Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Organizational Development
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001
Brookfield Properties is a publicly held, North American commercial real estate company focused on the ownership, management, and development of premier office properties located in the downtown core of selected North American markets. Most of Brookfield's assets are in the United States, with headquarters in New York and an executive office in Toronto. Four of the properties that Brookfield owns are adjacent to the World Trade Center site and on September 11, 2001, the terrorist attacks had an immediate impact on Brookfield employees, tenants, and physical property. With little reliable information and in the face of chaos and human tragedy, the president and CEO must develop an action plan that will ensure the safety of all employees and tenants, deal with grief and suffering, assess the damage, enable the company to return to business as usual, and reassure investors and the media of the company's commitment to restore Brookfield's position of market strength.
Authors :: Kathleen E. Slaughter, Elizabeth O'Neil
Swot Analysis of "Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001" written by Kathleen E. Slaughter, Elizabeth O'Neil includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Brookfield Properties facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Crisis management, Leadership, Organizational culture, Strategy execution and Organizational Development.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 casestudy better are - – increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing transportation and logistics costs, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, there is backlash against globalization, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, technology disruption,
digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, geopolitical disruptions, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Brookfield Properties, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Brookfield Properties 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 Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Brookfield Properties
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 Brookfield Properties
Strengths Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Brookfield Properties in Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 Harvard Business Review case study are -
Successful track record of launching new products
– Brookfield Properties has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Brookfield Properties has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.
Organizational Resilience of Brookfield Properties
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Brookfield Properties does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 Harvard Business Review case study comprises – understanding the underlying the factors in the industry, building diversified operations across different geographies so that disruption in one part of the world doesn’t impact the overall performance of the firm, and integrating the various business operations and processes through its digital transformation drive.
Innovation driven organization
– Brookfield Properties is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Brookfield Properties has built up over years in its products and services combo offer has resulted in high retention of customers, lower marketing costs, and greater ability of the firm to focus on its customers.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Brookfield Properties 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 Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Strong track record of project management
– Brookfield Properties is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Organizational Development industry
– Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Brookfield Properties to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Organizational Development industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Brookfield Properties to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Brookfield Properties is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Ability to lead change in Organizational Development field
– Brookfield Properties 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 Brookfield Properties in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Brookfield Properties has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in, as mentioned in case study Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
High brand equity
– Brookfield Properties has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Brookfield Properties to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 are -
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 has high operating costs in the. This can be harder to sustain given the new emerging competition from nimble players who are using technology to attract Brookfield Properties 's lucrative customers.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Kathleen E. Slaughter, Elizabeth O'Neil suggests that, Brookfield Properties is facing high bargaining power of the channel partners. So far it has not able to streamline the operations to reduce the bargaining power of the value chain partners in the industry.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 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 Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Brookfield Properties is planning to shift buying processes online.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001, is just above the industry average. Brookfield Properties needs to redesign the compensation structure and incentives to increase the revenue per employees. Some of the steps that it can take are – hiring more specialists on project basis, etc.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Brookfield Properties is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Lack of clear differentiation of Brookfield Properties products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Brookfield Properties needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Brookfield Properties 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001, 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.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 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 Brookfield Properties has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Brookfield Properties 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. Brookfield Properties 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 Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 HBR case study mentions - Brookfield Properties 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.
Opportunities Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 | 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 Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 are -
Buying journey improvements
– Brookfield Properties can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Brookfield Properties in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Organizational Development segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
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 Brookfield Properties in the consumer business. Now Brookfield Properties can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Developing new processes and practices
– Brookfield Properties can develop new processes and procedures in Organizational Development industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Brookfield Properties to expand its talent hiring zone. According to McKinsey Global Institute, 20% of the high end workforce in fields such as finance, information technology, can continously work from remote local post Covid-19. This presents a really great opportunity for Brookfield Properties to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Brookfield Properties to increase its market reach. Brookfield Properties 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.
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 Brookfield Properties 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Brookfield Properties 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Brookfield Properties can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Brookfield Properties operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Organizational Development sector.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Brookfield Properties is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Brookfield Properties 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Brookfield Properties 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.
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. Brookfield Properties can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Threats Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 are -
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001, Brookfield Properties 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 .
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 Brookfield Properties.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Brookfield Properties with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Backlash against dominant players
– US Congress and other legislative arms of the government are getting tough on big business especially technology companies. The digital arm of Brookfield Properties business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Technology disruption because of hacks, piracy etc
– The colonial pipeline illustrated, how vulnerable modern organization are to international hackers, miscreants, and disruptors. The cyber security interruption, data leaks, etc can seriously jeopardize the future growth of the organization.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Brookfield Properties in the Organizational Development industry. The Organizational Development industry is already at various protected from local competition in China, with the rise of trade war the protection levels may go up. This presents a clear threat of current business model in Chinese market.
Environmental challenges
– Brookfield Properties 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. Brookfield Properties can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Organizational Development industry.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Brookfield Properties 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Brookfield Properties 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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Brookfield Properties can face downward pressure on margins from increasing competition from international players. The international players have stable revenue in their home market and can use those resources to penetrate prominent markets illustrated in HBR case study Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 .
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.
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. Brookfield Properties needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Organizational Development industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Instability in the European markets
– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Brookfield Properties will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 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 Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 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 Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 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 Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 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 Brookfield Properties: Crisis Leadership Following September 11th, 2001 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 Brookfield Properties needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
