Page 158 · Module 06, Build Your Team · this screen continues that page
All 108 frameworksMcKinsey 7S Framework
You've made a strategic shift new direction, new structure, new hires but results aren't
The prompt
Copy & paste readyLabelsReplace theseSwap the role below
Pro tip, from the book
The most common 7S misalignment is between Strategy and Shared Values. Leadership changes direction but the culture hasn't moved and culture always wins. If your strategy requires behaviours that your current culture punishes or ignores, fix the culture alignment before investing more in the strategy.
Who should run this prompt
Module role profileWho should advise on people and leadership decisions? Leadership decisions are the highest-leverage decisions in any organisation — and the hardest to get right because the stakes are human. The roles on this page bring the perspectives of people who have seen hundreds of teams succeed and fail. Use them before hiring, before giving difficult feedback, before restructuring, and before having the conversations you have been avoiding.
Choose any role to drop it into the prompt above. Only the highlighted opening clause changes — the rest of the prompt stays exactly as printed.
◆◆◆◆◆ → ◆ seniority, board level down to specialist◈ outside the organisation
How to make any role sharper
- Add years of experience: "...with 15 years in enterprise SaaS" produces different depth than just the title.
- Add what they care most about: "You care most about [X]" shapes every word of the output.
- Add their communication style: "Be direct. Flag risks first. No jargon." changes the tone entirely.
Use this when
The problem it solvesfollowing. Something is misaligned but you can't identify what. The strategy is clear but the execution keeps resisting it.
How the framework works
From the printed pageDeveloped by McKinsey consultants Tom Peters and Robert Waterman in 1980, the 7S Framework maps seven interdependent elements of an organisation that must all be aligned for strategy to work. The Hard Ss - Strategy (plan), Structure (org chart), Systems (processes and IT) are the visible elements. The Soft Ss - Shared Values (culture and beliefs), Skills (capabilities), Style (leadership approach), Staff (people) - are invisible but often more powerful. When any element is misaligned with the others, change stalls. AI can run a 7S diagnostic on your business and identify where the friction lives.
The method, in four moves
Do these in orderRun a 7S audit whenever a strategy, restructure, or major change is not producing expected results.
Shared Values sits at the centre of the model, it is the element that all others must align to.
Changing one S always affects others, map the cascade before acting.
Use the output to prioritise: fix the most misaligned S before addressing the others. Diagnose why change isn't sticking and what to fix first Fixing Structure or Systems can happen in a quarter. Shifting Shared Values or Style takes years, not months. If your 7S audit says culture is the misalignment, don't expect the same timeline you'd use for an org chart change. The Soft Ss Take Longer
Where the framework comes from
Tom Peters & Robert Waterman, McKinsey & Company — 7S Framework, 1980
Pairs well with
As printed with this frameworkModule 06 — Build Your Team
Build people who build the company leadership is the product.
12 frameworks, printed on pages 135–158.
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