How the McKinsey-Bennet 9-S Framework changed my approach to busines strategy

I used to think I had strategy all figured out.

After more than a decade in consulting, the McKinsey 7-S Framework had become second nature. It was my go-to diagnostic for nearly everything - a structured way to make sense of organizational complexity. Strategy, structure, systems, skills, style, staff, shared values - if something wasn’t working, the answer usually lived somewhere in that model.

But over time, a strange pattern started to emerge. Some of the most capable organizations I worked with had every “S” seemingly in place. Their strategies were sound, their structures were modern, their teams were strong - and still, something wasn’t clicking. The machine was built, but it wasn’t moving the way it should.

That’s when I encountered the McKinsey-Bennet 9-S Framework. At first, it sounded like a modest extension - just two more elements added to the classic model. But what I found was something much deeper: a new way of thinking about how organizations actually work in real life.

The moment I started applying it, everything changed.