Beyond planning, implementing a business strategy is a complicated process that can be aided by a variety of industry-accepted tools and models. Models, such as the 7 S Model developed by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman of McKinsey & Company (Bryan, 2008), provide insights that can deliver business leaders essential organizational and planning information.

This week, you will evaluate the 7 S Model for use within planning and executive organizational change. Similarly, you will evaluate a chosen tool or model for effective implementation of a business strategy.

Learning Objectives

Independent scholars will:

• Evaluate the 7 S Model as a tool for planning and executing organizational change
• Evaluate a tool for effective business strategy implementation

Assignment: Tools for Strategic Implementation

In this Assignment, you will be able to move beyond ideating and assessment to examining the process of strategic implementation in the ever-changing world of business. You will also be able to utilize your experience as a business professional and independent scholar to evaluate the different resources, tools, opportunities, and challenges of implementation. It is not only crucial to determine which tool to use for a particular context or organization, but also how that tool can be most effectively utilized to support the goals of your organization.

To prepare for this Assignment, review the readings on tools for strategic change such as those described in Chapter 12 of Dyer, Godfrey, Jensen, and Bryce (2016) and choose one reading for further examination. Consider how the context of a specific organization (industry, geographical location, status within industry, etc.) can influence both the choice and the implementation of your selected tool, as well as how the application of a tool might vary among different business leaders and practitioners. Be sure to utilize scholarly, peer-reviewed resources from the Walden Library to identify additional supportive examples of organizations applying the tools and principles of strategic planning and their results.

By Day 7

Submit a 3- to 5-page evaluation of your research on a specific tool for strategic implementation. Your evaluation should include the following:

• A brief description of your chosen tool, including relevant background, an APA-cited scholarly illustration, and detailed rationale for your choice
• An assessment of how your chosen tool is affected by different strategic influences (such as environmental factors; internal, organizational considerations; etc.) and whether these changes impact your choice for implementation. Include at least one supportive example.
• An explanation of the usefulness of your chosen tool to you as a practitioner and independent scholar, including how it will benefit your strategic business leadership. Be sure to provide supportive scholarly examples.

Note: Be sure to use the APA Course Paper Template (6th ed.), found in this week’s Learning Resources, to complete this Assignment. Also, refer to the Week 4 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this rubric to assess your work. Please Note: For each page of your paper, you must include a minimum of two APA-formatted scholarly citations. In addition, you must include at least one appropriately cited APA figure or table in your paper.