7 S Framework: What Is It? The 7-S Framework is a useful tool that describes seven key interdependent variables of organizational design. These variables take into account both the hardware (strategy, structure and systems) and the software (management styles, staff, skills and shared values, i.e. culture) of an organization. The framework can be used as a basis for discussion about organizational capacity and organizational design with relevant stakeholders within the organization. Special attention must be given to the relationships between the seven variables. The 7-S framework Strategy The direction and scope of the company over the long term. The basic organization of the organization (who reports to whom) to support its Structure objectives. The formal and informal procedures that support the strategy and structure. The procedures, processes and routines that characterize how the work should be System done, i.e. financial systems, recruiting, promotion and performance appraisal, information systems, budgeting systems. how do informal institutions in society impact on the organization’s culture and design? • It is important to remain focused in asking appropriate questions that will provide sufficient detail to assess the identified organizational capacity gaps. Other aspects of the wider institutional context: For example. What it does best. Outcome A documented assessment of organizational capacity and how any gaps are impacting on organizational performance and the potential to achieve desired outcomes. In practice. The capabilities and competencies that exist within the company. based on desk research and interviews with key stakeholders throughout the organization. the assessment is with individuals or within a focus group. Identify key stakeholders within an organization and relevant experts. Steps 1. Key questions to ask may include: . e. The central guiding concept and ideas of an organization around which it is strengthened. there are a number of external issues that need to be considered. Gather data on each of the seven areas.g: 1. Special Considerations/Weaknesses • A key weakness of the 7-S framework is its failure to look at the external environment. Objective To accurately assess the capacity of an organization. Wider policy context: How does the institutional reform being implemented fit in with other reforms in progress? 3. Supportive legislative structures: Do new laws need to be introduced to enable agency formation? 2. Participation Level Low to medium. The company's human resources and how they are developed. The values and beliefs of the company.Style Staff Skills Shared values The leadership approach of management and how key managers behave in achieving the organization’s goals. Resources Required A well-prepared series of questions that will be asked of key staff within the organization. 2. trained and motivated. but poor understanding of strategic direction within organization leading to confused on-ground outcomes and overlapping responsibilities with other natural resource management agencies. financial and technological systems that support System objectives? Nature of incentives within human resources? Rewards systems? Monitoring and evaluation systems? The management style. Current capacity: 1 2 3 4 5 Required capacity to achieve action outcomes: 1 2 3 4 5 .Clarity of vision and goals guiding the organization? Extent to which these are Strategy shared amongst staff? Level of participation in the formulation of these? Shortterm goals to achieve strategy? Organization of functions and roles of main departments and units? Definitions of roles and responsibilities? Mechanisms for participation of key stakeholders – Structure staff. A useful reporting framework may be: Organizational capacity Strategy 1 = low 5 = high Structure System Style Staff Skills Shared values Required action and current capacity to perform action Strategic direction clearly laid down through legislation. how do managers make decisions? How do they spend Style their time? On what do they focus their attention? Extent to which there is a supportive environment for staff? Level of communication? Effectiveness of staff utilization? Adequacy of staff resources? Level of staff Staff motivation? Factors that would increase staff satisfaction? What is the organization best at? Nature of the task requirements and individual Skills skills or knowledge needed for task effectiveness? Adequacy of the task–skill match? Opportunities for training or knowledge sharing? Nature of the rules (formal and informal). values. customs and principles that Shared guide the organization's behaviour? Extent to which core professional values are values internalized? 3. Summarise the findings in a report to key organization members involved in the interview process. civil society? Is the structure supportive of strategic and organizational goals? Effectiveness of human. This report can be used as a basis for further discussion of capacity needs at the organizational level. government. a pioneer in the field of social sciences. Restraining Forces Restraining forces are forces acting to restrain or decrease the driving forces. for diagnosing situations. incentive earnings. and poor maintenance of equipment may be examples of restraining forces against increased production. In terms of improving productivity in a work group. Equilibrium is reached when the sum of the driving forces equals the sum of the restraining forces. .when attempting to overcome resistance to change. and competition may be examples of driving forces. they tend to initiate a change and keep it going. as shown below.Lewin assumes that in any situation there are both driving and restraining forces that influence any change that may occur. Apathy. equilibrium represents the present level of productivity. It will be useful when looking at the variables involved in planning and implementing a change program and will undoubtedly be of use in team building projects.Force Field Analysis Force field analysis is a management technique developed by Kurt Lewin. Driving Forces Driving forces are those forces affecting a situation that are pushing in a particular direction. hostility. pressure from a supervisor. In our example. Now just assume that our new manager decides not to increase the driving forces but to reduce the restraining forces. It can be seen that force field analysis provides framework that is useful in diagnosing these interrelationships. By doing this. however. Managers are often in a position in which they must consider not only output but also intervening variables and not only short-term but also long-term goals. For illustration. and that. such as increased hostility and antagonism. absenteeism. and other restraining forces. new restraining forces developed. and at the time of the former manager's departure the restraining forces were beginning to increase and the results manifested themselves in turnover. output will tend to be lowered still further. they may become new driving forces.Equilibrium This equilibrium. if commitment to objectives and technical know-how of the group are increased in the long run. The former manager had upset the equilibrium by increasing the driving forces (that is. THE SIX BOXES MODEL – THE SYSTEMS VIEW . will now tend to move the balance to a higher level of output. consider the dilemma of the new manager who takes over a work group in which productivity is high but whose predecessor drained the human resources. can be raised or lowered by changes in the relationship between the driving and the restraining forces. which lowered productivity shortly after the new manager arrived. Now a new equilibrium at a significantly lower productivity is faced by the new manager. In the short run. being autocratic and keeping continual pressure on subordinates) and thus achieving increases in output in the short run. The manager may do this by taking time away from the usual production operation and engaging in problem solving and training and development. along with the elimination of the hostility and the apathy that were restraining forces. However. or present level of productivity. based on over 60 years of basic behavior science. what we call behavior influences. Choices of which steps to take (Do they need training? Would a bonus be motivating? Should we provide a coach?) are better understood and addressed when the whole picture of influences is understood. Often. and performance professionals how to think systemically when identifying factors that currently enable or obstruct behavior. additions of inexpensive programs or simple changes in management are discovered and bring greater impact. Balancing and tuning the system of behavior influences that affects any given behavior is how we achieve maximum return on investments that the organization makes in people. and when working on continuous improvement or development. Behavior influences comprise the far-left link in the Performance Chain.Now that we’ve linked what people do to what the organization wants to accomplish by identifying what they need to produce (the Performance Chain). the enablers of human performance. and investments made to change behavior often come from many different parts of the organization. simplified into six easy-to-remember “boxes.” We use this plain English model to teach leaders. . The Six Boxes Model is a comprehensive categorization of these influences. we can identify and coordinate all the factors that affect a change in behavior. It allows us to coordinate all behavior influences for maximum impact. The challenge in any organization is to determine what combination of behavior influences are most likely to produce desired changes in behavior. managers. when planning for new behavior or programs. to establish and accelerate it. The list can be very long. the helping mechanisms are the planning.Sharing the Six Boxes Model across levels and functions in an organization leads to a shared understanding and coordinated implementation of all interventions.Weisbord’s Six-Box Model Weisbord (1976) proposes six broad categories in his model of organizational life. In contrast. ideas. Also included in the box of relationships is the way in which people interact with technology in their work. informal systems are those behaviors which actually occur. The purposes of an organization are the organization’s mission and goals. Weisbord identifies as inputs the money. program. budgeting. Formal systems are those policies and procedures the organization claims to do. rewards. and helpful mechanisms. Finally. structures. relationships. and information systems that serve to meet organizational goals. The leadership box refers to typical leadership tasks. Organizational Development Models . The ways in which people and units interact is termed relationships. The first premise refers to formal versus informal systems. Weisbord refers to structure as the way in which the organization is organized. controlling. and machinery which are used to fulfill the organization’s mission. although it is not represented as a "box" (see figure beow). Organizations can often dramatically improve productivity and profitability per employee while increasing employee engagement by using the Six Boxes Model as the foundation for performance planning and performance improvement. The bigger the gap between the formal and . including purposes. The external environment is also depicted in Weisbord’s model. this may be by function – where specialists work together – or by product. people. leadership. including the balance between the other boxes. Two premises which are not apparent in Weisbord’s model are crucial to understanding the boxes in the model. Rewards are the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards people associate with their work. The outputs are products and services. or project – where multi-skilled teams work together. The second premise concerns the fit between the organization and the environment. These questions serve to convolute the model because they do not flow from the logic of the model. Weisbord poses diagnostic questions for each box of his model. Finally. between departments." The questions he poses are not predicted by the model. the discrepancy between the existing organization and the way the organization should function to meet external demands. and for what do organizational members feel they are rewarded and punished? What does the organization need to do to fit with the environment? • Leadership: Do leaders define purposes? Do they embody purposes in their programs? What is the normative style of leadership? • Helpful Mechanisms: Do these mechanisms help or hinder the accomplishment of organizational objectives? In summary. A sample of some of the questions he poses are as follows: • Purposes: Do organizational members agree with and support the organization’s mission and goals? • Structure: Is there a fit between the purpose and the internal structure of the organization? • Relationships: What type of relations exist between individuals. and between individuals and the nature of their jobs? Is their interdependence? What is the quality of relations? What are the modes of conflict? • Rewards: What does the organization formally reward. he suggests that OD consultants determine whether organizational members agree with and support the organization’s mission and goals within the purposes box. and unions. Weisbord omits many interconnections between the boxes of the model. that is. For example. they appear to be based on his OD practice.informal systems within the organization. the less effective the organization is. rather. . Moreover. This question refers to his premise regarding the nature of the formal and informal systems within the organization. Weisbord defines external demands or pressures as customers. Weisbord’s model focuses on internal issues within an organization primarily by posing "diagnostic questions" which have to do with the fit between "what is" and "what should be. government. Weisbord only tangentially addresses the impact of the external environment in the model.