Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
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Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob
"Being a Change Agent"is a three-part case series set in a rural district of Assam in India. It describes the efforts made by Kuladhar Saikia, Deputy Inspector General of Police in the early 2000s, to tackle witchcraft-related crimes that were prevalent in this isolated and economically backward part of the country.
Swot Analysis of "Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob" written by Vibha Gaba, Indira Pant, Phanish Puranam includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Agent Kuladhar facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Government and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob casestudy better are - – challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing energy prices, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%,
wage bills are increasing, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Agent Kuladhar, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Agent Kuladhar 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 Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Agent Kuladhar
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Strategy & Execution field.
4. Making a Strategy & Execution topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Agent Kuladhar
Strengths Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Agent Kuladhar in Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob Harvard Business Review case study are -
Learning organization
- Agent Kuladhar 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 Agent Kuladhar is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High brand equity
– Agent Kuladhar has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Agent Kuladhar to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Training and development
– Agent Kuladhar has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob 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.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Agent Kuladhar 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Agent Kuladhar has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Agent Kuladhar 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.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Agent Kuladhar in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Analytics focus
– Agent Kuladhar 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 Vibha Gaba, Indira Pant, Phanish Puranam 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Agent Kuladhar is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Agent Kuladhar 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 Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Agent Kuladhar 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 Agent Kuladhar in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Organizational Resilience of Agent Kuladhar
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Agent Kuladhar does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Weaknesses Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob are -
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob, in the dynamic environment Agent Kuladhar has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Agent Kuladhar has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Agent Kuladhar 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob 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 Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Agent Kuladhar is planning to shift buying processes online.
Lack of clear differentiation of Agent Kuladhar products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Agent Kuladhar needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Agent Kuladhar 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. Agent Kuladhar 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.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Vibha Gaba, Indira Pant, Phanish Puranam suggests that, Agent Kuladhar 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob HBR case study mentions - Agent Kuladhar 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Agent Kuladhar has some of the most successful products in the industry, this business model has made each new product launch extremely critical for continuous financial growth of the organization. firm in the HBR case study - Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Agent Kuladhar is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Agent Kuladhar needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Agent Kuladhar to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Need for greater diversity
– Agent Kuladhar has taken concrete steps on diversity, equity, and inclusion. But the efforts so far has resulted in limited success. It needs to expand the recruitment and selection process to hire more people from the minorities and underprivileged background.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob, is just above the industry average. Agent Kuladhar 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.
Opportunities Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob | 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 Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob are -
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Agent Kuladhar 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 Agent Kuladhar to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Agent Kuladhar can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Agent Kuladhar operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
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 Agent Kuladhar 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.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Strategy & Execution industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Agent Kuladhar can take advantage of these changes in consumer behavior to build a far more efficient business model. For example consumer regular ordering of products can reduce both last mile delivery costs and market penetration costs. Agent Kuladhar can further use this consumer data to build better customer loyalty, provide better products and service collection, and improve the value proposition in inflationary times.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Agent Kuladhar 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, Agent Kuladhar 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Agent Kuladhar 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Agent Kuladhar can build a diversified supply chain model across various countries in - South East Asia, India, and other parts of the world. This reconfiguration of global supply chain can help, as suggested in case study, Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
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 Agent Kuladhar in the consumer business. Now Agent Kuladhar can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Agent Kuladhar in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Strategy & Execution segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Developing new processes and practices
– Agent Kuladhar can develop new processes and procedures in Strategy & Execution 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.
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. Agent Kuladhar can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Agent Kuladhar 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 Strategy & Execution segment.
Threats Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob are -
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Agent Kuladhar in the Strategy & Execution industry. The Strategy & Execution 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob, Agent Kuladhar may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Strategy & Execution .
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. Agent Kuladhar 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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Agent Kuladhar 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
– Agent Kuladhar has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Agent Kuladhar needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Strategy & Execution 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Agent Kuladhar with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Environmental challenges
– Agent Kuladhar 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. Agent Kuladhar can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry.
Increasing wage structure of Agent Kuladhar
– 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 Agent Kuladhar.
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 Agent Kuladhar.
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 Agent Kuladhar business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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 Agent Kuladhar in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Agent Kuladhar 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.
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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob 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 Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob 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 Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob 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 Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob 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 Being a Change Agent (A): Lessons from a Lynch Mob 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 Agent Kuladhar needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
