Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management
Two of the world's leading management thinkers and two global CEOs discuss the changing nature of leadership in this excerpt from the 6th annual Global Peter Drucker Forum. Despite their varied experience and backgrounds, they agree that idea of 'architectural thinking' for leaders is becoming very powerful: of leaders designing environments and cultures to enable innovation. They show how the leadership landscape is shifting, and that the young leaders coming along are converging around a new type of leadership. In order to 'act like a leader' today, you have to devote much of your time to four activities: bridging across diverse people and groups; envisioning new possibilities; engaging people in the change process; and embodying that change.
Authors :: Herminia Ibarra, Georg Polzer, Tammy Erickson, Vineet Nayar
Swot Analysis of "Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management" written by Herminia Ibarra, Georg Polzer, Tammy Erickson, Vineet Nayar includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Forum Leadership facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Leadership, Organizational structure and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management casestudy better are - – technology disruption, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, increasing transportation and logistics costs, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, geopolitical disruptions,
supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Forum Leadership, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Forum Leadership 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 Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Forum Leadership
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 Forum Leadership
Strengths Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Forum Leadership in Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management Harvard Business Review case study are -
Organizational Resilience of Forum Leadership
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Forum Leadership does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Analytics focus
– Forum Leadership 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 Herminia Ibarra, Georg Polzer, Tammy Erickson, Vineet Nayar 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.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management 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.
Innovation driven organization
– Forum Leadership is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Forum Leadership 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.
Diverse revenue streams
– Forum Leadership is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management 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.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Forum Leadership to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Forum Leadership to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Strong track record of project management
– Forum Leadership is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Learning organization
- Forum Leadership 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 Forum Leadership is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Forum Leadership is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Forum Leadership in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
High brand equity
– Forum Leadership has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Forum Leadership to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Weaknesses Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management are -
Need for greater diversity
– Forum Leadership 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management, is just above the industry average. Forum Leadership 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 operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management has high operating costs in the. This can be harder to sustain given the new emerging competition from nimble players who are using technology to attract Forum Leadership 's lucrative customers.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management 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 Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Forum Leadership is planning to shift buying processes online.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Forum Leadership is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Forum Leadership needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Forum Leadership to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Forum Leadership 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.
Lack of clear differentiation of Forum Leadership products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Forum Leadership needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
High bargaining power of channel partners
– Because of the regulatory requirements, Herminia Ibarra, Georg Polzer, Tammy Erickson, Vineet Nayar suggests that, Forum Leadership 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 Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management, 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.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Forum Leadership is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management 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, Forum Leadership 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.
Opportunities Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management | 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 Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management are -
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Forum Leadership 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Forum Leadership 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, Forum Leadership is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management 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.
Loyalty marketing
– Forum Leadership 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Forum Leadership 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.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Forum Leadership has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Forum Leadership to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management case study. Forum Leadership can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Developing new processes and practices
– Forum Leadership can develop new processes and procedures in Leadership & Managing People industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Leadership & Managing People industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Forum Leadership can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions
– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Forum Leadership in the consumer business. Now Forum Leadership can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Buying journey improvements
– Forum Leadership can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Forum Leadership to increase its market reach. Forum Leadership 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Forum Leadership can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Forum Leadership in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Leadership & Managing People segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Threats Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management are -
Regulatory challenges
– Forum Leadership 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 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.
Increasing wage structure of Forum Leadership
– 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 Forum Leadership.
Barriers of entry lowering
– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Forum Leadership with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Forum Leadership 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 international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Forum Leadership 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 Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management .
Consumer confidence and its impact on Forum Leadership 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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Forum Leadership has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Forum Leadership 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
– Forum Leadership 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.
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 Forum Leadership in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
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. Forum Leadership needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management, Forum Leadership may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Leadership & Managing People .
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Forum Leadership is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management 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 Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management 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 Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management 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 Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management 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 Leadership Forum: The Architecture of Management 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 Forum Leadership needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
