Hi!

In recent years, Artificial Intelligence has entered organisations in a pervasive way. Yet, according to the recent McKinsey article “Beyond the Hype: Unlocking Value from the AI Revolution”, there is a paradox that is hard to ignore: around 80% of companies use generative AI, but a similar percentage does not record significant impacts on final results.

Many organisations treat AI as a collection of isolated tools: chatbots, proof of concept initiatives, pilot projects disconnected from one another. In this approach, a fundamental question is missing: how does AI truly change work, decision-making, and value creation? The era of agentic AI instead requires a profound paradigm shift: a big rethink.

The real issue: from hype to systemic thinking

Agentic AI is not simply a more powerful technology. It is a factor that redesigns workflows, organisational roles, decision chains, and competitive advantages.

For this reason, McKinsey proposes a new agenda for CEOs: six strategic pillars to thrive in a context in which intelligent agents begin to operate, coordinate, and optimise complex processes.

The six pillars of the agenda

1. The new knowledge worker.
AI will recalibrate knowledge work in the same way robotics did for manufacturing — but much faster. The limiting factor will no longer be technology, but the human ability to supervise and manage agents. A shift is needed from role-based management to skills-based management.

2. Recalibrating competitive distinctiveness.
AI drastically lowers barriers to entry. New players can compete and scale faster than historical incumbents. The real competitive advantages will be: data, technology, culture, and enterprise-level capabilities. The strategic question therefore becomes inevitable: what happens when even your customers will have AI agents optimising on their behalf?

3. Reimagining value.
This is not just about short-term efficiency, but about rethinking how value is created — innovation, customer experience, employee engagement. Those who use AI only to optimise existing processes risk missing the most significant benefits of the next decade.

4. Rewiring workflows — from horizontal to vertical.
Real impact comes from thinking “AI inside”: embedding AI in a few high-value domains and rewiring end-to-end workflows, rather than distributing chatbots indiscriminately.

5. The agentic organisation.
Structures will need to become flatter, leaner, faster, and more fluid — oriented towards outcomes rather than functions. Small cross-functional squads that blend product vision and delivery, with shared ownership and real-time experimentation.

6. Continuous learning capability.
In a world where the marginal cost of knowledge is close to zero, success will depend on the speed of learning and adaptation. A “test-learn-adapt” culture is needed, supported by flexible technological infrastructures (e.g. AI mesh architectures).

AI is not a delegable project.

CEOs and leaders must develop personal AI fluency, experiment first-hand, and lead at least one truly courageous end-to-end transformation. With a clear ethical compass.