Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Technology & Operations
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review
In August, 2002, Melody Johnson, the deputy superintendent of the Providence, Rhode Island, School District, was hastily appointed acting superintendent, in the wake of the resignation of her predecessor and close colleague Diana Lam. Lam and Johnson together had been embarked, over the previous three years, on an ambitious reform plan to upgrade the low-performing system. Despite some indicators of improvement, however, Johnson knew that there remained significant resistance to the changes-as evidenced, in part, by a bitter contract dispute recently settled with the system's teachers. This case describes the challenge facing Melody Johnson as she sought to gain rank-and-file support for reform, in the immediate months after her appointment as superintendent in her own right. It focuses on specific steps that she considered to gain that support, without compromising reforms including, radically, a day in which classes would be cancelled so that she and others could address the teaching force as a whole. This public leadership case is designed to highlight the choices and techniques of "adaptive leadership", as described in the work of Kennedy School professor Ronald Heifetz, "Leadership Without Easy Answers" (Belknap Press, September 1994). See also case # 1690.0. HKS Case Number 1689.0
Swot Analysis of "Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review" written by Susan Rosengrant includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Johnson Melody facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Communication, Government, Labor, Leadership, Project management, Social enterprise, Strategic planning and Technology & Operations.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review casestudy better are - – increasing energy prices, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, there is backlash against globalization, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing transportation and logistics costs, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic ,
wage bills are increasing, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Johnson Melody, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Johnson Melody 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 Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Johnson Melody
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Technology & Operations field.
4. Making a Technology & Operations topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Johnson Melody
Strengths Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Johnson Melody in Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review Harvard Business Review case study are -
Ability to lead change in Technology & Operations field
– Johnson Melody 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 Johnson Melody in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Johnson Melody 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 Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Johnson Melody is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review 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.
Training and development
– Johnson Melody has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review 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 Johnson Melody in the sector have low bargaining power. Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Johnson Melody to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Analytics focus
– Johnson Melody 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 Susan Rosengrant 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Technology & Operations industry
– Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Johnson Melody to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Technology & Operations industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Johnson Melody to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Johnson Melody 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.
Learning organization
- Johnson Melody 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 Johnson Melody is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Johnson Melody in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
High brand equity
– Johnson Melody has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Johnson Melody to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review are -
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review HBR case study mentions - Johnson Melody 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.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Johnson Melody 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Johnson Melody 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
Johnson Melody 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Johnson Melody 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 - Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Lack of clear differentiation of Johnson Melody products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Johnson Melody needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Johnson Melody is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Susan Rosengrant suggests that, Johnson Melody 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 Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review 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 Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Johnson Melody is planning to shift buying processes online.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review, is just above the industry average. Johnson Melody 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review, in the dynamic environment Johnson Melody has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Johnson Melody has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Opportunities Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review | 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 Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review are -
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Johnson Melody 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 Technology & Operations segment.
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 Johnson Melody 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Johnson Melody can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Johnson Melody operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Technology & Operations sector.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Johnson Melody 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Johnson Melody can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Technology & Operations 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.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Technology & Operations industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Johnson Melody 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. Johnson Melody 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Johnson Melody 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, Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Johnson Melody to increase its market reach. Johnson Melody 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Johnson Melody 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 Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Johnson Melody to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Loyalty marketing
– Johnson Melody 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Johnson Melody can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Johnson Melody 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.
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. Johnson Melody can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Threats Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review are -
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Johnson Melody is facing in Technology & Operations sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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. Johnson Melody needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Technology & Operations industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Johnson Melody 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.
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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Johnson Melody in the Technology & Operations industry. The Technology & Operations 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.
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 Johnson Melody in the Technology & Operations sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Technology & Operations field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Johnson Melody can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Johnson Melody 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review, Johnson Melody may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Technology & Operations .
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Johnson Melody with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Johnson Melody 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 Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review .
Consumer confidence and its impact on Johnson Melody 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review 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 Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review 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 Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review 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 Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review 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 Winning Hearts and Minds: Reforming the Providence School District: Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson, December 10, 2002 (DVD Supplement) Review 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 Johnson Melody needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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