Strategy

McKinsey 7S

Strategy, Structure, Systems, Skills, Staff, Style, Shared values

Best for: diagnosing org alignment
Time: half-day workshop
Difficulty: Advanced

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The McKinsey 7S model: shared values at the centre, linked to the three hard and three soft elements.

Example

Diagnosing alignment after a 30→90 person growth spurt

Seven S audit

Strategy — clear roadmap, but quarterly priorities drift in execution
Structure — squads formed, but reporting lines still pre-scale
Systems — Linear + Notion sprawl; no single source of truth
Shared values — "calm software" still resonates with engineers
Style — founder-led, fast; new VPs feel they need to ask permission
Staff — strong ICs, gap at engineering manager layer
Skills — design and AI are strong; data analytics is thin

McKinsey 7S applied to real companies

All examples →

SpaceX

SpaceX–Cursor Acquisition: A McKinsey 7S Integration Analysis (2026)

A McKinsey 7S analysis of SpaceX's $60B all-stock acquisition of Cursor (Anysphere) — why the hard S's (Strategy, Structure, Systems) line up while the soft S's (Staff, Style, Shared Values) carry all the integration risk after xAI lost all 11 co-founders.

PSG

PSG McKinsey 7S: the post-Mbappé team-first reset

A McKinsey 7S analysis of Paris Saint-Germain — how QSI's club finally won the Champions League by realigning the soft elements (style, staff, shared values), not by spending more.

Apple

Apple McKinsey 7S Analysis 2026

A worked McKinsey 7S analysis of Apple in 2026, re-scored after John Ternus replaced Tim Cook as CEO — Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared Values, Skills, Style, Staff. Which of the seven S's actually moved, and why the Gemini deal is a Systems answer to a Skills gap.