Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Organizational Development
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc.
Details the rationale for and design of a unique organizational response by Motorola to the challenges of contingent staffing at its semiconductor facility in Austin, Texas. The new outsourcing strategy is built on principles of supply chain management and business webbing to deliver flexibility in staffing, cost controls, and high-quality workers. Through a detailed description of the company's existing methods for hiring contingent workers, it brings to light the organizational costs borne by firms that fail to develop an integrated strategic approach and provides an opportunity to examine the incentives of the different players (both internal and external) to participate in a new staffing model based on interfirm alliances with staffing companies. Also, sets up a discussion of the potential difficulties the company is likely to run into in implementing the new staffing model and broader issues, such as the evolving nature of the employment contract, employee trust and loyalty, and strategic issues that arise when multiple firms compete for the same workforce.
Swot Analysis of "Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc." written by Nancy Dean Beaulieu includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Staffing Contingent facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Joint ventures, Supply chain and Organizational Development.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. casestudy better are - – wage bills are increasing, increasing commodity prices, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion,
increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, technology disruption, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc.
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Staffing Contingent, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Staffing Contingent 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 Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Staffing Contingent
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 Staffing Contingent
Strengths Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Staffing Contingent in Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. Harvard Business Review case study are -
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Organizational Development industry
– Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Staffing Contingent to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Organizational Development industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Staffing Contingent to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
High brand equity
– Staffing Contingent has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Staffing Contingent to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Diverse revenue streams
– Staffing Contingent is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. 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
- Staffing Contingent 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 Staffing Contingent is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Training and development
– Staffing Contingent has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. Harvard Business Review case study by analyzing – employees retention, in-house promotion, loyalty, new venture initiation, lack of conflict, and high level of both employees and customer engagement.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Staffing Contingent in the sector have low bargaining power. Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Staffing Contingent to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Staffing Contingent 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.
Analytics focus
– Staffing Contingent 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 Nancy Dean Beaulieu 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.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. 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
– Staffing Contingent is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Strong track record of project management
– Staffing Contingent is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Digital Transformation in Organizational Development segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Staffing Contingent digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Staffing Contingent 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.
Weaknesses Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. are -
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. 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 Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Staffing Contingent is planning to shift buying processes online.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Staffing Contingent 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.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Staffing Contingent 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. HBR case study mentions - Staffing Contingent 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Staffing Contingent products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Staffing Contingent needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. 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 Staffing Contingent 's lucrative customers.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc., 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Staffing Contingent 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Staffing Contingent is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Organizational Development segment. Staffing Contingent needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Staffing Contingent to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Staffing Contingent is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Staffing Contingent needs to come up with a strategy to reduce the workers concern regarding automation. Without a clear strategy, it could lead to disruption and uncertainty within the organization.
Opportunities Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. | 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 Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. are -
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Staffing Contingent 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 Staffing Contingent to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
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 Staffing Contingent in the consumer business. Now Staffing Contingent can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Staffing Contingent has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Staffing Contingent to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. case study. Staffing Contingent can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Manufacturing automation
– Staffing Contingent 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Staffing Contingent can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Staffing Contingent operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Organizational Development sector.
Developing new processes and practices
– Staffing Contingent 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.
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 Staffing Contingent 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Staffing Contingent to increase its market reach. Staffing Contingent 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Staffing Contingent 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Staffing Contingent 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Staffing Contingent can leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the production process, customer analytics to get better insights into consumer behavior, realtime digital dashboards to get better sales tracking, logistics and transportation, product tracking, etc.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Staffing Contingent 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Staffing Contingent 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.
Threats Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. 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 Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc., Staffing Contingent 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 .
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Staffing Contingent 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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Staffing Contingent 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Staffing Contingent 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.
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 Staffing Contingent.
Increasing wage structure of Staffing Contingent
– 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 Staffing Contingent.
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. Staffing Contingent 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.
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 Staffing Contingent business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Environmental challenges
– Staffing Contingent 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. Staffing Contingent can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Organizational Development industry.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Staffing Contingent 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Staffing Contingent has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Organizational Development industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Staffing Contingent 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.
New competition
– After the dotcom bust of 2001, financial crisis of 2008-09, the business formation in US economy had declined. But in 2020 alone, there are more than 1.5 million new business applications in United States. This can lead to greater competition for Staffing Contingent in the Organizational Development sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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. Staffing Contingent needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Organizational Development industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. 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 Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. 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 Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. 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 Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. 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 Contingent Workforce Planning at Motorola, Inc. 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 Staffing Contingent needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.