Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Organizational Development
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002
Alan Bersin was hired as the superintendent of San Diego City Schools (SDCS) in 1998. Over the course of four years, he and his chancellor of instruction, Anthony Alvarado, led an aggressive reform effort: reorganizing the central office, redesigning the instructional program in reading and math, and devoting incredible resources to teachers' and administrators' professional development. The SDCS leaders faced significant political and financial challenges: the school board was deeply divided, the teachers' union opposed the district leadership, and the state was entering the most significant financial crisis in recent memory. Nevertheless, from 1998 to 2002, student achievement scores improved significantly in elementary schools, modestly in middle schools, and virtually not at all in high schools. The reform efforts appeared to be working in the smaller elementary schools but not the larger, more organizationally complex secondary schools. The leaders faced a choice: to continue the reform efforts, with the understanding that the reforms were not yet fully implemented and results so far were mixed, or modify the reform strategy (and, if so, to determine in what ways).
Authors :: James A. Phills, Linda Darling-Hammond, Michael Milliken
Swot Analysis of "Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002" written by James A. Phills, Linda Darling-Hammond, Michael Milliken includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Schools Sdcs facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Change management, Leadership and Organizational Development.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 casestudy better are - – there is backlash against globalization, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing commodity prices, technology disruption, wage bills are increasing, geopolitical disruptions,
digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Schools Sdcs, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Schools Sdcs operates in.
According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of the managers use SWOT analysis for various purposes such as – evaluating current scenario, strategic planning, new venture feasibility, personal growth goals, new market entry, Go To market strategies, portfolio management and strategic trade-off assessment, organizational restructuring, etc.
SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix
SWOT analysis of Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Schools Sdcs
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Organizational Development field.
4. Making a Organizational Development topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Schools Sdcs
Strengths Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Schools Sdcs in Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 Harvard Business Review case study are -
Strong track record of project management
– Schools Sdcs is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Schools Sdcs has highly efficient outsourcing and offshoring strategy. It has resulted in greater operational flexibility and bringing down the costs in highly price sensitive segment. Secondly the value chain collaborators of the firm in Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
High brand equity
– Schools Sdcs has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Schools Sdcs to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Organizational Resilience of Schools Sdcs
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Schools Sdcs does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Schools Sdcs in the sector have low bargaining power. Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Schools Sdcs to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Analytics focus
– Schools Sdcs is putting a lot of focus on utilizing the power of analytics in business decision making. This has put it among the leading players in the industry. The technology infrastructure suggested by James A. Phills, Linda Darling-Hammond, Michael Milliken can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.
Digital Transformation in Organizational Development segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Schools Sdcs digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Schools Sdcs has successfully integrated the four key components of digital transformation – digital integration in processes, digital integration in marketing and customer relationship management, digital integration into the value chain, and using technology to explore new products and market opportunities.
Ability to lead change in Organizational Development field
– Schools Sdcs is one of the leading players in its industry. Over the years it has not only transformed the business landscape in its segment but also across the whole industry. The ability to lead change has enabled Schools Sdcs in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Innovation driven organization
– Schools Sdcs is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Schools Sdcs are driving operational speed, building greater agility, and keeping the organization nimble to compete with new competitors. It helps are organization to ideate new ideas, and execute them swiftly in the marketplace.
Diverse revenue streams
– Schools Sdcs is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 case study a diverse revenue stream that has helped it to survive disruptions such as global pandemic in Covid-19, financial disruption of 2008, and supply chain disruption of 2021.
Learning organization
- Schools Sdcs is a learning organization. It has inculcated three key characters of learning organization in its processes and operations – exploration, creativity, and expansiveness. The work place at Schools Sdcs is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Weaknesses Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 are -
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002, it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Organizational Development strategy. But it has very little resources allocation to manage the risks emerging from events such as natural disasters, climate change, melting of permafrost, tacking the rise of artificial intelligence, opportunities and threats emerging from commercialization of space etc.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Schools Sdcs is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Organizational Development segment. Schools Sdcs needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Schools Sdcs to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 that the firm needs to have more collaboration between its sales team and marketing team. Sales professionals in the industry have deep experience in developing customer relationships. Marketing department in the case Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Schools Sdcs is planning to shift buying processes online.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Schools Sdcs has created an environment where the organization is dominated by functional specialists rather than management generalist. This has resulted into product oriented approach rather than marketing oriented approach or consumers oriented approach.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Schools Sdcs has borrowed money from the capital market at higher rates. It needs to restructure the interest payment and costs so that it can compete better and improve profitability.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002, in the dynamic environment Schools Sdcs has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Schools Sdcs has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Schools Sdcs has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Schools Sdcs has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Schools Sdcs has a very deliberative decision making approach. This approach has resulted in prudent decisions, but it has also resulted in missing opportunities in the industry over the last five years. Schools Sdcs even though has strong showing on digital transformation primary two stages, it has struggled to capitalize the power of digital transformation in marketing efforts and new venture efforts.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 HBR case study mentions - Schools Sdcs takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Schools Sdcs has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.
Opportunities Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The opportunities highlighted in the Harvard Business Review case study Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 are -
Reconfiguring business model
– The expansion of digital payment system, the bringing down of international transactions costs using Bitcoin and other blockchain based currencies, etc can help Schools Sdcs to reconfigure its entire business model. For example it can used blockchain based technologies to reduce piracy of its products in the big markets such as China. Secondly it can use the popularity of e-commerce in various developing markets to build a Direct to Customer business model rather than the current Channel Heavy distribution network.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Schools Sdcs can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Schools Sdcs to increase its market reach. Schools Sdcs will be able to reach out to new customers. Secondly 5G will also provide technology framework to build new tools and products that can help more immersive consumer experience and faster consumer journey.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Schools Sdcs is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Schools Sdcs can make experimentation a productive activity and build a culture of innovation using approaches such as – mining transaction data, A/B testing of websites and selling platforms, engaging potential customers over various needs, and building on small ideas in the Organizational Development segment.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Organizational Development industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Schools Sdcs can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Buying journey improvements
– Schools Sdcs can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 suggest that firm can provide automated chats to help consumers solve their own problems, provide online suggestions to get maximum out of the products and services, and help consumers to build a community where they can interact with each other to develop new features and uses.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Schools Sdcs to conduct training and development for its employees across the world. This will result in not only reducing the cost of training but also help employees in different part of the world to integrate with the headquarter work culture, ethos, and standards.
Identify volunteer opportunities
– Covid-19 has impacted working population in two ways – it has led to people soul searching about their professional choices, resulting in mass resignation. Secondly it has encouraged people to do things that they are passionate about. This has opened opportunities for businesses to build volunteer oriented socially driven projects. Schools Sdcs can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Schools Sdcs can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Loyalty marketing
– Schools Sdcs has focused on building a highly responsive customer relationship management platform. This platform is built on in-house data and driven by analytics and artificial intelligence. The customer analytics can help the organization to fine tune its loyalty marketing efforts, increase the wallet share of the organization, reduce wastage on mainstream advertising spending, build better pricing strategies using personalization, etc.
Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions
– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Schools Sdcs in the consumer business. Now Schools Sdcs can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Manufacturing automation
– Schools Sdcs can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Organizational Development segment. It can use CAD and 3D printing to build a quick prototype and pilot testing products. It can leverage automation using machine learning and artificial intelligence to do faster production at lowers costs, and it can leverage the growth in satellite and tracking technologies to improve inventory management, transportation, and shipping.
Threats Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 are -
High level of anxiety and lack of motivation
– the Great Resignation in United States is the sign of broader dissatisfaction among the workforce in United States. Schools Sdcs needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Organizational Development industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Aging population
– As the populations of most advanced economies are aging, it will lead to high social security costs, higher savings among population, and lower demand for goods and services in the economy. The household savings in US, France, UK, Germany, and Japan are growing faster than predicted because of uncertainty caused by pandemic.
Increasing wage structure of Schools Sdcs
– Post Covid-19 there is a sharp increase in the wages especially in the jobs that require interaction with people. The increasing wages can put downward pressure on the margins of Schools Sdcs.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Schools Sdcs can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.
Capital market disruption
– During the Covid-19, Dow Jones has touched record high. The valuations of a number of companies are way beyond their existing business model potential. This can lead to capital market correction which can put a number of suppliers, collaborators, value chain partners in great financial difficulty. It will directly impact the business of Schools Sdcs.
Environmental challenges
– Schools Sdcs needs to have a robust strategy against the disruptions arising from climate change and energy requirements. EU has identified it as key priority area and spending 30% of its 880 billion Euros European post Covid-19 recovery funds on green technology. Schools Sdcs can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Organizational Development industry.
Regulatory challenges
– Schools Sdcs needs to prepare for regulatory challenges as consumer protection groups and other pressure groups are vigorously advocating for more regulations on big business - to reduce inequality, to create a level playing field, to product data privacy and consumer privacy, to reduce the influence of big money on democratic institutions, etc. This can lead to significant changes in the Organizational Development industry regulations.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002, Schools Sdcs may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Organizational Development .
Consumer confidence and its impact on Schools Sdcs demand
– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Schools Sdcs is facing in Organizational Development sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Schools Sdcs has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Organizational Development industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Schools Sdcs needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Organizational Development sector. According to Mckinsey study top managers believe that the adoption of technology in operations, communications is 20-25 times faster than what they planned in the beginning of 2019.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Schools Sdcs high dependence on third party suppliers can disrupt its processes and delivery mechanism. For example -the current troubles of car makers because of chip shortage is because the chip companies started producing chips for electronic companies rather than car manufacturers.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Organizational Development field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Schools Sdcs can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 Template, Example
Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers in the HBR case study Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 needs to zero down on the relative importance of each factor mentioned in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants.
We can provide the relative importance to each factor by assigning relative weights. Weighted SWOT analysis process is a three stage process –
First stage for doing weighted SWOT analysis of the case study Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 is to rank the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This will help you to assess the most important strengths and weaknesses of the firm and which one of the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the initial lists are marginal and can be left out.
Second stage for conducting weighted SWOT analysis of the Harvard case study Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 is to give probabilities to the external strategic factors thus better understanding the opportunities and threats arising out of macro environment changes and developments.
Third stage of constructing weighted SWOT analysis of Reforming San Diego City Schools: 1998-2002 is to provide strategic recommendations includes – joining likelihood of external strategic factors such as opportunities and threats to the internal strategic factors – strengths and weaknesses. You should start with external factors as they will provide the direction of the overall industry. Secondly by joining probabilities with internal strategic factors can help the company not only strategic fit but also the most probably strategic trade-off that Schools Sdcs needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.