Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Strategy & Execution
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy
Representations of strategy tend to either be so generalized as to have little real meaning for employees, or go into such detail that people struggle to understand what is really required. The problem is this: a strategy not understood by those charged with implementing it is as bad as, or even worse than, not having a strategy at all. In 1983, a classic Business Horizons article by Karl Weick highlighted the importance of using graphical approaches to overcome strategy relation challenges; however, since then, little has been written regarding how managers might accomplish this successfully. Our article argues that individualized drawings of strategy, or what we term 'stratography,' could enable more effective conceptualization and communication of the strategic complexity that organizations face and the paths they are seeking to follow. Herein, we employ the latest thinking in cartography, educational philosophy, optics, graphic design, and military protocol to outline seven good practices of effective stratography.
Swot Analysis of "Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy" written by Stephen Cummings, Duncan Angwin includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Stratography Strategy facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Developing employees, Strategy and Strategy & Execution.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy casestudy better are - – increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, geopolitical disruptions, wage bills are increasing, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings,
increasing energy prices, increasing commodity prices, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Stratography Strategy, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Stratography Strategy 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 Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Stratography Strategy
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 Stratography Strategy
Strengths Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Stratography Strategy in Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy Harvard Business Review case study are -
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Stratography Strategy in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Stratography Strategy has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Stratography Strategy 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Stratography Strategy 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 Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Ability to lead change in Strategy & Execution field
– Stratography Strategy 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 Stratography Strategy in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Diverse revenue streams
– Stratography Strategy is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy 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.
High brand equity
– Stratography Strategy has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Stratography Strategy to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Stratography Strategy 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Stratography Strategy in the sector have low bargaining power. Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Stratography Strategy to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Learning organization
- Stratography Strategy 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 Stratography Strategy is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Stratography Strategy is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Strategy & Execution industry
– Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Stratography Strategy to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Strategy & Execution industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Stratography Strategy to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy 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.
Weaknesses Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy are -
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy HBR case study mentions - Stratography Strategy 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 Stratography Strategy products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Stratography Strategy needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Stratography Strategy 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 - Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Stephen Cummings, Duncan Angwin suggests that, Stratography Strategy 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.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Stratography Strategy 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 decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Stratography Strategy 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. Stratography Strategy 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Stratography Strategy 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Stratography Strategy 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy, in the dynamic environment Stratography Strategy has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Stratography Strategy has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy 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 Stratography Strategy 's lucrative customers.
High dependence on existing supply chain
– The disruption in the global supply chains because of the Covid-19 pandemic and blockage of the Suez Canal illustrated the fragile nature of Stratography Strategy supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Stratography Strategy vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Opportunities Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy | 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 Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy are -
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Strategy & Execution industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Stratography Strategy can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
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. Stratography Strategy can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Stratography Strategy has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in the sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled, as illustrated in the Harvard case study Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Stratography Strategy to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
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 Stratography Strategy in the consumer business. Now Stratography Strategy 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 Stratography Strategy has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Stratography Strategy to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy case study. Stratography Strategy can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Stratography Strategy 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.
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 Stratography Strategy 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Stratography Strategy can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Stratography Strategy 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Stratography Strategy 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Stratography Strategy 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 Stratography Strategy 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, Stratography Strategy can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Stratography Strategy operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.
Buying journey improvements
– Stratography Strategy can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy 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.
Threats Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy are -
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Stratography Strategy is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Increasing wage structure of Stratography Strategy
– 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 Stratography Strategy.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Stratography Strategy 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.
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.
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. Stratography Strategy 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Stratography Strategy with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Stratography Strategy 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.
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. Stratography Strategy needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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 Stratography Strategy in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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 Stratography Strategy.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Stratography Strategy 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 Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy .
Consumer confidence and its impact on Stratography Strategy 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.
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 Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy 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 Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy 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 Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy 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 Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy 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 Stratography: The Art of Conceptualizing and Communicating Strategy 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 Stratography Strategy needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
