×




Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change


This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. In today's fast-paced business world, leaders know that their organization's success is tightly linked to its ability to change again and again. Yet many change initiatives fail. One reason, the authors say, is that leaders often underestimate the impact of the politics and emotions of change. The authors suggest a five-step process for leading a major change initiative: Step 1: Map the political landscape. Map the key external and internal, formal and informal stakeholders who will be affected by the change. Step 2: Identify the key influencers within each stakeholder group. Once the key stakeholder groups are mapped, leaders should identify the key influencers within each group. Key influencers are those individuals who might be able to marshal resources, enroll others, build legitimacy and momentum, and provide ideas crucial to driving the change. Step 3: Assess influencers'receptiveness to change. People have different levels of receptiveness to a given change. Both supporters and skeptics must be engaged. Step 4: Mobilize influential sponsors and promoters. Sponsors have access to financial and human resources. Promoters, on the other hand, can be extremely useful in igniting the enthusiasm that can draw fence-sitters into the process and propel change forward. Step 5: Engage influential positive and negative skeptics. Skeptics can either make a change process more effective or turn a minor hurdle into a major roadblock. Positive skeptics may offer important perspectives and insights about the vulnerabilities of proposed changes. Influential negative skeptics are also important to work with.

Authors :: Ellen R. Auster, Trish Ruebottom

Topics :: Leadership & Managing People

Tags :: , SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change" written by Ellen R. Auster, Trish Ruebottom includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Skeptics Change facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, and Leadership & Managing People.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change casestudy better are - – increasing household debt because of falling income levels, increasing energy prices, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, there is backlash against globalization, geopolitical disruptions, talent flight as more people leaving formal jobs, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, etc



12 Hrs

$59.99
per Page
  • 100% Plagiarism Free
  • On Time Delivery | 27x7
  • PayPal Secure
  • 300 Words / Page
  • Buy Now

24 Hrs

$49.99
per Page
  • 100% Plagiarism Free
  • On Time Delivery | 27x7
  • PayPal Secure
  • 300 Words / Page
  • Buy Now

48 Hrs

$39.99
per Page
  • 100% Plagiarism Free
  • On Time Delivery | 27x7
  • PayPal Secure
  • 300 Words / Page
  • Buy Now







Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Skeptics Change, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Skeptics Change 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 Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Skeptics Change
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 Skeptics Change




Strengths Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Skeptics Change in Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change Harvard Business Review case study are -

High switching costs

– The high switching costs that Skeptics Change 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.

Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field

– Skeptics Change 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 Skeptics Change in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.

Organizational Resilience of Skeptics Change

– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Skeptics Change does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.

Low bargaining power of suppliers

– Suppliers of Skeptics Change in the sector have low bargaining power. Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Skeptics Change to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Skeptics Change 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 Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Successful track record of launching new products

– Skeptics Change has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Skeptics Change 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.

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Skeptics Change 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.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Skeptics Change is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change 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 Skeptics Change 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

– Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Skeptics Change to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Skeptics Change to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.

Strong track record of project management

– Skeptics Change is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Skeptics Change 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 Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.



02468Tim Blanchard at Jones Mendel & Co. (Abridged) Surveying Professional Forecasters (HANDOUT) Shriners Hospitals for Children TENCENT: EXPANDING FROM CHINA TO THE WORLD Tips to Foster Ownership in Your Organization Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change
Net Promoter Score



Weaknesses Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change are -

High bargaining power of channel partners

– Because of the regulatory requirements, Ellen R. Auster, Trish Ruebottom suggests that, Skeptics Change 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.

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Skeptics Change 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.

Interest costs

– Compare to the competition, Skeptics Change 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.

Lack of clear differentiation of Skeptics Change products

– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Skeptics Change needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.

Low market penetration in new markets

– Outside its home market of Skeptics Change, firm in the HBR case study Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.

No frontier risks strategy

– After analyzing the HBR case study Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change, 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.

Need for greater diversity

– Skeptics Change 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.

Skills based hiring

– The stress on hiring functional specialists at Skeptics Change 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.

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change, is just above the industry average. Skeptics Change 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 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 Skeptics Change supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Skeptics Change vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.

High cash cycle compare to competitors

Skeptics Change 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.




Opportunities Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change | 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 Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change are -

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Skeptics Change has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Skeptics Change to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change case study. Skeptics Change 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 Skeptics Change 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

– Skeptics Change 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.

Developing new processes and practices

– Skeptics Change 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 Skeptics Change 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.

Using analytics as competitive advantage

– Skeptics Change 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 Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Skeptics Change to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Skeptics Change 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, Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

Increase in government spending

– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Skeptics Change can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Skeptics Change operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Leadership & Managing People sector.

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 Skeptics Change in the consumer business. Now Skeptics Change can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.

Lowering marketing communication costs

– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Skeptics Change 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.

Better consumer reach

– The expansion of the 5G network will help Skeptics Change to increase its market reach. Skeptics Change 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.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Skeptics Change is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change 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.

Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities

– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Skeptics Change 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 Skeptics Change to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.




Threats Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change are -

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Skeptics Change can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.

Increasing wage structure of Skeptics Change

– 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 Skeptics Change.

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. Skeptics Change 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 Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change, Skeptics Change 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 .

Regulatory challenges

– Skeptics Change needs to prepare for regulatory challenges as consumer protection groups and other pressure groups are vigorously advocating for more regulations on big business - to reduce inequality, to create a level playing field, to product data privacy and consumer privacy, to reduce the influence of big money on democratic institutions, etc. This can lead to significant changes in the Leadership & Managing People industry regulations.

New competition

– After the dotcom bust of 2001, financial crisis of 2008-09, the business formation in US economy had declined. But in 2020 alone, there are more than 1.5 million new business applications in United States. This can lead to greater competition for Skeptics Change in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

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.

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. Skeptics Change 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.

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Skeptics Change 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.

Barriers of entry lowering

– As technology is more democratized, the barriers to entry in the industry are lowering. It can presents Skeptics Change with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.

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.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Skeptics Change 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.

Environmental challenges

– Skeptics Change 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. Skeptics Change can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change 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 Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change 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 Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change 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 Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change 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 Navigating the Politics and Emotions of Change 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 Skeptics Change needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



--- ---

Orascom Telecom Holding (A): Wind and Weather SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

L. J. Bourgeois III, Henning Hoeber , Strategy & Execution


Salomon and the Treasury Securities Auction SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Dwight B. Crane, Patrick Moreton , Finance & Accounting


Marlene's Marvelous Adventure: JetBlue Airways SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Elliott N. Weiss, Marlene Friesen , Leadership & Managing People


Groupon SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Sayan Chatterjee, Alison Streiff, Sarah O'Keeffe , Strategy & Execution


COMCO Holding AG (B): COMCO Martech SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Pamela Yatsko , Global Business


BCPC Internet Strategy Team: Jan Trow SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Amy C. Edmondson, Laura R. Feldman , Strategy & Execution