Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
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Case Study Description of Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior?
Following the largest state takeover of a local public school district in U.S. history, a new governing body must find a CEO to effect a large-scale turnaround in the Philadelphia school district. This case examines the context of large urban public schools and explores the educational and general management challenges facing leaders at the senior management and governing levels. Covers issues such as the politicization of urban school boards, school finance, nontraditional candidates for superintendencies, privatization and educational management organizations, improvement of educational outcomes, state-mandated testing, and stakeholder management.
Swot Analysis of "Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior?" written by Stig Leschly, Stacey Childress, Purnima Kochikar includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that School District facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Organizational culture, Reorganization, Social enterprise and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? casestudy better are - – increasing commodity prices, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, there is backlash against globalization, wage bills are increasing, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, technology disruption,
there is increasing trade war between United States & China, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior?
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the School District, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which School District 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 Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of School District
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 School District
Strengths Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of School District in Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? Harvard Business Review case study are -
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled School District to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped School District to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Analytics focus
– School District 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, Stacey Childress, Purnima Kochikar 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.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of School District in the sector have low bargaining power. Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps School District to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Organizational Resilience of School District
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that School District does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Learning organization
- School District 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 School District is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that School District 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– School District has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. School District 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– School District is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? 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.
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– School District 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 School District in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Digital Transformation in Leadership & Managing People segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For School District digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. School District 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.
Strong track record of project management
– School District is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? 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 Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? are -
Need for greater diversity
– School District 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.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior?, it seems that the employees of School District 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though School District 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 - Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? HBR case study mentions - School District 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 School District is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. School District needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help School District to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Stig Leschly, Stacey Childress, Purnima Kochikar suggests that, School District 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior?, in the dynamic environment School District has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. School District has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
School District 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, School District 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 dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? 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 School District has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
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 School District supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior?, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left School District vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Opportunities Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? | 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 Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? are -
Manufacturing automation
– School District 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.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, School District 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of School District has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help School District to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? case study. School District can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, 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. School District can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help School District to increase its market reach. School District 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– School District 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– School District 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at School District 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.
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 School District in the consumer business. Now School District can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for School District 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.
Identify volunteer opportunities
– Covid-19 has impacted working population in two ways – it has led to people soul searching about their professional choices, resulting in mass resignation. Secondly it has encouraged people to do things that they are passionate about. This has opened opportunities for businesses to build volunteer oriented socially driven projects. School District can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, School District can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that School District operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for School District 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 School District to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Threats Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? are -
Environmental challenges
– School District 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. School District can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents School District with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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. School District can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that School District is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, School District 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 Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? .
Increasing wage structure of School District
– 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 School District.
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 School District business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
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 School District in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– School District has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, School District 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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– School District 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.
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. School District 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– School District 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.
Regulatory challenges
– School District 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? 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 Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? 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 Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? 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 Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? 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 Finding a CEO for the School District of Philadelphia: Searching for a Savior? 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 School District needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.