Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B)
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)-formally part of the California Institute of Technology-is one of a number of federally funded research institutions within NASA, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. JPL has played a large role in many space and planetary explorations, and in particular in missions to the planet Mars. As a project-based organization, JPL has many opportunities to learn between successive missions, but there are also many challenges to the development and exchange of experience-based knowledge. The case "Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (A)" (HBS No. 917-405) provides background on the knowledge management challenges facing Jennifer Trosper, and in particular on her decision whether or not to seek funding for a hands-on training program building miniature, educational versions of a Mars surface vehicle. This case describes her decision and provides further information on subsequent efforts made after the initial decision.
Swot Analysis of "Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B)" written by Dorothy Leonard, Christopher Myers includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Jpl Nasa facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Labor and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) casestudy better are - – central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, increasing energy prices, there is backlash against globalization, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , wage bills are increasing, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%,
talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Jpl Nasa, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Jpl Nasa 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 Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Jpl Nasa
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 Jpl Nasa
Strengths Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Jpl Nasa in Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Jpl Nasa in the sector have low bargaining power. Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Jpl Nasa to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Analytics focus
– Jpl Nasa 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 Dorothy Leonard, Christopher Myers 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Jpl Nasa is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) 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.
Strong track record of project management
– Jpl Nasa is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Jpl Nasa 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.
Digital Transformation in Leadership & Managing People segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Jpl Nasa digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Jpl Nasa 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Jpl Nasa has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Jpl Nasa 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Jpl Nasa is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Jpl Nasa 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 Jpl Nasa in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Jpl Nasa to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Jpl Nasa to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Learning organization
- Jpl Nasa 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 Jpl Nasa is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Innovation driven organization
– Jpl Nasa is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Weaknesses Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) are -
Need for greater diversity
– Jpl Nasa 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 bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Dorothy Leonard, Christopher Myers suggests that, Jpl Nasa 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B), 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B), is just above the industry average. Jpl Nasa needs to redesign the compensation structure and incentives to increase the revenue per employees. Some of the steps that it can take are – hiring more specialists on project basis, etc.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Jpl Nasa, firm in the HBR case study Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Jpl Nasa is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Jpl Nasa 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.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Jpl Nasa is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Jpl Nasa needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Jpl Nasa to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B), in the dynamic environment Jpl Nasa has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Jpl Nasa 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 Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B), it seems that the employees of Jpl Nasa 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) 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 Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Jpl Nasa is planning to shift buying processes online.
Opportunities Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) | 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 Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) are -
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Jpl Nasa is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Jpl Nasa 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.
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 Jpl Nasa in the consumer business. Now Jpl Nasa can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Jpl Nasa has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Jpl Nasa to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) case study. Jpl Nasa can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Loyalty marketing
– Jpl Nasa 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.
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 Jpl Nasa 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Jpl Nasa in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Leadership & Managing People segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Jpl Nasa can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Jpl Nasa operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Jpl Nasa 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Jpl Nasa 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Jpl Nasa can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Jpl Nasa can build a diversified supply chain model across various countries in - South East Asia, India, and other parts of the world. This reconfiguration of global supply chain can help, as suggested in case study, Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B), to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
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. Jpl Nasa 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. Jpl Nasa 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.
Threats Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) are -
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Jpl Nasa 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 Jpl Nasa
– 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 Jpl Nasa.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Jpl Nasa in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The Leadership & Managing People industry is already at various protected from local competition in China, with the rise of trade war the protection levels may go up. This presents a clear threat of current business model in Chinese market.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Jpl Nasa 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 Jpl Nasa business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Jpl Nasa 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 Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) .
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. Jpl Nasa 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Jpl Nasa is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Aging population
– As the populations of most advanced economies are aging, it will lead to high social security costs, higher savings among population, and lower demand for goods and services in the economy. The household savings in US, France, UK, Germany, and Japan are growing faster than predicted because of uncertainty caused by pandemic.
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 Jpl Nasa.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Jpl Nasa 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.
Regulatory challenges
– Jpl Nasa 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 Jpl Nasa in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) 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 Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) 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 Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) 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 Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) 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 Transferring Knowledge Between Projects at NASA JPL (B) 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 Jpl Nasa needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.