The chief investment officer of a big fund of funds explains why top-quartile performance is no longer enough. Source: McKinsey Erik Hirsch on private equity

A new McKinsey Global Institute report finds that $12 trillion could be added to global GDP by 2025 by advancing women’s equality. The public, private, and social sectors will need to act to close gender gaps in work and society. Source: McKinsey How advancing women’s equality can add trillion to global growth

Why are women still underrepresented at every level of today’s corporations? Source: McKinsey Gender equality: Taking stock of where we are

The vast majority of the region’s transactions are in cash, and few people have bank accounts. That presents an opportunity, says Matthew Driver, MasterCard’s group executive, global products and solutions, Asia–Pacific. Source: McKinsey Capturing Southeast Asia’s financial-system opportunity

Not by sticking a toe in the water. Get your management team aligned and then commit. Source: McKinsey How should you tap into Silicon Valley?

Here’s a double-tasting of this split-batch lemon Berliner weisse. I added strips of fresh lemon zest to the batch shortly before bottling. I racked the entire batch to the bottling bucket, primed, and bottled half. I then pulled a sample and dosed with True Lemon to boost the citrus flavor. Once I determined the ideal Read more about Double Lemon Berliner Weisse Tasting[…]

Tiffany Shlain, filmmaker, on why we need more time to develop our inner selves. Source: Ideacast 486: Build Your Character (at Least for a Day)

The integration of software development with IT operations can rev up companies’ delivery of new applications. But this approach may not be right for every part of the IT portfolio. Source: McKinsey Beyond agile: Reorganizing IT for faster software delivery

China’s midsized cities are the biggest growth story in Asian banking. Rural areas in other emerging Asian markets and top-tier cities in developed ones also should grow smartly. Source: McKinsey A tale of three Asias

Our survey of local and multinational packaged-goods companies yields useful lessons on what it takes to succeed. Source: McKinsey Understanding Indonesia’s consumer-goods market