What is the difference between the McKinsey nine-box matrix and the 9 box talent grid?

They are two different tools that share a shape. By McKinsey's own account, the GE-McKinsey nine-box framework was built in the early 1970s to help General Electric prioritise investment across more than 150 business units, rating each unit on industry attractiveness and competitive strength. It assessed businesses, not people. The 9 box talent grid borrowed the 3x3 layout and replaced the axes with employee performance and potential. Searches for the McKinsey 9 box talent matrix are almost always looking for the talent version, which is a later adaptation. Who made that adaptation, and when, is not well documented.