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Creating a Coaching Culture Using the McKinsey 7S Model

Introduction

Coaching cultures don't happen by accident. They are forged with intention, clarity, and the right tools. The McKinsey 7S Model offers a powerful lens to create both organisational change and individual transformation. As an HR professional, you are the catalyst. Let this guide support you every step of the way.

🕒 Organisational Change: Reshaping the Organisation

🎯 1. Strategy: Map the Coaching Vision

Craft a compelling coaching vision that aligns with your organisation's goals. Make coaching a strategic lever for growth, engagement, and resilience. Embed it in your mission. Champion it in your leadership.

Key Actions:

  • Define what a coaching culture means for your organisation
  • Set measurable goals linked to business outcomes
  • Get leadership buy-in through powerful storytelling and clear ROI
  • Create a roadmap with milestones to track progress
  • Regularly review and refine the coaching strategy based on feedback and outcomes

🔧 2. Structure: Build a Coaching Framework

Structure determines flow. Create pathways for coaching to thrive. This could include formal coaching programmes, internal coach networks, and embedded coaching moments in team processes.

Key Actions:

  • Design clear coaching roles (e.g. coach, coachee, sponsor)
  • Integrate coaching touchpoints into performance and development systems
  • Allocate time and resources specifically for coaching interactions
  • Develop a coaching governance team to maintain quality and consistency
  • Identify champions across departments to advocate for coaching practices

✅ 3. Systems: Embed Coaching in the Everyday

Systems shape behaviour. Ensure coaching isn’t an add-on but woven into daily routines and decision-making.

Key Actions:

  • Leverage digital platforms to support coaching conversations
  • Align coaching with performance reviews, feedback loops, and talent planning
  • Track coaching impact with qualitative and quantitative data
  • Automate reminders for coaching sessions and follow-ups
  • Use dashboards to monitor coaching participation and progress

👤 Individual Transformation: Reshaping the People

🔋 4. Skills: Equip with Coaching Capabilities

Coaching requires mastery. Start with leaders and ripple outwards. Focus on listening, questioning, and feedback skills.

Key Actions:

  • Run foundational and advanced coaching skills workshops
  • Offer practice spaces and peer coaching circles
  • Recognise and reward coaching behaviours
  • Provide micro-learning modules and refresher content
  • Use external coaching experts for masterclasses and supervision

🧠 5. Staff: Empower the Right Mindset

Transformation thrives on belief. Cultivate a growth mindset across your workforce. Show people they are trusted, valued, and capable of growth.

Key Actions:

  • Share stories of personal transformation through coaching
  • Promote psychological safety in teams
  • Embed coaching values in recruitment and onboarding
  • Use employee surveys to gauge mindset shifts
  • Offer reflective tools like journals and coaching logs

🧩 6. Style: Model Coaching from the Top

Style is leadership in action. Leaders set the tone. When they coach, others follow.

Key Actions:

  • Train senior leaders in coaching styles of leadership
  • Encourage vulnerability and curiosity in leadership conversations
  • Celebrate coaching moments publicly
  • Introduce 360-feedback focused on coaching behaviours
  • Facilitate regular reflection sessions for leaders

🎯 The Bridge: Shared Values

This is the glue. Shared values bind strategy with skills, systems with staff. Define and live the values that underpin your coaching culture: trust, empathy, openness, and growth.

Key Actions:

  • Run values workshops to co-create your coaching ethos
  • Align values with recognition and reward structures
  • Keep them visible in language, behaviour, and rituals
  • Create visual representations of values across the workspace
  • Integrate values into leadership competency frameworks

🏁 Final Word

Change reshapes the organisation. Transformation reshapes the people within it. As you use the McKinsey 7S Model, remember: you're not just building processes. You're igniting potential.

Step by step. Conversation by conversation. Let's build a culture where everyone grows.

Implementation Tip: Start small. Pilot your approach with one department. Gather feedback. Learn and adapt. Then scale.