Creative Entrepreneurship and the McKinsey 7S Framework: Utilizing a Servant Leadership Style

Abstract

The origination of business ideas for new products or services occurs through the creative process. For example, an entrepreneur initially has a business idea for a new product or service that begins in mind. However, the idea needs to be successfully and strategically executed to become a sustainable reality. This research provides a variety of examples concerning conceptualizations of creativity that entrepreneurs can tap into further to enhance their creative abilities for business ideation generation. Further highlights include the psychological impediments entrepreneurs must be aware of and avoid that can stall the entrepreneurial process and the business from successfully launching and sustaining life long-term. Lastly, the authors demonstrate the similarities between the McKinsey 7s framework (Peters & Waterman, 2004) and the servant leadership style (Greenleaf, 1977), revealing how adopting a more formidable entrepreneurial approach involves “putting the people first” rather than solely focusing on strategy and complex numbers.