Benchmark – Collaboration And Communication Action Plan

Respond to at least two of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:

• Compare your initial posting with that of your colleague, including insights on the 7 S Model’s use for executing change within an organization.
• In what ways do you agree or disagree with your colleague on the value of the 7 S Model components, and how can this enhance or expand on your understanding of strategic planning?
• Provide a suggestion for an additional alternative for using the 7 S Model to execute change to better support your colleague’s posting, including a rationale for your suggestion.

Please note that, for each response, you must include a minimum of one appropriately cited scholarly reference.

Lauren

Introduction

Before this discussion assignment I had never seen the 7-S model. Peters (2011) defines the 7-S as a strategic implantation that positions businesses to achieve organizational goals and objectives. This may sound very simple, but in most cases, it is not. This discussion has helped enlighten me on the 7-S model and how it helps different organization.

The 7 -S Model

The 7-S model consist of 7 different components. These components are strategy, systems, skills, style, staffing, sharing values, and structure. A strategy is a series of actions and unique characteristics of the firm that support sustainable competitive advantages. Structure deals on how work is divided a and how authority is shared across the organization. Systems are the processes, policies and other mechanisms used to measure and support the strategy. Staffing and skills support the implementation of the strategy by deploying, training and even recruiting people with the necessary skills to execute each task. Style is a construct that captures how interactions and relationships affect the strategy. Shared values or superordinate goals encompass the guiding principles and operational priorities of the organization in a way that supports the strategy (Dyer et al., 2016).

Dual Component Analysis

All seven components of the 7-S model are equally important in any organization. But, there are two components that work very well together. These components are strategy and structure. These two components are the foundation of any organization. When an organization has a well put together staggery and structure this will allow the leaders of an organization to measure success and evaluate what is not going correctly. When done correctly this will be beneficial to any organization.

Most Challenging Components of Implementation

Although all seven parts of the 7-S model aren’t easy to implement I believe staffing is the most challenging. There are so many different factors that may arise with staffing. One big factor is the turnover rate in an organization. If an organization has a high turnover rate and the organization pays for training for new employees. This can cost a lot of money if employees keep quitting.

 

References

Dyer, J. H., Godfrey, P., Jensen, R., & Bryce, D. (2016). Strategic management:

Peters, T. (2011). McKinsey 7-S model. Leadership Excellence Essentials, 28(10), 7.

Justin

 

A description of the value of each step within the 7 S model to implementing change with the organization, including at least one supportive example

The 7-S Model was created by McKinsey and Company in the 1980’s, providing leaders with a way to identify the elements of their organization that must be in alignment if they want to effectively implement their strategy for creating and sustaining competitive advantage (Dyer, Godfrey, Jensen, & Bryce, 2016). The 7 elements include: (a) strategy, (b) structure, (c) systems, (d) staffing, (e) skills, (f) style, and (g) shared values (Dyer et al., 2016). The strategy is an organization’s plan to create and sustain their competitive advantage (Dyer et al., 2016). The structure of an organization divides the tasks and labor throughout the organization’s members (Dyer et al., 2016). Furthermore, structure identifies the authority structure, creates accountability, and provides an opportunity for performance measurement of a single organizational unit (Dyer et al., 2016). Two examples of organizational structure are the matrix structure and the M-form corporation (Dyer et al., 2016). The systems element identifies the organizational processes that coordinate and control the work performed throughout the firm (Dyer et al., 2016). This could include the information system and how it affects different parts of the organization. The staffing element of the 7-S Model includes the human resource management of the organization, to include recruiting, hiring, training, firing, etc.  (Dyer et al., 2016). Leaders must identify their recruiting strategy, their training strategy, and if they want to promote from within the company or not. The skills element not only refers to the abilities of the organization’s members, but also how well the leaders are able to combine the talent of their employees to create competitive advantage (Dyer et al., 2016). The skills element is closely related to the staffing element, as it will help determine who a firm must hire and/or train. The style element describes the interpersonal relationships within an organization  (Dyer et al., 2016). Style can usually be described as formal or informal, and heavily affects the culture of the organization (Dyer et al., 2016). Lastly, the shared values element describes the values and priorities of the organization (Dyer et al., 2016). What the organization’s members deem important can be referred to as superordinate goals, and help create shared values and the culture of the organization (Dyer et al., 2016).

An analysis of which one or two specific component(s) of the 7 S Model could be most helpful from a change management perspective, including at least one supportive example

I believe the shared values element of the 7-S model could be the most helpful from a change management perspective. To create culture, leaders must clearly identify the values and priorities of the organization. These values should be used as the foundation of all decision making and action taken within the organization. For example, Nordstrom attempts to create the value of respect and extraordinary customer service by telling stories that provide examples of the behavior they expect from their employees (Dyer et al., 2016). Peters (2011) explains the importance of creating a culture of empowerment and responsibility to quickly solve problems. To be able to continuously learns, the members of an organization must scrutinize the shared values element of the model and correct errors as needed (Peters, 2011). Leaders must find a way to create their desired culture so that all stakeholders are operating with the same values and priorities.

An explanation for which specific component(s) of the 7 S Model could be most challenging when implementing organizational change, including at least one supportive example

In relation to my previous response, I believe that creating shared values in an organization could be the most challenging when implementing organizational change. As I mentioned above, leaders must find a way to ensure that everyone in the organization shares values, virtues, and priorities. If this does not happen, the members of the organization will be working with different agendas, which does not optimize the chances of creating and sustaining competitive advantage. Furthermore, because shared values is one characteristic of an organization’s culture, it greatly affects the style element of the 7-s Model. Leaders must understand the importance of creating shared values and more importantly, understand that shared values will take a long time to influence and change (Dyer et al., 2016). Changing style and shared values may take decades (Dyer et al., 2016).

References

Dyer, J.H., Godfrey, P., Jensen, R., & Bryce, D. (2016). Strategic management: Concepts and tools for creating real world strategy. Retrieved from https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com

Peters, T. (2011). McKinsey 7-S model. Leadership Excellence Essential, 28(10), 7. Retrieved from https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org