January 2012 - Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals

3. Defining the OD challenge
The Trust has loosely based its analysis of its current strengths and
weaknesses on the McKinsey ‘7 s’ model.
This model identifies the ‘hard and soft levers’ which impact on performance
gaps. (Hard levers are identified in black type, soft levers in blue)
They are defined as:
Skills-capabilities and knowledge possessed by the organisation as a
whole as distinct from the individuals.
Strategy-a coherent set of actions aimed at gaining sustainable
advantage over competition
Shared values-those ideas of what is right and desirable (in corporate
and/or individual behaviour) which are typical of the organisation and
common to most of its members
Structure-the design and structure of the organisation, including who
reports to whom and how tasks are both divided up and integrated
Staff-the people in the organisation considered in terms of corporate
demographics, not individual personalities
Systems-the processes and procedures through which things get done
from day to day
Style-the way managers collectively behave with respect to use of
time, attention and symbolic actions
The McKinsey 7 S model
It is widely recognised that organisations need to consider all these levers in
order to make informed decisions about their performance and to identify the
gaps in capacity and capability.
A paper identifying key questions for the organisation using the 7 s model was
considered by the Executive team in May 2011, and was the basis for
determining the diagnostic work undertaken.
This paper focused on the need to examine organisational governance,
particularly in relation to the Board and Board development, organisational
grip, agility, learning, structure, strategy, style, systems and processes, and
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