BUSM4547, [University Name]: Strategic Business Growth Analysis Report

This report delves into strategic business growth, emphasizing the development of hard and soft processes within an organization. It uses the McKinsey 7S model as a framework to analyze key elements like strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff, and skills. The report explores how these components influence leadership and human resource management (HRM) to achieve business goals. It highlights the importance of internal stability and a well-defined framework for organizational success, offering recommendations for ensuring strategic growth. The report examines how leadership styles and HRM practices impact employee motivation and organizational performance. The analysis also covers the significance of shared values and staff skills in fostering a successful business environment. Ultimately, the report aims to provide insights into how to ensure strategic business growth through a comprehensive approach to organizational management.

Running head: STRATEGIC BUSINESS GROWTH
Strategic Business Growth
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
1. Key Research Question............................................................................................................2
2. Using the McKinsey 7S Strategy to Develop Hard and Soft Processes for a Business
Organization....................................................................................................................................3
3. Recommendations....................................................................................................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
The implementation of the strategic goals and objectives of a business organization can
be undertaken only when hard and soft processes are well built and development for the
attainment of the same (Betz 2016). A business cannot function in an effective or positive
manner unless it is serviced by the type of leadership that is well equipped to take it in forward
direction. A business will also not be in a position to function well enough if it is not serviced by
an HR department that has the potential or the caliber to recruit the right employees for the
organization, who in turn will play a proactive role in achieving the goals and objectives of the
business organization (Budiono and Savitri 2017). Hence the development of soft and hard
processes is something that is absolutely paramount, if a business organization is to attain its
objectives in an effective manner. There are of course a number of ways by which the
administration of a business organization can draw upon the strategies and techniques that are
needed for the development of hard and soft processes of the business (Budiono and Savitri
2017). This assignment will make use of the McKinsey’s 7S model to understand how the hard
and soft processes of the company can be developed and that too in the best possible way. The
assignment will also provide some recommendations on how strategic business growth can be
adequately ensured and maintained by the business organization over the long term.
1. Key Research Question
Strategic business growth is a complex affair, and there are many dynamics and business
aspects that need to be looked into in order to make sure that this is carried out in the desired
manner. The reason why the hard and soft processes need to be developed lies in the fact that

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there needs to be a stable and secure framework or structure that the business can fall back on in
order for it to be able to meet its goals and objectives in a suitable manner. The primary aim of
this assignment is to uncover ways and means by which leadership and HRM services can be
designed and developed so as to ensure that the goals and objectives of the business organization
are attained in a smooth and hassle free manner and that too within a designated frame of time.
The key research question for this assignment is therefore as follows –
RQ – What are the hard and soft processes that can be developed in order to ensure strategic
business growth?
Before proceeding to answer the above question, what must be pointed out is the fact that
the hard and soft processes are both geared towards ensuring internal growth for a business
organization. The internal environment of the business organization is one that is going to be
suitably enhanced if it has the right infrastructure as well as administration to fall back on for the
implementation of its goals and objectives in a timely manner (Carson et al. 2018).
2. Using the McKinsey 7S Strategy to Develop Hard and Soft Processes
for a Business Organization
The McKinsey 7S Strategy is one that is composed of a number of important components
and it is going to presently be utilized to understand how hard and soft processes can be
developed in a business organization.
Strategy – in order to be able to maintain a hold over rivals and competitors, an attempt needs to
be made by the business owners to strategize and hire the right business leaders who have the
skill or the potential to take the organization in a forward direction. Every attempt has to be made

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on the part of the business owners to hire the type of leaders who are well suited to lead the
organization, who have been in the business of organizational leadership for a considerable
length of time and who have therefore all the skills and the abilities that are necessary for helping
the organization to grow. Apart from hiring the right operational managers and business heads, a
strategy has to be developed to hire the right HR managers as well, who will have the acumen
that is necessary for recruiting employees with the right skills and experience for the
organization. Hiring the right employees is something that is mandatory if the organization is to
be serviced by people who have a good skill set and who are likely to serve the organization over
a long span of time, thus averting the problem of an employee turnover (Das 2017).
Structure – An elaborate structure needs to be set up on the part of the business owners to
ensure that the business has all the elements, components and departments that are needed for
strategic business growth. The operations of the business organization can be conducted in a
hassle free and timely manner if there is a proper structure in place that can do the job. The
structure needs to be an organized structure. For instance, there needs to be a business head, an
operations head, an HR head and an accounts head at the very least, for all the work of the
business organization to be undertaken in the manner that is desired. The job of creating the
structure of the business lies with the owners or the key stakeholders of the business. Based on
the size and magnitude of the business enterprise, the structure of the same will have to be drawn
up and implemented. The structure of the business is one that is going to go a long way in
ensuring adequate growth and development of the business. If the structure of the business is one
that is haphazard and uncertain, then there is every possibility that the operations of the business
will collapse at one point of time or the other, and the business owners will be faced with the
additional responsibility of creating and setting up a new structure all over again, one that is

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more well suited for attaining the strategic growth of the business organization (Grover et al.
2018).
Systems – The system that the business organization puts in place in order to attain strategic
growth will have to be organized, timely and effective for the goals of the organization to be
achieved. As such, the business needs to make sure that it has hired the right number of business
administrators and HR managers that is necessary for the business to be developed. The duties
and responsibilities of each be it the business manager or the HR manager will also have to be
drawn up so that both have a clear idea of what duties and responsibilities need to be undertaken
on their part so as to ensure that the operations of the business organization are conducted in a
timely manner. These duties and responsibilities have to be conceived or drawn up based on the
nature of the business, the type of target audience that it is seen to cater to and the type of goals
that it intends on achieving over the short term as well as the long term. The system when
organized and developed in the right manner will put the hierarchy of the business organization
in the position that it needs to be in not only to establish goals and objectives, to attain the same
but also to establish an edge over rivals and competitors in the market. There is a lot that can be
achieved when there is a proper system in place for the attainment of business goals and
objectives (Guo et al. 2019).
Shared Values – The shared values of the organization will also play a crucial role in
determining the way by which the hard and soft processes of the business are developed. If the
organization believes in sharing its vision and mission statement with its employees, if it believes
in getting its employees to identify with the goals and objectives of the organization then this is a
business that is going to a long way in attaining strategic growth. Shared values play a vital role
in motivating the employees of the organization to do their best for the same instead of thinking

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about their own vested interests all of the time. When the shared values of the organization are
preached before the employee base of the organization, then the employees feel more connected
to the organization, to the work that they do and consequently they feel motivated to give in
more effort to their work than they otherwise would have (Ijlic et al. 2017).
Style – The style of leadership that is adopted has a crucial role to play as well in how the hard
and soft processes are developed in a business organization. An autocratic business leadership
style will keep the organization motivated towards the attainment of high levels of business
growth, but to actually do so may prove to be difficult for the organization. This is largely due to
the fact that the autocratic leadership style stifles opinions and suggestions as well as flexible
working habits, and the employee turnover in the organization becomes very high when an
autocratic leader is in power in the organization. On the other hand, the business organization
which is seen to adopt a transformational leadership style is one that goes a long way in keeping
the employees of the organization well motivated because the transformational leaders tend to be
more empathetic in character. These are leaders who believe in taking the opinions and
suggestions of their subordinates into consideration and are also seen to engage with their
employees on a one to one basis with the purpose of understanding their needs and getting them
to do their best for the business organization (Kamana and Ogendo 2018).
Staff – The kind of staff that the business organization employs has a role to play in the
development of soft and hard processes as well. As mentioned earlier, the type of HR managers
hired by the organization is quite important as these are the people who will be entrusted with the
duty of recruiting the people with the right skills into the organization. The HR managers will be
familiar with the goals and objectives of the business organization and will consequently be in a
position to decide who it is with the right acumen and the right abilities, not only to join the

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organization but also to serve the organization over an extensive period of time. Staff
requirements have to be met or adhered to when looking to create hard and soft processes for a
business. An organization which is serviced by the right staff will have all the manpower that is
necessary to attain high levels of growth on behalf of the organization. With a competent
employee base, the business organization will be able to get ahead of its rivals and competitors in
the market while also keeping its employees secure, comfortable and happy over the long term
(Khan and Naeem 2018).
Skills – The actual competencies and skills of people who are serving on the employee base of
the organization is something that needs to be considered as well when looking at the ways and
means by which the soft and hard processes of the business can be developed and maintained
over a long period of time (Yousaf and Majid 2018). It is imperative for a business organization
to hire employees who are well educated and who possess all the skills and the abilities that are
needed to provide the organization with its much needed service over the long term. An
employee who is unskilled will not be able to fulfill the goals and objectives of the business
organization in the desired manner. Such a person will be behind in terms of work for the most
part and will have to be subjected to a performance improvement plan if not anything else to
boost performance (Yan et al. 2019). Hence careful attention needs to be paid to the skills of
employees who are recruited to work for the organization, so that they are able to give their best
to attaining the goals and objectives of the organization instead of feeling wasted in the work that
they are assigned to do for the organization (Kaskinen et al. 2018).

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3. Recommendations
If the soft and hard processes of the business organization are to be developed in a suitable
manner, then a number of recommendations need to be taken into consideration for the purpose
of implementation and they are as follows –
 The business goals and objectives of the organization need to be clearly outlined and
explained to employees at the time of recruitment. The HR representatives of the
organization need to ensure that employees are not in the dark about what it is that the
organization expects them to do for the length of time that they are employed here
(Rajnoha et al. 2016).
 The business organization is also one that needs to make a concerted effort to inform
the employees of the organization about the tricks of the trade and the do’s and the
don’ts that they have to bear in mind for the period of time that they work for the
organization (Rothaermel 2016).
 The HR managers who are employed by the organization need to be sufficiently
experienced and skilled in order for them to be able to employ the right number of
employees for the organization and the right employees for the organization too.
Without this, a lot of the work of the organization will not be achieved (Sequeira et al.
2016).
 The business leaders who are employed to work for the organization are people who
should ideally reflect a transformational leadership style as only such people have the
true potential that is needed to keep employees motivated and to keep them connected
to the work that they do (Sudharshan 2019).

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Conclusion
Thus, there are quite a few ways by which the soft and hard processes of a business
enterprise can be developed. Any business organization which sets out to achieve strategic
growth will have to make the effort and the investment that is needed to create a structure and an
employee base that is well directed towards attaining its goals and objectives. The McKinsey’s
7S framework has been used in this assignment to point out the ways by which the hard and soft
processes can be created and developed if not anything else. It is crucial for the business
enterprise to employ the right number of people at the right time, people who also have the right
skills and abilities to serve the organization over a long period of time and to undertake all the
work that is needed to ensure long term business growth. Additionally, very careful attention
needs to be made on the part of the enterprise in the recruitment of managers as these are the
people who establish the culture of the organization and who also influence the direction in
which the organization is going to grow and develop whether for a minimal or long period of
time. Managerial recruitment must be done with care and consideration and ideally the managers
working for the organization should be people who reflect a transformational leadership style, as
these are the people who have the potential to take the company in forward direction more than
anything else.

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References
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