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Alignment Is Strategy Structure Systems Skills
Leadership / Principles · Updated Apr 2026
For an organisation to be aligned, four things must work together.
The 4S Framework
- Strategy - Where are we going and why?
- Structure - How are teams and roles organised to get there?
- Systems - What processes, tools, and incentives support the work?
- Skills - Do people have the capabilities to execute?
Why All Four Matter
If any one is misaligned, the whole thing breaks:
- Great strategy + wrong structure = teams working at cross purposes.
- Great structure + bad systems = good people fighting bad process.
- Great systems + missing skills = well-oiled machine that can't deliver.
- Great skills + no strategy = talented people pulling in different directions.
How to Use It
When something isn't working, check all four:
- Is the strategy clear?
- Does the structure support it?
- Do the systems enable it?
- Do the people have the skills?
The fix is usually not "try harder." It's realigning one of the four.
From The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins.
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