The global supply chain has become more of a focus for executives as issues persist throughout the pandemic, McKinsey and Co. operation partners Knut Alicke and Dan Swan said on the Dec. 14 episode of "The McKinsey Podcast."
Prior to COVID-19, Mr. Alicke said managing the supply chain was seen as necessary but wasn't on CEOs' agendas. Both Mr. Alicke and Mr. Swan said they've noticed a shift in the mindset of CEOs surrounding supply chain resiliency, noting it is seen more as a "real differentiator" for companies.
"They need to think end to end; they need to pay attention to supply chain," Mr. Alicke said. "For all the issues we saw and for the issues going forward, they need to make sure that they invest in resilience to make sure that the supply chain can deliver as it’s meant to do."
Mr. Swan added that whole organizational efforts are needed to get to the end-to-end supply chain.
"When you have that mindset that it’s a potential strategic differentiator, the role of the CEO and helping the entire organization and the entire leadership team to mobilize around that is quite different," he said.