Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Organizational Development
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally
Senior executives from Deloitte, RBC, Manulife and the public sector describe their personal journeys as 'allies' for LGBTQ employees. Doing so entails standing up to those who use insensitive language in the workplace, listening to learn what the employee needs in order to thrive, and spreading the word about the benefits of inclusivity. In the end, they show that you cannot call yourself a great leader today unless you practice and promote inclusiveness.
Authors :: Kenneth Fredeen, Sandeep Tatla, Deborah Richardson, Jennifer Tory
Swot Analysis of "Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally" written by Kenneth Fredeen, Sandeep Tatla, Deborah Richardson, Jennifer Tory includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Lgbtq Inclusivity facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Talent management and Organizational Development.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally casestudy better are - – increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, there is backlash against globalization, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing household debt because of falling income levels,
customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Lgbtq Inclusivity, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Lgbtq Inclusivity 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 Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Lgbtq Inclusivity
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 Lgbtq Inclusivity
Strengths Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Lgbtq Inclusivity in Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally Harvard Business Review case study are -
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Lgbtq Inclusivity is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Ability to lead change in Organizational Development field
– Lgbtq Inclusivity 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 Lgbtq Inclusivity in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Digital Transformation in Organizational Development segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Lgbtq Inclusivity digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Organizational Development industry
– Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Lgbtq Inclusivity to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Organizational Development industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Lgbtq Inclusivity to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Learning organization
- Lgbtq Inclusivity 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 Lgbtq Inclusivity is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Analytics focus
– Lgbtq Inclusivity 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 Kenneth Fredeen, Sandeep Tatla, Deborah Richardson, Jennifer Tory 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.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Lgbtq Inclusivity 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 Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Training and development
– Lgbtq Inclusivity has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally 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 Lgbtq Inclusivity in the sector have low bargaining power. Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Lgbtq Inclusivity to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally 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.
High brand equity
– Lgbtq Inclusivity has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Lgbtq Inclusivity to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally are -
Lack of clear differentiation of Lgbtq Inclusivity products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Lgbtq Inclusivity 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 Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally 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 Lgbtq Inclusivity 's lucrative customers.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Lgbtq Inclusivity 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. Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally, it seems that the employees of Lgbtq Inclusivity don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.
Need for greater diversity
– Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Lgbtq Inclusivity is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Organizational Development segment. Lgbtq Inclusivity needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Lgbtq Inclusivity to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Lgbtq Inclusivity, firm in the HBR case study Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally, is just above the industry average. Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Opportunities Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally | 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 Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally are -
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Organizational Development industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Lgbtq Inclusivity 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. Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Lgbtq Inclusivity can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Lgbtq Inclusivity can make experimentation a productive activity and build a culture of innovation using approaches such as – mining transaction data, A/B testing of websites and selling platforms, engaging potential customers over various needs, and building on small ideas in the Organizational Development segment.
Buying journey improvements
– Lgbtq Inclusivity can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Lgbtq Inclusivity 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 Lgbtq Inclusivity in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Organizational Development segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions
– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Lgbtq Inclusivity in the consumer business. Now Lgbtq Inclusivity 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 Lgbtq Inclusivity has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Lgbtq Inclusivity to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally case study. Lgbtq Inclusivity can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Lgbtq Inclusivity 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, Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Threats Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally are -
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 Lgbtq Inclusivity business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Organizational Development field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Lgbtq Inclusivity can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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 Lgbtq Inclusivity.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Lgbtq Inclusivity can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.
Increasing wage structure of Lgbtq Inclusivity
– 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 Lgbtq Inclusivity.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Lgbtq Inclusivity has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Organizational Development industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Environmental challenges
– Lgbtq Inclusivity 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. Lgbtq Inclusivity can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Organizational Development industry.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Lgbtq Inclusivity 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 Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally .
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Lgbtq Inclusivity 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.
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 Lgbtq Inclusivity 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. Lgbtq Inclusivity needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Organizational Development industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally 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 Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally 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 Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally 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 Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally 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 Leadership Forum: The Role of the LGBTQ+ Ally 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 Lgbtq Inclusivity needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
