Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is the agency charged with investigation of non-criminal complaints of civil rights-related violations in the U.S. workplace, including racial and gender discrimination. This case describes the agency's efforts to reform its internal procedures do as to deal with a staggering backlog of complaints--nearly 100,000--and up to 19-month waits for resolution. It focuses on key strategic decisions which must set the stage for greater efficiency--particularly the issue of whether every complaint must be processed in the same manner, of whether the agency should find ways to concentrate its effort on complaints judged somehow to be more significant. HKS Case Number 1562.0
Authors :: Steve Kelman, Kirsten Lundberg, Carol Chetkovich, David Lazer
Swot Analysis of "Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission" written by Steve Kelman, Kirsten Lundberg, Carol Chetkovich, David Lazer includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Complaints Backlog facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Demographics, Economy, Government, Leadership, Project management, Strategic planning and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission casestudy better are - – there is backlash against globalization, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, technology disruption, cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation,
wage bills are increasing, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Complaints Backlog, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Complaints Backlog 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 Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Complaints Backlog
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 Complaints Backlog
Strengths Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Complaints Backlog in Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Harvard Business Review case study are -
Cross disciplinary teams
– Horizontal connected teams at the Complaints Backlog are driving operational speed, building greater agility, and keeping the organization nimble to compete with new competitors. It helps are organization to ideate new ideas, and execute them swiftly in the marketplace.
Analytics focus
– Complaints Backlog 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 Steve Kelman, Kirsten Lundberg, Carol Chetkovich, David Lazer 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.
High brand equity
– Complaints Backlog has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Complaints Backlog to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Learning organization
- Complaints Backlog 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 Complaints Backlog is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Diverse revenue streams
– Complaints Backlog is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Complaints Backlog in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Organizational Resilience of Complaints Backlog
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Complaints Backlog does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Innovation driven organization
– Complaints Backlog is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Complaints Backlog in the sector have low bargaining power. Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Complaints Backlog to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Complaints Backlog is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Highly skilled collaborators
– Complaints Backlog 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 Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.
Digital Transformation in Leadership & Managing People segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Complaints Backlog digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Complaints Backlog 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.
Weaknesses Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are -
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in the dynamic environment Complaints Backlog has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Complaints Backlog has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 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 Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Complaints Backlog is planning to shift buying processes online.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Complaints Backlog, firm in the HBR case study Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Complaints Backlog is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Complaints Backlog needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Complaints Backlog to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Skills based hiring
– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Complaints Backlog 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Complaints Backlog 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 - Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Interest costs
– Compare to the competition, Complaints Backlog has borrowed money from the capital market at higher rates. It needs to restructure the interest payment and costs so that it can compete better and improve profitability.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Complaints Backlog 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.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 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 Complaints Backlog 's lucrative customers.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Complaints Backlog has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, is just above the industry average. Complaints Backlog 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.
Opportunities Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | 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 Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are -
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Complaints Backlog 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.
Buying journey improvements
– Complaints Backlog can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 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.
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 Complaints Backlog 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.
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. Complaints Backlog can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Complaints Backlog can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.
Creating value in data economy
– The success of analytics program of Complaints Backlog has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Complaints Backlog to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission case study. Complaints Backlog can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.
Loyalty marketing
– Complaints Backlog 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.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Complaints Backlog can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Complaints Backlog operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Complaints Backlog to increase its market reach. Complaints Backlog 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.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Complaints Backlog 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.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Complaints Backlog 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 Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Complaints Backlog to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
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. Complaints Backlog 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. Complaints Backlog 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.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Complaints Backlog 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.
Threats Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are -
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.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Complaints Backlog 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 Complaints Backlog business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Regulatory challenges
– Complaints Backlog 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.
Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins
– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Complaints Backlog 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 Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission .
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Complaints Backlog 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 .
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Complaints Backlog 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.
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. Complaints Backlog can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
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. Complaints Backlog needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
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. Complaints Backlog 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.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Complaints Backlog 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Complaints Backlog is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
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 Complaints Backlog.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 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 Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 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 Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 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 Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 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 Reducing the Complaints Backlog at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 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 Complaints Backlog needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.