Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System
Donya Brewer, the Director of Human Resources at Stress Engineering Services , was asked to evaluate the firm's peer feedback system and update it to better align with the organization's needs as it continued to grow in the 21st century. Developed internally, the current system had undergone minor revisions over several decades, used cumbersome proprietary software and, increasingly, had not been meeting the needs of managerial and supervisory personnel to provide effective guidance for continuing professional development of employees in all lines of work. Brewer and her project team were tasked to increase the efficacy of the peer feedback system while preserving the system's role in fostering the collaborative culture at SES. Part A describes the organization and its peer feedback system and details the front-end, investigative phase of the project. Data is presented and students are asked to assess utilization of the current system. Brewer's team was particularly interested in learning about employee participation in the program, and the quality of the data that it provided to participants. Was it useful to each employee and to their supervisors to guide further professional development?
Authors :: Joseph K Kavanaugh, Sanjay Mehta, Donya Brewer, Matt Mistric
Swot Analysis of "Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System" written by Joseph K Kavanaugh, Sanjay Mehta, Donya Brewer, Matt Mistric includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Peer Feedback facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Assessing performance and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System casestudy better are - – supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, wage bills are increasing, increasing commodity prices, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, increasing energy prices, increasing household debt because of falling income levels,
central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Peer Feedback, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Peer Feedback 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 Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Peer Feedback
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Leadership & Managing People field.
4. Making a Leadership & Managing People topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Peer Feedback
Strengths Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Peer Feedback in Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System Harvard Business Review case study are -
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Peer Feedback 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 Peer Feedback in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Peer Feedback is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Peer Feedback 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 Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Peer Feedback in the sector have low bargaining power. Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Peer Feedback to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Peer Feedback has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Peer Feedback 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.
High brand equity
– Peer Feedback has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Peer Feedback to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Strong track record of project management
– Peer Feedback is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Peer Feedback 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 Peer Feedback
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Peer Feedback does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Learning organization
- Peer Feedback 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 Peer Feedback is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Peer Feedback in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System 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 Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System are -
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Joseph K Kavanaugh, Sanjay Mehta, Donya Brewer, Matt Mistric suggests that, Peer Feedback 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System, it seems that the employees of Peer Feedback 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Peer Feedback is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Peer Feedback needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Peer Feedback 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, Peer Feedback 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 decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Peer Feedback 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. Peer Feedback 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System, is just above the industry average. Peer Feedback 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, Peer Feedback 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Peer Feedback products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Peer Feedback 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, Peer Feedback is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System, in the dynamic environment Peer Feedback has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Peer Feedback has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Peer Feedback 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 - Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Opportunities Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System | 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 Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System are -
Leveraging digital technologies
– Peer Feedback can leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the production process, customer analytics to get better insights into consumer behavior, realtime digital dashboards to get better sales tracking, logistics and transportation, product tracking, etc.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Peer Feedback 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 Peer Feedback in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Leadership & Managing People segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Peer Feedback can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Peer Feedback operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Peer Feedback 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Peer Feedback 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 Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Peer Feedback to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Peer Feedback 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 Peer Feedback to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Peer Feedback can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
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 Peer Feedback 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.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Leadership & Managing People industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Peer Feedback can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Peer Feedback has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Peer Feedback to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System case study. Peer Feedback can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Buying journey improvements
– Peer Feedback can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Peer Feedback is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System 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.
Threats Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System are -
Regulatory challenges
– Peer Feedback 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 Leadership & Managing People industry regulations.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System, Peer Feedback may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Leadership & Managing People .
Consumer confidence and its impact on Peer Feedback 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.
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 Peer Feedback business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Leadership & Managing People field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Peer Feedback can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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. Peer Feedback 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Peer Feedback has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Peer Feedback needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Leadership & Managing People 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.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Peer Feedback in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The Leadership & Managing People 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.
Environmental challenges
– Peer Feedback 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. Peer Feedback can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Peer Feedback 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 Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System .
Increasing wage structure of Peer Feedback
– 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 Peer Feedback.
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 Peer Feedback.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Peer Feedback with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System 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 Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System 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 Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System 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 Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System 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 Peer Feedback At Stress Engineering Services, Inc. (A): Description and Analysis of the Current Performance System 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 Peer Feedback needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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