Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A)
This case series deals with an executive education institution and its entrepreneurial-minded leader on the 25th anniversary of the institution. Central to developing a strategy for the future is a decision about leadership capacities that need to be developed for the school's participants, and what kind of education will be needed. The central figure of the case believes strongly in parallels between arts and management and in innovative experiences which inspire leadership. How far to go with these relative to the usual "boiler-plate" of leadership teaching is major feature of these cases. The A case takes the perspective of the school's president. The B case takes the multiple perspectives of eight contrasting stakeholders. The C case takes the perspective of the Board. The D case brings the participant up to date on what actually happened.
Swot Analysis of "Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A)" written by Derek Abell includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Leadership Takes facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Change management, Emerging markets, Entrepreneurship, Financial analysis, Leadership, Leadership development, Strategy, Succession planning and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) casestudy better are - – increasing commodity prices, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing energy prices, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, geopolitical disruptions, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation,
there is backlash against globalization, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Leadership Takes, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Leadership Takes 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 Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Leadership Takes
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field.
4. Making a Innovation & Entrepreneurship topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Leadership Takes
Strengths Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Leadership Takes in Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Successful track record of launching new products
– Leadership Takes has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Leadership Takes 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 switching costs
– The high switching costs that Leadership Takes 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.
Organizational Resilience of Leadership Takes
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Leadership Takes does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Training and development
– Leadership Takes has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Leadership Takes 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 Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Learning organization
- Leadership Takes 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 Leadership Takes is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Strong track record of project management
– Leadership Takes is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Innovation driven organization
– Leadership Takes is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Diverse revenue streams
– Leadership Takes is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) 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.
Digital Transformation in Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Leadership Takes digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Leadership Takes 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Leadership Takes in the sector have low bargaining power. Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Leadership Takes to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) 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 Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) are -
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Leadership Takes 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 dependence on existing supply chain
– The disruption in the global supply chains because of the Covid-19 pandemic and blockage of the Suez Canal illustrated the fragile nature of Leadership Takes supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Leadership Takes vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Leadership Takes 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) HBR case study mentions - Leadership Takes 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Leadership Takes is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment. Leadership Takes needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Leadership Takes to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Leadership Takes is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) 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 Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A), in the dynamic environment Leadership Takes has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Leadership Takes has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A), it seems that the employees of Leadership Takes 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.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Derek Abell suggests that, Leadership Takes is facing high bargaining power of the channel partners. So far it has not able to streamline the operations to reduce the bargaining power of the value chain partners in the industry.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) 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 Leadership Takes 's lucrative customers.
Lack of clear differentiation of Leadership Takes products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Leadership Takes needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Opportunities Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) | 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 Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) are -
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Leadership Takes 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 Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Leadership Takes can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Leadership Takes operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Innovation & Entrepreneurship sector.
Loyalty marketing
– Leadership Takes 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Leadership Takes 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Leadership Takes 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Leadership Takes to increase its market reach. Leadership Takes 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.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Leadership Takes 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. Leadership Takes 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Leadership Takes can develop new processes and procedures in Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Leadership Takes 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 Leadership Takes to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
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 Leadership Takes to reconfigure its entire business model. For example it can used blockchain based technologies to reduce piracy of its products in the big markets such as China. Secondly it can use the popularity of e-commerce in various developing markets to build a Direct to Customer business model rather than the current Channel Heavy distribution network.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Leadership Takes can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Buying journey improvements
– Leadership Takes can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Leadership Takes in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Threats Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) are -
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Leadership Takes 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.
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 Leadership Takes business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Increasing wage structure of Leadership Takes
– 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 Leadership Takes.
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. Leadership Takes needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A), Leadership Takes may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Innovation & Entrepreneurship .
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Leadership Takes 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.
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 Leadership Takes.
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. Leadership Takes 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.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Innovation & Entrepreneurship field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Leadership Takes can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Leadership Takes 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 Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) .
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Leadership Takes has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Leadership Takes needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Leadership Takes with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Regulatory challenges
– Leadership Takes 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 Innovation & Entrepreneurship industry regulations.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) 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 Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) 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 Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) 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 Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) 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 Danica Purg: Entrepreneurial Leadership In Shaping Leadership Development (A) 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 Leadership Takes needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
