Marks & Spencer plc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marks & Spencer plc - Research Paper ExampleThe model starts on the premise that an organization is not just Structure, but consists of 7 elementsThose seven elements atomic number 18 distinguished in so called hard Ss and soft Ss. The hard elements (green circles) atomic number 18 feasible and easy to identify. They can be found in system statements, corporate designs, organizational charts and other documentations.The four soft Ss however, are hardly feasible. They are difficult to describe since capabilities, values and elements of corporate culture are continuously developing and changing. They are highly determined by the people at work in the organization. Therefore it is much more difficult to mean or to influence the characteristics of the soft elements. Although the soft factors are below the surface, they can have a great impact of the hard Structures, Strategies and Systems of the organization.Description(Waterman, R. Jr., Peters, T. and Phillips, J.R. Structure Is N ot government activity in Business Horizons, 23,3 June 1980. 14-26.)The Hard SsStrategy Actions a company plans in response to or anticipation of changes in its external environment.Structure Basis for long suit and co-ordination influenced primarily by strategy and by organization size and diversity. Systems Formal and informal procedures that support the strategy and structure. (Systems are more powerful than they are apt(p) credit)The Soft SsStyle / CultureThe culture of the organization, consisting of two components Organizational Culture the dominant values and beliefs, and norms, which develop over time and become relatively tolerate features of organizational life. Management Style... The 7-S-Model is better known as McKinsey 7-S. This is because the two persons who developed this model, Tom Peters, and Robert Waterman, have been consultants at McKinsey & Co at that time. They published their 7-S-Model in their article Structure Is Not Organization (1980) and in their boo ks The Art of Japanese Management (1981) and In Search of Excellence (1982).Those seven elements are distinguished in so called hard Ss and soft Ss. The hard elements (green circles) are feasible and easy to identify. They can be found in strategy statements, corporate plans, organizational charts and other documentations.The four soft Ss however, are hardly feasible. They are difficult to describe since capabilities, values, and elements of corporate culture are continuously developing and changing. They are highly determined by the people at work in the organization. Therefore it is much more difficult to plan or to influence the characteristics of the soft elements. Although the soft factors are below the surface, they can have a great impact on the hard Structures, Strategies, and Systems of the organization.Effective organizations achieve a fit between these seven elements. This criterion is the origin of the other name of the model Diagnostic Model for Organizational Effective ness. In change processes, many organizations focusing their efforts on the hard Ss, Strategy, Structure, and Systems. They care less for the soft Ss, Skills, Staff, Style and Shared Values.