The 7S McKinsey Model

Did You Know?The 7S McKinsey model

To better represent the challenges of service marketing, McKinsey developed a new framework for analyzing and improving organizational effectiveness, the 7S model:
The 3Ss across the top of the model are described as 'Hard Ss':
•Strategy: The direction and scope of the company over the long term.
•Structure: The basic organization of the company, its departments, reporting lines, areas of expertise, and responsibility (and how they inter-relate).
•Systems: Formal and informal procedures that govern everyday activity, covering everything from management information systems, through to the systems at the point of contact with the customer (retail systems, call centre systems, online systems, etc).
The 4Ss across the bottom of the model are less tangible, more cultural in nature, and were termed 'Soft Ss' by McKinsey:
•Skills: The capabilities and competencies that exist within the company. What it does best.
•Shared values: The values and beliefs of the company. Ultimately they guide employees towards 'valued' behavior.
•Staff: The company's people resources and how they are developed, trained, and motivated.
•Style: The leadership approach of top management and the company's overall operating approach.
For full article see -
http://www.buildingbrands.com/didyouknow/14_7s_mckinsey_model.php


Action Step:
Ask yourself, are you effectively using all these elements to deliver your program successfully?

Lessons from Steve Jobs

How to Wow Them Like Steve Jobs

While this article focuses on Apple and its success with the Ipod, the principles of
- Sell the benefit
- Practice, then Practice some more
- Keep it Visual
- Exude passion, energy and enthusiasm

For full article- click here
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz

Impact of Silence on your Project

The Two Great Wastes
- an interesting article posted at Reforming Project Management Blog about the silence that can kill a project. How can you work with team to hear and act on ideas, concerns and encourage speaking up!

http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com/2004/08/15/394/

The 10 Unbreakable Rules of Project Management

This is a great article on the unbreakable rules of project management.

Why do so few projects succeed? Despite the decades of increasingly complex attempts to manage projects, far too many managers overlook the 10 Unbreakable Rules for Project Success. As outlined below, these common sense guidelines hold the key to increasing your success rate and delivering greater consistency across your project's lifecycle.
Rule #1: Know what you are doing
Rule #2: Know why you are doing it
Rule #3: Be prudent, honest and prepared
Rule #4: Play to your strengths
Rule #5: Know how to navigate
Rule #6: Know how to communicate
Rule #7: Know how to succeed
Rule #8: Know how to fail
Rule #9: Know when the project is over
Rule #10: Know how to learn

For full article text click here
http://www.pmforum.org/viewpoints/2003/0708unbreakablerules.htm