McKinsey Seven S's: Strategy, Systems, Structure, Staff, Skills, Style, Shared Values

Strategy, Systems, and Structure constitute the "hard" S's. The other four are "soft" S's. This framework was developed by McKinsey consultants in the early 1970s, and is discussed in Tom Peter's book "In Search of Excellence." Together, the hard and soft S's constitute a company's competitive advantage. All these seven factors will be hard to duplicate by a competitor. So, these key factors, if developed right, will work in synergy to create a superior company vis-a-vis the competition.