McKinsey 7S
Seven interconnected Ss — none can be changed alone.
McKinsey's diagnostic model of an organisation made of 7 interdependent elements. Three 'hard' Ss: Strategy (where we're going and how we win), Structure (who reports to whom), Systems (processes and IT). Four 'soft' Ss: Style (leadership and decision-making culture), Staff (people and development), Skills (key capabilities). At the centre Shared Values — beliefs that hold the other six together. Changing one S without the others fails.
Organisational change, M&A integration, post-rebrand alignment, growth pains, diagnosing 'why strategy doesn't execute', or transitioning between stages (start-up → scale-up).
Diagnose all 7 Ss separately (one sentence each). Then draw an S × S matrix and flag misalignments. Misalignment isn't a problem to remove — it's a lever. When changing strategy, walk through every other S and name what must change in each for the new strategy to hold.
Related frameworks
Agencies execute. Consultants advise. And then everyone wonders why the two never add up.
Clues does both. We look for the clues that point to the right path, and then we walk it with you all the way. Because strategy without execution is just a well-paid hypothesis.
We put this library together because we see structured thinking as the foundation of success. Whether you're working on your next campaign or building a brand-new brand.
Share it, use it, build on it. The Clues team.