Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A)
Dr. Barrett Rollins, Chief Scientific Officer of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, attempts to engender cross-scientist collaboration by applying project management principles to medical research. The resulting innovation, Integrative Research Centers, are novel in this field and present a substantial challenge to the Institute's culture, which had previously allowed faculty scientists complete autonomy over their research. Center leaders are required to develop a business plan, adhere to agreed-upon performance metrics, and undergo regular progress reviews conducted by a peer-led oversight committee. The Center for Nanotechnology in Cancer, a new but crucial center in the program, has failed to meet almost all of its objectives in the first year. Furthermore, a heated dispute between two faculty members in the center has complicated matters significantly. Rollins is flummoxed by these problems because he thought he had provided resources and clear objectives to all of the centers. He must urgently diagnose the main reason(s) for the center's shortcomings and develop a plan of action so that this center's problems do not undermine the whole initiative toward greater scientific collaboration.
Authors :: Heidi K. Gardner, Edo Bedzra, Shereef M. Elnahal
Swot Analysis of "Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A)" written by Heidi K. Gardner, Edo Bedzra, Shereef M. Elnahal includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Cancer Farber facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Collaboration, Communication, Leading teams, Organizational culture and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) casestudy better are - – central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, digital marketing is dominated by two big players Facebook and Google, wage bills are increasing, increasing energy prices,
geopolitical disruptions, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Cancer Farber, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Cancer Farber 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 Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Cancer Farber
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 Cancer Farber
Strengths Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Cancer Farber in Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Learning organization
- Cancer Farber 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 Cancer Farber is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Cancer Farber has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Cancer Farber 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.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (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.
Digital Transformation in Leadership & Managing People segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Cancer Farber digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Cancer Farber 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Cancer Farber is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Cancer Farber is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
High brand equity
– Cancer Farber has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Cancer Farber to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Cancer Farber 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 Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Organizational Resilience of Cancer Farber
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Cancer Farber does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Training and development
– Cancer Farber has one of the best training and development program in the industry. The effectiveness of the training programs can be measured in Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (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.
Strong track record of project management
– Cancer Farber is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Cancer Farber 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 Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Weaknesses Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) are -
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Cancer Farber is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A), it seems that company is thinking about the frontier risks that can impact Leadership & Managing People strategy. But it has very little resources allocation to manage the risks emerging from events such as natural disasters, climate change, melting of permafrost, tacking the rise of artificial intelligence, opportunities and threats emerging from commercialization of space etc.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A), it seems that the employees of Cancer Farber 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A), in the dynamic environment Cancer Farber has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Cancer Farber has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Cancer Farber, firm in the HBR case study Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Cancer Farber is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Cancer Farber needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Cancer Farber to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Cancer Farber 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.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Cancer Farber 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. Cancer Farber 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) 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 Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Cancer Farber is planning to shift buying processes online.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Cancer Farber 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 - Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Lack of clear differentiation of Cancer Farber products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Cancer Farber needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Opportunities Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (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 Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) are -
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. Cancer Farber can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
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 Cancer Farber 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Cancer Farber 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Cancer Farber 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 Cancer Farber to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Cancer Farber 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Cancer Farber 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Cancer Farber is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) 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.
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 Cancer Farber in the consumer business. Now Cancer Farber can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Cancer Farber can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Cancer Farber 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 Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Cancer Farber to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Cancer Farber to increase its market reach. Cancer Farber 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Cancer Farber has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Cancer Farber to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) case study. Cancer Farber can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Buying journey improvements
– Cancer Farber can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (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.
Threats Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) are -
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. Cancer Farber needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Regulatory challenges
– Cancer Farber 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.
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. Cancer Farber can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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 Cancer Farber.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Cancer Farber 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 Cancer Farber business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Cancer Farber is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Increasing wage structure of Cancer Farber
– 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 Cancer Farber.
Technology disruption because of hacks, piracy etc
– The colonial pipeline illustrated, how vulnerable modern organization are to international hackers, miscreants, and disruptors. The cyber security interruption, data leaks, etc can seriously jeopardize the future growth of the organization.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A), Cancer Farber 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 .
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Cancer Farber 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 Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A) .
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 Cancer Farber in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Environmental challenges
– Cancer Farber 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. Cancer Farber can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (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 Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (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 Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (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 Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (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 Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (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 Cancer Farber needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
Feel free to connect with us if you need business research.
You can download Excel Template of Case Study Solution & Analysis of Ganging up on Cancer: Integrative Research Centers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (A)