Conducting a SWOT Analysis

Step 1: Invite Participation

Once youve collected your external and internal Environmental Scan information, the next step
in the process is to share this information with the individuals who will be participating in the
actual SWOT Analysis !nformation
discovered during the Environmental
Scan provides a valuable insight to
what might be your agencys
Strengths, Wea"nesses, Opportunities
and Threats The SWOT Analysis
Matrix provides an illustrative way to
display these data that is easy to
understand
The SWOT Matrix
The end product of a SWOT Analysis
is a SWOT #atrix $se the SWOT
Analysis Matrix to record the
Strengths, Weanesses,
Opportunities and Threats of your
agency
Strengths and wea"nesses are usually
considered to be internal to your
agency, while opportunities and
threats are usually considered
external factors
%
Tip&
Six Si!ple "ules #or a Success#ul SWOT Analysis
% 'e realistic about the strengths and wea"nesses of
your organi(ation when conducting your SWOT
Analysis
) A SWOT Analysis should distinguish between where
your organi(ation is today, and where it could be in
the future
* SWOT should always be specific Avoid grey areas
Stay focused on the topic being analy(ed, in this
case, the wor"force
+ Always apply SWOT in relation to your competition,
ie better than or worse than your competition !t is
important to identify who you are competing against
for wor"ers, the competition may be private sector
employers or other public agencies or non-profits
. /eep your SWOT short and simple Avoid complexity
and over analysis
0 SWOT is sub1ective
Ta"en from&
www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_swot.htm
Te!plate: SWOT Analysis Matrix
Positives $egatives
Strengths Weanesses
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Opportunities Threats

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2oull obtain the best results from your SWOT Analysis by giving participants time to absorb the
results of the Environmental Scan and prepare their own draft SWOT #atrix To give
participants a head start in thin"ing about the data and the process before completing the
agencys final SWOT #atrix&
3rovide participants with the collected Environmental Scan information
3rovide participants with a draft SWOT #atrix with ade4uate space to record what they
see are the agencys wor"force Strengths, Wea"nesses, Opportunities and Threats
!nclude a brief description of how your agency will use the information 5eg to develop a
wor"force plan for the next five years6
2ou can share this information by conducting group discussions or distributing it electronically
by email or through an online survey 7istributing the environmental scan and SWOT #atrix
electronically allows for wider distribution and greater participation within your agency
'athering Agency %eed(ac
To receive honest and ob1ective feedbac", it is important to assure participants that you will
maintain their anonymity This is especially important when using electronic tools to obtain
feedbac" Once the promise of confidentiality has been bro"en it may be difficult to regain the
trust of the respondents
Sa!ple e!ail 8 to send to a representative number of employees or to all employees of
your agency to get their feedbac" on the agencys Strengths, Wea"nesses, Opportunities
and Threats As" participants to email their responses bac" The SWOT Team or human
resources staff then document and summari(e the responses
Sa!ple )e(*(ased survey 8 to collect feedbac" online 5We used 9oomerang in our
example6 There are some advantages to using an online survey tool to collect SWOT
information&
2ou can assure participants of confidentiality
The web host can summari(e survey results or provide a spreadsheet of the
results, eliminating the need for team members or human resources staff to
perform the tabulation
Share the Environmental Scan information lists with team members even when using a web-
based survey tool 2ou can distribute these by email or by posting them on an intranet site and
referencing the intranet address in the online survey
Once employees have had the opportunity to participate in the process by submitting draft
SWOT information, schedule a meeting to complete the final SWOT Analysis for the agency
Step +: Conduct a SWOT Analysis Meeting
The next step in the Environmental Scan and SWOT Analysis process is to assemble a team to
meet and complete the process The team could consist of the individuals who completed the
Environmental Scan, human resources staff, or a different cross section of the agencys
employees :ollow the steps in the Conducting a Successul SWOT Analysis Meeting
Worksheet to arrange an effective SWOT Analysis meeting
*
Worsheet: Conducting a Success#ul SWOT Analysis Meeting
Step 1 , &xplain the Process
Since time is usually at a premium for meeting participants, it is important that the participants
understand why they are at the meeting and what the expected outcomes of the meeting are
Explain that the purpose of the meeting is to conduct a SWOT Analysis of the agencys
wor"force 7efine SWOT Analysis as the process of documenting the agencys
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
Explain how your agency will use the outcome of the meeting 8 that the results are
important because the information will serve as a foundation for the agencys wor"force
and strategic;business planning
'efore beginning the business part of the meeting, establish meeting ground rules 5an
agreed upon set of norms on how the meeting will be conducted6&
Sa!ple Meeting 'round "ules
Teams meeting to complete a SWOT Analysis should develop ground rules that define how team
members want the meeting to be conducted <round rules help promote meeting efficiency and
member participation The ground rules should be developed and agreed upon by the team
members at the start of the meeting Ten of the most common meeting ground rules include&
% =espect each other and refrain from ma"ing personal attac"s
) Ac"nowledge that it is O/ to disagree
* >isten to others, dont interrupt
+ Everyone participates, no one dominates, value the diversity of team members
. ?onor time limits& be on time, start on time, end on time
0 =ecogni(e that all ideas are potentially good ideas, dont rush to evaluate suggestions,
"eep an open mind
@ Stic" to the agenda 8 stay on tas" $sually the meeting leader or another designated
individual serves as a facilitator and is responsible for facilitating the meeting and "eeping
it on tas" and on time
A 'e prepared for the meeting by reviewing materials distributed beforehand and bringing
any re4uested materials with you
B =espect confidentiality, what is said in the meeting should stay in the meeting
%C #a"e arrangements to not be interrupted during the meeting, turn off cell phones
Step + , -ist Strengths
7evelop a list of all of the internal strengths of the agency incorporating feedbac" from the team
members, emails and surveys 7iscuss the strengths and clarify any 4uestions or confusion
Examples of strengths could include an experienced staff or good employee training program
+
Step . , Identi#y Weanesses
=epeat the process you used to identify strengths to generate a list of the agencys
wea"nesses Wea"nesses are internal factors that may impact wor"force planning negatively
Examples of wea"nesses could include an absence of procedural manuals or lac" of an
employee mentoring program !t is possible that a strength could also be a wea"ness :or
example, long-time employees could be a strength because of their experience, but may be a
wea"ness because it might indicate a wor"force close to retirement
Step / , -ist Opportunities
=epeat the process to list opportunities Opportunities are external factors, as opposed to the
internal factors of strengths and wea"nesses Opportunities could include new relevant training
programs at educational institutions or an emerging diverse wor"force
Step 0 , Identi#y Threats
=epeat the process to identify threats Threats are also external factors Threats could have a
negative impact on your wor"force planning and could include a pro1ected increase in the cost
of employee health insurance or an expected reduction in government funding Again it is
possible that an opportunity may also be perceived as a threat :or example, new technology
tools might be an opportunity, but also threaten staffing levels
Step 1 , &sta(lish Priorities
2ou will have four lists once youve identified your Strengths, Wea"nesses, Opportunities and
Threats $se a prioriti(ation process to reduce each of the four lists to five top priorities Two
options for doing this are&
% <ive each person in the group five stic"y dots and have them place the dots beside the
options they prefer They can choose five individual options or place multiple dots on an option
they feel strongly about The option with the greatest number of dots will determine the course
of action
) As" participants to ran" the options using a scale of % to ., where . points represents their
first choice, + their second choice, etc The desired option is the one that accumulates the
highest total score
On the next page is a Sam!le Com!leted SWOT Matrix with five top priorities for wor"force
planning for a human services agency
.
Sa!ple Co!pleted SWOT Matrix
Strengths 2internal3 Weanesses 2internal3
% The agency has an experienced and dedicated
wor"force
) There is a good training program for new
employees
* Senior management is committed to wor"force
planning
+ ?uman resource staff are easy to wor" with and
willing to try new recruitment ideas
. .CD of the staff hold a professional certification
% Over .CD of the managers and supervisors are
eligible for retirement
) The agency does not offer a mentoring
program
* The agency lac"s the technology tools to be
more efficient
+ 3rocedural manuals need to be updated
. The current wor"force is not very racial;ethnic
diverse
Opportunities 2external3 Threats 2external3
% Eew information technology tools can provide
4uic"er data sharing between agencies and client
information retrieval
) There are 1ob sharing opportunities with other
agencies
* A large number of retired baby boomers are
considering returning to the wor"force on a part-
time basis
+ :ederal and state agencies have expressed
interest in merging services
. $niversities are loo"ing for internship
opportunities for their students
% The demand for wor"ers in the field exceeds
the supply of potential wor"ers
) There is less federal money available for
training grants
* 'udget and full-time positions have been
limited by the legislature
+ Educational institutions are reducing the
number of courses offered in this field
. The number of residential treatment centers
has been declining steadily
Step 4 , 5iscuss $ext Steps
The next step begins the process of turning the results of the Environmental Scan and SWOT
Analysis into something actionable Encourage group discussion about the four prioriti(ed lists
by as"ing&
?ow can we maximi(e the use of our strengthsF
?ow can we overcome the threats identifiedF
What do we need to do to overcome the identified wea"nessesF
?ow can we ta"e advantage of our opportunitiesF
Explain to the team members that the results of their efforts will be incorporated in the agencys
business and wor"force planning in the form of action plans
0
'uidelines: Conducting &##ective and &##icient Meetings
When meeting to complete a SWOT Analysis or to conduct other business, the most productive
meetings are those that are run effectively and efficiently 'elow are some universal tips to help
any meeting run more smoothly
% 7istribute the agenda prior to the meeting 7efine the purpose of the meeting, list the
agenda items and time allotments, and include any reference materials that should be
reviewed prior to the meeting
) Write the agenda and meeting goals on a blac"board or flipchart in the meeting room
This will help "eep the team members focused on the tas"s at hand :ollow the agenda,
start on time and end on time
* 2our meeting should have a facilitator, either the meeting leader or another designated
individual The role of the facilitator is to "eep the discussion focused on the topic, stay
on the agenda, and stay on time !t would be very easy for a meeting on wor"force
planning to turn into a meeting with participants discussing everything about the
organi(ation The facilitator controls the meeting by establishing time limits, listing
specific agenda items, defining the purpose of the meeting, and controlling the
discussions
+ #a"e introductions, have team members introduce themselves and tell where they wor"
or what they do
. $se a warm-up activity, sometimes called an icebrea"er This activity serves two
purposes& %6 it promotes participation and communication, and )6 it encourages team
wor" and team building
0 ?ave the team members develop and agree upon meeting ground rules These
agreements establish norms for participant behavior and define how the meeting will be
conducted
@ Encourage participation from all team members and ensure that no one team member
dominates the discussion 'rainstorming can be used to generate ideas, remember that
during brainstorming ideas should not be evaluated or critici(ed
A 7etermine how decisions will be made There are a number of methods to ma"e
decisions ranging from voting to building consensus A ma1ority vote decision method
re4uires support from more than .CD of the members of the group and can be
accomplished through voting, either by a show of hands or written secret ballot The
following prioriti(ation techni4ues can also be used to arrive at the option that the
ma1ority supports&
<ive each person in the group five stic"y dots and have them place the dots beside
the options they prefer They can choose five individual options or place multiple dots
on an option they feel strongly about The option with the greatest number of dots will
determine the course of action
3articipants are as"ed to ran" the options using a scale of % to ., where . points
represents their first choice, + their second choice, etc The desired option is the one
that accumulates the highest total score
@
When simple voting may result in some unhappy team members, a consensus
decision method strives to avoid GwinnersG and GlosersG Honsensus re4uires that a
ma1ority approve a given course of action, but that the minority agree to go along with
the course of action All team members dont need to favor the decision, but all team
members need to be able to live with the decision and support it
B /eep the discussion focused on the agenda items to avoid investing time where team
members discuss items that are extraneous to the agenda The comments may be
interesting, but they are not li"ely productive to the meetings goals
%C 3ar" issues that are important, but unrelated to the specific agenda in a I3ar"ing >otJ by
recording them on the flipchart or blac"board for future consideration or agendas
%% 3rior to ad1ourning the meeting summari(e the results and conclusions from the meeting,
record any actions or assignments, who is responsible to complete them, and timeline
for each action
%) $se a chec"-out to end the meeting A chec"-out is an opportunity for team members to
share their thoughts on how the meeting went, what wor"ed well and what could be
done to improve future meetings
A