The McKinsey 7S Framework was named after a consulting company, McKinsey and Company, which has conducted applied research in business and industry (Pascale & Athos, 1981; Peters & Waterman, 1982). The authors all worked as consultants at McKinsey and Company; in the 1980’s, they used the model in over seventy large organizations. The McKinsey 7S…
Author: Titus Ng
Researcher, Lecturer, Leadership Consultant and Coach
Cautious Growth for Most Companies
Executives surveyed by McKinsey in late July expect their companies to remain financially cautious over the next 12 months, yet they also indicated they are actively seeking growth — and doing so in more ways than they were just six months earlier. Among specific actions companies might take in response to the crisis but haven’t…
Changing Nature of Consumer Decisions
Consumer-driven marketing is increasingly important as customers seize control of the process and actively “pull” information helpful to them. McKinsey research found that during the phase when consumers are considering a purchase, 2/3 of the touch points (that is, moments when customers learned more about a product) were actually driven by the consumer rather than…
Overcoming Fear as a Leader
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born into wealth and prestige, and as a young Harvard graduate, he seemed destined for success. By the age of 30 he was elected as a state senator, and a few years later he was appointed as Assistant Secretary of the Navy.However, shortly before Roosevelt turned 40, tragedy struck when he…
America’s Most Prestigious Jobs
Firefighters hold the most prestigious job in America, according to a Harris Poll survey of 1,010 U.S. adults. 62% say firefighters have “very great prestige,” with scientists (57%) and doctors (56%) following closely behind. The least prestigious? Real estate agents (5%), accountants (11%), and stockbrokers (13%). Business executives are held in higher esteem this year…
Leaders that SUCK
I have been wanting to create a list of characteristics of leaders that suck at leadership. While i believe that everyone is a leader, not everyone is good at it. Leaders who suck at leadership are the ones who are: S: Self-Centred – Have you ever met leaders whose sole purpose in life seems to…
Good Salary News Ahead
U.S. workers can look forward to a rebound in merit pay raises in 2010. A median merit increase of 3% is projected — up from 2% in 2009 — according to the Watson Wyatt survey of 235 large U.S. companies. And a survey of nearly 900 companies found that 90% planned pay raises in 2010,…
CEOs’ Views on Learning Measurement
ASTD’s most recent T&D (August) has a most insightful article featuring how CEOs view measurements of learning. Altogether 96 executives were surveyed and some interesting (some dismaying) results were obtained. Firstly on a scale of 1 to 4 (4 being very satisfied) for their satisfaction of current measurement of learning, the average score was 2.5…
Prizes for Innovation Rise
Cash prizes are becoming a more popular way for organizations to encourage innovation. A McKinsey study of prizes worth more than $100,000 suggests that the aggregate value of such large awards has more than tripled over the past decade, to $375 million. Moreover, the role of prizes is changing: nearly 80% of those announced since…
Organizational Development Models – Weisbord’s Six-Box Model
Weisbord (1976) proposes six broad categories in his model of organizational life, including purposes, structures, relationships, leadership, rewards, and helpful mechanisms. The purposes of an organization are the organization’s mission and goals. Weisbord refers to structure as the way in which the organization is organized; this may be by function – where specialists work together…
The Problem with Short-Term Overseas Assignments
Employee-only temporary relocations — when families stay behind — often result in troubled marriages, depression, and child behavior problems, according to a new study by Dwellworks, a relocation firm. Financial pressure adds to the stress. 35% of respondents said their relocations resulted in extra financial obligations for the family, including childcare and help with household…
Organization Development Models – Force Field Analysis
Kurt Lewin developed the model for analyzing and managing organizational problems which he has termed Force Field Analysis (French & Bell, 1995; Fuqua & Kurpius, 1993; Lewin, 1951) in 1951. This model is relatively simple to understand and easy to visualize. A depiction of the model (see Figure 1) identifies both driving forces and restraining…
Everyone A Leader 