What the research presents
McKinsey Global Institute analyzed micro, small, and medium-sized business productivity in 16 countries, including Brazil and the United States. The report identifies differences across sectors and opportunities involving skills, technology, and business connections. Its findings are not one universal recipe for small firms.
Original reading: A microscope on small businesses: Spotting opportunities to boost productivity →McKinsey Global Institute · 2024My perspective
In a small business, activity can look like progress. Calendars are full and messages keep coming, yet tasks remain unfinished. I would investigate that feeling before asking people to work even harder.
Follow one real request. How often is the same information requested? Where does work wait for approval? Does the person handling delivery receive a complete brief? Small interruptions add up across customers.
Start with a short service guide, a required-information checklist, or a clearly assigned responsibility. The choice should match the observed problem. Then check whether waiting, confusion, and corrections decrease without reducing quality.
Is your team busy delivering or busy repairing the process?
Bring it to your business
- Track one request and record waiting and repetition.
- Standardize one handover that currently depends on memory.
- Compare delivery time and quality before and after the change.
Independent summary and analysis by Isadora Raymond. The original source and practical commentary are identified separately.