Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
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Case Study Description of Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore
The Ministry of Manpower in Singapore is designing a new employment pass processing centre. Working with a lean-thinking approach and using previous centers as a template, the project team proceeds to plan an updated version with faster processing times and improved interiors. Unexpectedly, plans grind to a halt as the civil servant in their line of reporting raises some crucial queries that call into question the very basis of the new centre's lean and optimal design. Time is of the essence and the project head is now faced with two very tough options: proceed with minor incremental changes that may not meet expectations, or go for a complete redraft which requires time and capabilities that the team may not possess. Which will be his choice? The case stops here to allow a class discussion to evaluate the two options on how to proceed. This provides an ideal setting to discuss how to manage a new-to-the-firm design-thinking project.
Authors :: Michael T. Pich, Manuel Sosa, Rajee Vissa
Swot Analysis of "Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore" written by Michael T. Pich, Manuel Sosa, Rajee Vissa includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Manpower Pass facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Innovation, Operations management and Technology & Operations.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore casestudy better are - – banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing transportation and logistics costs, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, increasing commodity prices, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings,
talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, geopolitical disruptions, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Manpower Pass, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Manpower Pass 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 Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Manpower Pass
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 Manpower Pass
Strengths Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Manpower Pass in Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore Harvard Business Review case study are -
Training and development
– Manpower Pass has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore 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.
Learning organization
- Manpower Pass 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 Manpower Pass is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Manpower Pass 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 Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Manpower Pass 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Manpower Pass in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Manpower Pass is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore 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 Technology & Operations field
– Manpower Pass 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 Manpower Pass in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Diverse revenue streams
– Manpower Pass is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore 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.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Manpower Pass 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.
Organizational Resilience of Manpower Pass
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Manpower Pass does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Manpower Pass has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Manpower Pass 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.
Weaknesses Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore are -
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Manpower Pass 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 Manpower Pass 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Manpower Pass products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Manpower Pass 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, Manpower Pass is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Need for greater diversity
– Manpower Pass 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.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Manpower Pass 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. Manpower Pass 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Manpower Pass, firm in the HBR case study Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Manpower Pass is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Technology & Operations segment. Manpower Pass needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Manpower Pass to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Manpower Pass 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore HBR case study mentions - Manpower Pass 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.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Manpower Pass 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.
Opportunities Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore | 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 Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore are -
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Manpower Pass 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, Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Manpower Pass 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 Manpower Pass in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Technology & Operations segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Manpower Pass 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.
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 Manpower Pass in the consumer business. Now Manpower Pass can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Loyalty marketing
– Manpower Pass 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Manpower Pass can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Manpower Pass operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Technology & Operations sector.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Manpower Pass to increase its market reach. Manpower Pass 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Manpower Pass is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Technology & Operations industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Manpower Pass can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Manufacturing automation
– Manpower Pass 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Manpower Pass 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 Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Manpower Pass to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Buying journey improvements
– Manpower Pass can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore 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 Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore 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 Manpower Pass business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Manpower Pass with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Increasing wage structure of Manpower Pass
– 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 Manpower Pass.
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 Manpower Pass.
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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Manpower Pass 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Manpower Pass is facing in Technology & Operations sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Environmental challenges
– Manpower Pass 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. Manpower Pass can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Technology & Operations industry.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore, Manpower Pass 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 .
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. Manpower Pass can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Regulatory challenges
– Manpower Pass 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 Technology & Operations industry regulations.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Manpower Pass 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Manpower Pass has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Technology & Operations industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Manpower Pass needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Technology & Operations 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore 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 Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore 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 Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore 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 Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore 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 Public Sector Service Design: Designing the Employment Pass Service Centre for the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore 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 Manpower Pass needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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