The value of AI lies in the operating model, according to McKinsey

By McKinsey & Company · September 11, 2026.

This McKinsey Quarterly mailing, signed by Alexis Krivkovich and Ulf Schrader, global leaders of the firm's People & Organization practice, features the article "The key to AI value is hiding in plain sight: Your operating model". According to the email, new McKinsey research shows that organizations getting results from their AI transformation don't do it by adopting a single "optimal" operating model. Instead, they make deliberate design choices and carry them out with discipline. The article comes with the subtitle "5 lessons from reinventors", meaning five lessons drawn from companies that are reinventing how they operate around AI, though the body of the email does not say what those five lessons are.

In the "Also Consider" section, McKinsey links to two more related pieces: "From adoption to impact: Three horizons of AI transformation" and "A new operating model for a new world". Neither comes with any further description in the body of the message, so their content cannot be summarized without speculating.

The email also promotes a live event, "McKinsey Live", titled "Improving the economics of agentic AI: A guide for business leaders" and scheduled for September 22. According to the text, only 6% of companies see significant EBIT impact from AI, and closing the gap between spending and value generated has become a critical governance challenge. The session will be hosted by Senior Partners Tanguy Catlin and Lari Hämäläinen, who will explain how to weigh the use of agentic AI against the real cost of the work it replaces, and how to decide where to scale it up and where to pull it back.

In general, McKinsey Quarterly mailings like this one act as a summary or teaser for the full content on its website. As a result, the body of the email does not include the full analysis or the five lessons mentioned, only the general premise and links to the content.