Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention
The chief executive officer of Kvantum Inc. received a distressing email from the human resources manager at Data Research Services. The two companies shared office space, and Data Research Services had invested seed capital in Kvantum. However, a Data Research Services employee was now accusing one of Kvantum's most competent junior data scientists of harassment. The Kvantum employee had apparently approached the Data Research Services employee personally and then again through a popular social networking website. If the allegations were verified, Kvantum could lose a valuable employee. Moreover, a workplace scandal could adversely impact the start-up's reputation. The issue required immediate action. Should it be considered misbehaviour? If so, what kind of misbehaviour? Most importantly, how should Kvantum resolve the problem? Gaatha Gulyani is affiliated with Management Development Institute.
Swot Analysis of "Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention" written by Gaatha Gulyani, Jyotsna Bhatnagar includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Kvantum Misbehaviour facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Social platforms, Talent management and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention casestudy better are - – increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, wage bills are increasing, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, increasing transportation and logistics costs, increasing commodity prices, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models,
increasing energy prices, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Kvantum Misbehaviour, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Kvantum Misbehaviour 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 Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Kvantum Misbehaviour
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 Kvantum Misbehaviour
Strengths Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Kvantum Misbehaviour in Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention Harvard Business Review case study are -
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Kvantum Misbehaviour to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Kvantum Misbehaviour to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Kvantum Misbehaviour in the sector have low bargaining power. Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Kvantum Misbehaviour to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Kvantum Misbehaviour 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 Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Kvantum Misbehaviour has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
Digital Transformation in Leadership & Managing People segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Kvantum Misbehaviour digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Kvantum Misbehaviour is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Learning organization
- Kvantum Misbehaviour 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 Kvantum Misbehaviour is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Kvantum Misbehaviour in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Innovation driven organization
– Kvantum Misbehaviour is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Kvantum Misbehaviour 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 Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
High brand equity
– Kvantum Misbehaviour has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Kvantum Misbehaviour to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention are -
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention, is just above the industry average. Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention 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 Kvantum Misbehaviour has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Kvantum Misbehaviour 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 Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention, it seems that the employees of Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Kvantum Misbehaviour 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 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 Kvantum Misbehaviour supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Kvantum Misbehaviour vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Lack of clear differentiation of Kvantum Misbehaviour products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Kvantum Misbehaviour needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Kvantum Misbehaviour 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. Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Kvantum Misbehaviour, firm in the HBR case study Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention 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 Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Kvantum Misbehaviour is planning to shift buying processes online.
Opportunities Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention | 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 Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention are -
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Kvantum Misbehaviour has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Kvantum Misbehaviour to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention case study. Kvantum Misbehaviour can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
Redefining models of collaboration and team work
– As explained in the weaknesses section, Kvantum Misbehaviour is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention 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
– Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
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. Kvantum Misbehaviour 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, Kvantum Misbehaviour can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Kvantum Misbehaviour 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 Kvantum Misbehaviour 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 Kvantum Misbehaviour to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Kvantum Misbehaviour to increase its market reach. Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Kvantum Misbehaviour 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, Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Kvantum Misbehaviour can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Buying journey improvements
– Kvantum Misbehaviour can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention 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 Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention are -
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. Kvantum Misbehaviour can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention, Kvantum Misbehaviour 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 .
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Kvantum Misbehaviour 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
– Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Kvantum Misbehaviour has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Kvantum Misbehaviour is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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. Kvantum Misbehaviour needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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 Kvantum Misbehaviour in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Kvantum Misbehaviour with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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. Kvantum Misbehaviour 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.
Environmental challenges
– Kvantum Misbehaviour 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. Kvantum Misbehaviour can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention 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 Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention 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 Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention 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 Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention 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 Kvantum Inc.: Social Media Dilemma and Talent Retention 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 Kvantum Misbehaviour needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
