Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda
Describes the implementation in Seattle Public Schools, under the direction of Superintendent Joseph Olchefske, of a systemwide standards and accountability scheme, known as the Performance Agenda. The Performance Agenda set academic standards for students and defined professional expectations for teachers and administrators. A primary goal of the agenda was to align teaching practices with academic outcomes for students and to introduce performance-based practices into the management of teachers and staff. Focuses significantly on the interaction of the district's labor contracts with efforts to introduce teacher accountability.
Swot Analysis of "Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda" written by Stig Leschly includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Agenda Seattle facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda casestudy better are - – increasing commodity prices, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, geopolitical disruptions, wage bills are increasing, there is backlash against globalization,
central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Agenda Seattle, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Agenda Seattle 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Agenda Seattle
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 Agenda Seattle
Strengths Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Agenda Seattle in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda Harvard Business Review case study are -
Learning organization
- Agenda Seattle 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 Agenda Seattle is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Agenda Seattle to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Agenda Seattle to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda 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.
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Agenda Seattle 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 Agenda Seattle in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Agenda Seattle in the sector have low bargaining power. Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Agenda Seattle to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Training and development
– Agenda Seattle has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Agenda Seattle is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Analytics focus
– Agenda Seattle 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 Stig Leschly 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.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Agenda Seattle 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Diverse revenue streams
– Agenda Seattle is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda 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 Agenda Seattle 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Agenda Seattle has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Agenda Seattle 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda are -
Need for greater diversity
– Agenda Seattle 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.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Agenda Seattle has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Agenda Seattle is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Agenda Seattle needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Agenda Seattle to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Agenda Seattle 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Agenda Seattle 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.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Agenda Seattle has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Agenda Seattle 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 - Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda that the firm needs to have more collaboration between its sales team and marketing team. Sales professionals in the industry have deep experience in developing customer relationships. Marketing department in the case Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Agenda Seattle is planning to shift buying processes online.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda HBR case study mentions - Agenda Seattle 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.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Agenda Seattle 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda, it seems that the employees of Agenda Seattle 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.
Opportunities Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda | 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda are -
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Agenda Seattle is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Agenda Seattle can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Leadership & Managing People 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Agenda Seattle can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Agenda Seattle has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Agenda Seattle to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda case study. Agenda Seattle can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Agenda Seattle to increase its market reach. Agenda Seattle 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Agenda Seattle 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Agenda Seattle 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Agenda Seattle to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Changes in consumer behavior post Covid-19
– Consumer behavior has changed in the Leadership & Managing People industry because of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of this behavior will stay once things get back to normal. Agenda Seattle 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. Agenda Seattle 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
– Agenda Seattle can develop new processes and procedures in Leadership & Managing People 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.
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. Agenda Seattle can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
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 Agenda Seattle in the consumer business. Now Agenda Seattle can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Agenda Seattle 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 Leadership & Managing People segment.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Agenda Seattle 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.
Threats Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda are -
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Agenda Seattle with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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 Agenda Seattle 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. Agenda Seattle 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
– Agenda Seattle 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.
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 Agenda Seattle in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Agenda Seattle 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.
Environmental challenges
– Agenda Seattle 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. Agenda Seattle can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
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. Agenda Seattle needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Agenda Seattle 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 Agenda Seattle
– 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 Agenda Seattle.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Agenda Seattle 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda, Agenda Seattle 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 .
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Agenda Seattle is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda 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 Seattle Public Schools--1995-2002 (B): The Performance Agenda 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 Agenda Seattle needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.