Many organisations that want to become more effective reflexively reach for a leadership training or management development programme. The underlying assumption: strengthen the capabilities of leaders and the organisation will follow.
But does that reasoning deserve a closer look?
Training as a means, not an end
In practice, leadership trajectories often start without thorough investigation into the real causes of the problems. Unintentionally this sends the signal that leaders are responsible for organisational dysfunction.
But what if the problem isn't (only) in the leadership?
Systems thinking with the 7S model
Organisations function as ecosystems where everything connects to everything else. The McKinsey 7S model helps to analyse organisations holistically:
'Hard' factors: Strategy, Structure, Systems
'Soft' factors: Shared values, Style (leadership), Staff, Skills
Only when you look at the whole system can you determine what is really needed to achieve strategic goals.
An example
Suppose an organisation wants to work in a more results-driven way and proposes a leadership training. A thorough analysis reveals that the strategy is unclear, values aren't shared, systems don't align and informal decision-making creates silos.
In such a situation, training alone is insufficient.
The power of systemic thinking
An integrated 7S analysis reveals the strategic ambitions, the necessary adjustments in structure and culture, where the energy in the organisation lies, and what leadership really requires.
Only then can you choose targeted interventions, sometimes training, sometimes structural change, sometimes process improvement, sometimes establishing shared values.
Start with the system
The power of the 7S model lies in the integrated perspective. It helps organisations escape the 'training reflex' and embrace the complexity of organisational development. Start with systems analysis, not with training.