Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Leadership & Managing People
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety?
This series of six cases (labeled A through F) presents the various dilemmas that arose in the spring of 2001 when engineers at the Seattle-based Boeing Company, unhappy with management decisions, contemplated and undertook a strike, the first "white-collar" work stoppage in the history of American business.
Authors :: Pat Werhane, Michael Gorman, Jenny Mead, Mary L Cummings
Swot Analysis of "Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety?" written by Pat Werhane, Michael Gorman, Jenny Mead, Mary L Cummings includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Boeing Strike facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Ethics, Labor and Leadership & Managing People.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? casestudy better are - – increasing commodity prices, increasing energy prices, geopolitical disruptions, increasing inequality as vast percentage of new income is going to the top 1%, wage bills are increasing, increasing household debt because of falling income levels, technology disruption,
central banks are concerned over increasing inflation, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety?
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Boeing Strike, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Boeing Strike 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 Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Boeing Strike
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 Boeing Strike
Strengths Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Boeing Strike in Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? Harvard Business Review case study are -
Innovation driven organization
– Boeing Strike is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Learning organization
- Boeing Strike 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 Boeing Strike is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? 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.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Boeing Strike has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Boeing Strike 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.
High brand equity
– Boeing Strike has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Boeing Strike to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Boeing Strike in the sector have low bargaining power. Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Boeing Strike to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Strong track record of project management
– Boeing Strike is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Leadership & Managing People industry
– Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Boeing Strike to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Leadership & Managing People industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Boeing Strike to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Boeing Strike is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Boeing Strike 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 Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Ability to lead change in Leadership & Managing People field
– Boeing Strike 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 Boeing Strike in – penetrating new markets, reaching out to new customers, and providing different value propositions to different customers in the international markets.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Boeing Strike in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Weaknesses Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? are -
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Boeing Strike is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Leadership & Managing People segment. Boeing Strike needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Boeing Strike to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Boeing Strike has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
Lack of clear differentiation of Boeing Strike products
– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Boeing Strike needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Boeing Strike 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 Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety?, is just above the industry average. Boeing Strike 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 Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? 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 Boeing Strike 's lucrative customers.
Workers concerns about automation
– As automation is fast increasing in the segment, Boeing Strike 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.
Need for greater diversity
– Boeing Strike 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.
Products dominated business model
– Even though Boeing Strike 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 - Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Boeing Strike, firm in the HBR case study Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Boeing Strike 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.
Opportunities Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? | 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 Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? are -
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Boeing Strike 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, Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety?, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Remote work and new talent hiring opportunities
– The widespread usage of remote working technologies during Covid-19 has opened opportunities for Boeing Strike 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 Boeing Strike to hire the very best people irrespective of their geographical location.
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Boeing Strike 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 Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Boeing Strike to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
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 Boeing Strike in the consumer business. Now Boeing Strike can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.
Buying journey improvements
– Boeing Strike can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? 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.
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. Boeing Strike can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Building a culture of innovation
– managers at Boeing Strike 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.
Manufacturing automation
– Boeing Strike 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.
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. Boeing Strike can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Increase in government spending
– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Boeing Strike can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Boeing Strike 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. Boeing Strike 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. Boeing Strike 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.
Reforming the budgeting process
- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Boeing Strike can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.
Developing new processes and practices
– Boeing Strike 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.
Threats Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? are -
Increasing wage structure of Boeing Strike
– 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 Boeing Strike.
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.
Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution
– Boeing Strike has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Leadership & Managing People industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Boeing Strike 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.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety?, Boeing Strike 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
– Boeing Strike 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.
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 Boeing Strike business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Boeing Strike 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 Boeing Strike with greater competitive threats in the near to medium future. Secondly it will also put downward pressure on pricing throughout the sector.
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. Boeing Strike can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Boeing Strike 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.
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 Boeing Strike in the Leadership & Managing People sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Boeing Strike 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.
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. Boeing Strike needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Leadership & Managing People industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? 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 Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? 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 Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? 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 Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? 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 Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (C): Will a Strike Jeopardize Public Safety? 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 Boeing Strike needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
