The 7-S-Model
By Dagmar Recklies
The 7-S-Model is better known as McKinsey 7-S. This is because the two persons who developed this model, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, have been consultants at McKinsey & Co at that time. Thy published their 7-S-Model in their article “Structure Is Not Organization” (1980) and in their books “The Art of Japanese Management” (1981) and “In Search of Excellence” (1982).
The model starts on the premise that an organization is not just Structure, but consists of seven elements:

Those seven elements are distinguished in so called hard S’s and soft S’s. The hard elements (green circles) are feasible and easy to identify. They can be found in strategy statements, corporate plans, organizational charts and other documentations.
The four soft S’s however, are hardly feasible. They are difficult to describe since capabilities, values and elements of corporate culture are continuously developing and changing. They are highly determined by the people at work in the organization. Therefore it is much more difficult to plan or to influence the characteristics of the soft elements. Although the soft factors are below the surface, they can have a great impact of the hard Structures, Strategies and Systems of the organization.
Description
The Hard S’s | Strategy | Actions a company plans in response to or anticipation of changes in its external environment. | Structure | Basis for specialization and co-ordination influenced primarily by strategy and by organization size and diversity. | Systems | Formal and informal procedures that support the strategy and structure. (Systems are more powerful than they are given credit) | The Soft S’s | Style / Culture | The culture of the organization, consisting of two components: Organizational Culture: the dominant values and beliefs, and norms, which develop over time and