Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Competitive advantage is becoming much more fluid as market positions shift faster across industries, with advantages eroding and differentiation narrowing.
Despite this increased volatility, companies often fail to actively monitor shifts in their competitive edge. Join Matt Banholzer and Laura LaBerge on _Inside the Strategy Room_ as they discuss their latest research on the erosion of competitive advantage and share what companies can do to maximize their edge over peers as AI accelerates change.
*Chapters*
00:00 – Why competitive advantage matters now
04:58 – How to identify your competitive advantage
10:08 – Seven sources of competitive advantage
14:24 – How competitive advantage differs by industry
18:20 – How markets and regions change your advantage
21:08 – Three characteristics of competitive advantage
25:49 – Turning competitive advantage into action
30:46 – Why competitive advantage is eroding
35:24 – How AI is changing competitive advantage
37:40 – Spotting disruption and new growth opportunities
42:12 – How to track and strengthen your advantage
45:17 – Five questions leaders should ask
*Find us on:*
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-corporate-finance
X: https://x.com/McKStrategy
Listen to previous episodes of _Inside the Strategy Room:_
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/314-how-to-maximize-competitive-advantage/id1422814215?i=1000779186822
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/4TcFfiQ0e6OYuc5kRDLxqj
Explore transcripts from previous episodes: mck.co/3SqhkOp
Subscribe to our channel: mck.co/YouTube
Subscribe to our newsletters: mck.co/Subscribe
Competitive advantage is becoming much more fluid as market positions shift faster across industries, with advantages eroding and differentiation narrowing.
Despite this increased volatility, companies often fail to actively monitor shifts in their competitive edge. Join Matt Banholzer and Laura LaBerge on _Inside the Strategy Room_ as they discuss their latest research on the erosion of competitive advantage and share what companies can do to maximize their edge over peers as AI accelerates change.
*Chapters*
00:00 – Why competitive advantage matters now
04:58 – How to identify your competitive advantage
10:08 – Seven sources of competitive advantage
14:24 – How competitive advantage differs by industry
18:20 – How markets and regions change your advantage
21:08 – Three characteristics of competitive advantage
25:49 – Turning competitive advantage into action
30:46 – Why competitive advantage is eroding
35:24 – How AI is changing competitive advantage
37:40 – Spotting disruption and new growth opportunities
42:12 – How to track and strengthen your advantage
45:17 – Five questions leaders should ask
*Find us on:*
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-corporate-finance
X: https://x.com/McKStrategy
Listen to previous episodes of _Inside the Strategy Room:_
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/314-how-to-maximize-competitive-advantage/id1422814215?i=1000779186822
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/4TcFfiQ0e6OYuc5kRDLxqj
Explore transcripts from previous episodes: mck.co/3SqhkOp
Subscribe to our channel: mck.co/YouTube
Subscribe to our newsletters: mck.co/Subscribe
