongotherachievements,thisteam:
•createdsegment-specifictrainingsthatofferedanintegratedviewofeach
segment’ssuiteofneedsandofferingsthatwouldmeetthem
•drewoninformationfromdifferentpartsoftheorganizationtogivea
moredevelopedpictureonengagement,retention,andthetotalnumberof
touchesassociatedwithvarioussegmentsandcustomers
•showedtheneteffectoftheentireorganization’sactivitiesthroughthe
customer’seyes
•embeddedthisinformationintokeyprocessestoensureinformationwas
accessibleinacross-disciplinaryway—breakingsiloedviewpointsand
narrowunderstandingsoftheoverallbusinessmodel
Management rotation. Anotherwaytoachievebetteralignmentonthe
company’sdirectionistorotateexecutivesbetweensiloedfunctionsand
businessunits.AttheluxuryretailerNordstrom,forexample,twokey
executivesexchangedrolesin2014:ErikNordstrom,formerlypresidentof
thecompany’sbrick-and-mortarstores,becamepresidentofNordstrom
Direct,thecompany’sonlinestore,whileJamieNordstrom,formerly
presidentofNordstromDirect,becamepresidentofthebrick-and-mortar
stores.Thistypeofrotationcanbedoneatdifferentlevelsinanorganization
andhelpscreateamoreconsistentunderstandingbetweendifferent
businessunitsregardingthecompany’saspirationsandcapabilities,aswell
ashelpingcreateinformalnetworksasemployeesbuildrelationshipsin
differentdepartments.

10. 10
Instilling accountability
Theseconddistinctivesymptomofasiloedcultureisthetendencyfor
employeestobelieveagivenproblemorissueissomeoneelse’sresponsibility,
nottheirown.Companiescancounterthisbyinstitutionalizingmechanisms
tohelpsupportcross-functionalcollaborationthroughflexiblydeployed
teams.ThatwasthecaseatING,which,becauseitidentifiesmoreasa
technologycompanythanafinancial-servicescompany,hasturnedto
techfirmsforinspiration,notbanks.Spotify,inparticular,hasprovided
amuch-talked-aboutmodelofmultidisciplinaryteams,orsquads,made
upofamixofemployeesfromdiversefunctions,includingmarketers,
engineers,productdevelopers,andcommercialspecialists.Allareunited
byasharedviewofthecustomerandacommondefinitionofsuccess.These
squadsrollupintobiggergroupscalledtribes,whichfocusonend-to-end
businessoutcomes,forcingabroaderpictureonallteammembers.Theteam
membersarealsoheldmutuallyaccountablefortheoutcome,eliminating
the“notmyjob”mind-setthatsomanyotherorganizationsfindthemselves
trappedin.WhilethismodelworksbestinITfunctions,itisslowlymaking
itswayintootherareasofthebusiness.Keyelementsofthemodel(suchas
end-to-endoutcomeownership)arealsobeingmappedintomoretraditional
teamstotrytobringatleastpiecesofthismind-setintomoretraditional
companies.
Startbyfindingmechanisms,whetherdigital,structural,orprocess,that
helpbuildasharedunderstandingofbusinessprioritiesandwhythey
matter.Changehappensfastandfromunpredictableplaces,andthemore
contextyougiveyouremployees,thebettertheywillbeabletomakethe
rightdecisionswhenitdoes.Toachievethis,organizationsmustremovethe
barriersthatkeeppeoplefromcollaborating,andbuildnewmechanisms
forcuttingthrough(oreliminatingaltogether)theredtapeandbureaucracy
thatmanyincumbentshavebuiltupovertime.
Culturalchangeswithincorporateinstitutionswillalwaysbeslower
andmorecomplexthanthetechnologicalchangesthatnecessitatethem.
Thatmakesitevenmorecriticalforexecutivestotakeaproactivestance
onculture.Leaderswon’tachievethespeedandagilitytheyneedunless
theybuildorganizationalculturesthatperformwellacrossfunctionsand
businessunits,embracerisk,andfocusobsessivelyoncustomers.
Copyright © 2017 McKinsey Company. All rights reserved.
Julie Goran is a partner in McKinsey’s New York office, where Ramesh Srinivasan is a
senior partner; Laura LaBerge is a senior practice manager of Digital McKinsey and is based
in the Stamford office.
The authors wish to thank Jacques Bughin, Prashant Gandhi, and Tiffany Vogel for their
contributions to this article.