Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video)
This video case uses the story of an orchestra which seeks to manage without a conductor as a metaphor for the nature and role of leadership in an organization. The video examines, over time and through rehearsals and tours, the trials and triumphs of the Orpheus orchestra, focusing on internal tensions and debates based in its group management approach. Interviews with individual members capture the disparate needs and viewpoints within the group. The case can be used as the basis for discussion of an underlying precepts of leadership, as well as discussion of communal or Utopian approaches to organizational management. DVD Run Time: 00:26:06
Authors :: J. Richard Hackman, Alexandra De Gonzalvez, Erin Lehman
Swot Analysis of "Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video)" written by J. Richard Hackman, Alexandra De Gonzalvez, Erin Lehman includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Orchestra Orpheus facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Leadership, Organizational culture, Organizational structure and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) casestudy better are - – supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , geopolitical disruptions, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing commodity prices, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing energy prices, central banks are concerned over increasing inflation,
cloud computing is disrupting traditional business models, technology disruption, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video)
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Orchestra Orpheus, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Orchestra Orpheus 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 Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Orchestra Orpheus
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 Orchestra Orpheus
Strengths Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Orchestra Orpheus in Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) Harvard Business Review case study are -
Innovation driven organization
– Orchestra Orpheus is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Diverse revenue streams
– Orchestra Orpheus is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) case study a diverse revenue stream that has helped it to survive disruptions such as global pandemic in Covid-19, financial disruption of 2008, and supply chain disruption of 2021.
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Orchestra Orpheus 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 Orchestra Orpheus in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Digital Transformation in Leadership & Managing People segment
- digital transformation varies from industry to industry. For Orchestra Orpheus digital transformation journey comprises differing goals based on market maturity, customer technology acceptance, and organizational culture. Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Orchestra Orpheus in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Orchestra Orpheus to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Orchestra Orpheus to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Orchestra Orpheus has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Orchestra Orpheus 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 Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Strong track record of project management
– Orchestra Orpheus 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
- Orchestra Orpheus 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 Orchestra Orpheus is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Analytics focus
– Orchestra Orpheus 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 J. Richard Hackman, Alexandra De Gonzalvez, Erin Lehman 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.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Orchestra Orpheus is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Weaknesses Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) are -
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) HBR case study mentions - Orchestra Orpheus takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.
Slow decision making process
– As mentioned earlier in the report, Orchestra Orpheus 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. Orchestra Orpheus 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.
No frontier risks strategy
– After analyzing the HBR case study Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video), 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.
Aligning sales with marketing
– It come across in the case study Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) 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 Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) can leverage the sales team experience to cultivate customer relationships as Orchestra Orpheus is planning to shift buying processes online.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Orchestra Orpheus 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.
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 Orchestra Orpheus supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video), it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Orchestra Orpheus vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Lack of clear differentiation of Orchestra Orpheus products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Orchestra Orpheus needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video), it seems that the employees of Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Compensation and incentives
– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video), is just above the industry average. Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video), in the dynamic environment Orchestra Orpheus has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Orchestra Orpheus has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Opportunities Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) | 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 Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) are -
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Orchestra Orpheus can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Orchestra Orpheus can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Orchestra Orpheus operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.
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. Orchestra Orpheus 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. Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Orchestra Orpheus 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 Orchestra Orpheus to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Orchestra Orpheus 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 Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Orchestra Orpheus to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Orchestra Orpheus to increase its market reach. Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Developing new processes and practices
– Orchestra Orpheus 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.
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 Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Threats Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) are -
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Orchestra Orpheus 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.
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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Orchestra Orpheus has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Orchestra Orpheus 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.
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. Orchestra Orpheus 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.
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 Orchestra Orpheus.
Environmental challenges
– Orchestra Orpheus 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. Orchestra Orpheus can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.
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 Orchestra Orpheus business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Orchestra Orpheus 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.
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. Orchestra Orpheus can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Orchestra Orpheus 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 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.
Shortening product life cycle
– it is one of the major threat that Orchestra Orpheus is facing in Leadership & Managing People sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.
Regulatory challenges
– Orchestra Orpheus 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.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) 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 Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) 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 Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) 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 Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) 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 Nobody on the Podium: Lessons about Leadership from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Video) 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 Orchestra Orpheus needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
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