Global Lighthouse Network 2026

4.2 Three archetypes of successful scalers: illuminating a way out of the “scaling slump” Lighthouses treat the full rewiring of their operations as a journey. They begin with a clear vision of the end state, yet continually reassess their context, ambitions and progress to determine how much change to pursue at each stage. As they become more cross-functional, Lighthouses evolve through successive models, moving steadily away from traditional organizational structures. This is not change for its own sake, but an intentional shift from the limitations of legacy systems – whose hierarchical, siloed processes often hinder the adoption of new digital technologies and the flow of knowledge across sites. Many organizations experience a “scaling slump” – the point at which early transformation momentum stalls as pilots fail to replicate beyond a few sites.56 Lighthouses overcome this barrier by progressing through three scaling-up archetypes that reflect increasing levels of transformation maturity (Figure 33): 1. Centre-of-excellence (CoE)-driven: Centralized expertise, deployed locally 2. Capability-driven: workforce capability and upskilling programmes 3. Technology-driven: standardization and integration of technology While each archetype can stand on its own, Lighthouses typically advance from one to the next as capabilities deepen and strategic ambitions broaden. Organization structures for various transformation phases and company strengths FIGURE 33 ,lanoitidarT functional, hierar chical organizations ,lanoitcnuf ,lanoitidarT hierar chical organizationsLighthouse pilot/CoE ,lanoitidarT functional, hierar chical organizationsDomain capability teams + IT org. r supportehtO organizationsFull domainIncreasingly cross-functional : companies can progress from one stage to the next, adapting their scaling approach as they go Product & platform Lighthouse pilot Fully rewired Transformation journey stage etercsiD functions connected by reporting lines and processes; no cr oss- functional teams2Capability-driven 3Technology-driven Centr e-of-excellence-driven 1 l designanoitazinagrO pu-gnilacS archetype hcaorppa nwod-pot dezilartneC with site-by-site r ollout, focused on operational and digital excellence hcaorppa desab-ymedacA cultivates capabilities, especially acr oss similar sites hcaorppa del-TI dezilartneC with r oll-out driven by central tech organization working dir ectly with site teams in implementation ot pu tes smaet lanoitcnuf-ssorC pilot in priority domains focusing on strategic, targeted solutionsorganization with hcet denigami-eR persistent cr oss-functional teams delivers scalable foundationsEnterprise-wide adoption of cross- functional teams cfiiceps sezitiroirP products for acceleration %2~ of organization 01-3 cross-functional teams smrofsnart yllatnemadnuF delivery in tech %04-02~ of organization 001-01 cross-functional teams lanoitazinagro eritne segnahC operation model +%07~ of organization 100+ cr oss-functional teamsnoitpircse D gnitarepO model noitargetnI level smaet lanoitcnuf-ssorC Source: McKinsey & Company (rewired framework).57 Global Lighthouse Network: Rewiring Operations for Resilience and Impact at Scale49