Remixing the SWOT Analysis
Albert S Humphrey was a brilliant thinker. The SWOT analysis can be remixed to initiate the alignment and unification of a team.
The SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) analysis is an amazing tool in the leader’s toolbox. I have found it to be a powerful tool for unifying a team in any real-time, workshop environment. It is often used, however, as a “strategic planning” tool and as an artifact that teams work to keep continuously updated.
Albert S. Humphrey developed the concept of the SWOT analysis decades ago to support his business consulting practice while he was working at the Stanford Research Institute. Legend has it that he consulted with over 100 different companies during his career. I am speculating here, but I believe that the premise of the SWOT analysis, when it was developed, was to understand the strategic landscape in the context of different market forces.
It is a 2x2 matrix with helpful and harmful on the horizontal axis and the vertical access is represented with internal forces and external forces. Through experimentation, I have found it to be more powerful to use time on the vertical access, represented as now (including the past that led up to now) and the future. I largely believe this is because it is easy to argue about what is an internal force vs. what is an external force. However, it is very clear when you talk about all of the things that were in your control in the past (internal forces) and compare it to those things that are not in your control yet and lie in your future (external forces.) I have also found it to be simpler to use positive and negative for the horizontal axis, although this is less impactful of a change.
It can be drawn multiple ways by rearranging the quadrants, but all combinations should create a similar result. I have found that the structure represented in the diagram above functions the most efficiently and I will explain why below. The SWOT can create a shared understanding of the team’s current thinking around the objective and a subjective view into the future. I have seen leadership teams go to great lengths in describing their current strengths and weaknesses sometimes basing them on historical data. The future quadrants, however, are always subjective. While they may be based on trends, they are always a best guess as they haven’t happened yet.
When any group of people come together to collaborate on a complicated set of problems, each individual will invariably bring a myriad of history with them. They will have things they have accomplished that they might wish to defend, ideas that they want to be certain are heard, gripes about some things that might have gone better or complaints from a “squeaky wheel” client. They might have concerns about the future that are causing anxiety. Whatever they are bringing into the room is likely a good thing. It represents some amount of passion that they harbor for the team’s success and it will help the facilitator find some common ground from which to build a better future for the team together. All of these thoughts and ideas will turn into the raw material for generating alignment, confidence and commitment from any team.
Over the last two decades of running workshops with hundreds of clients, I have found this matrix to be a brilliant tool for workshop facilitators because it allows them to systematically eliminate the baggage that each of the participants bring into the room. I have tried a few other icebreakers and tools over the years to accomplish that, but I have yet to find any tool that is even remotely close to SWOT as a way to “clear the room.” It allows the facilitator to “reset” the room by safely allowing everyone to get their ideas out on the table so that they can start over, building alignment based upon shared fundamentals.
Here is how it works, in four simple steps. I have tried experimenting with the order and have found that this is the order that is easiest to execute, creates the best result and is the most simple for a broad set of participants to consume. Before you start the process, draw an empty 2x2 matrix on a whiteboard or flip-chart with only the two axis labelled as in the diagram above. Start with the upper left and proceed as if reading a book from left to right and top to bottom. Throughout the process, people will invariably come up with things to put into all four quadrants. Encourage it. But still follow this greater process to keep the group systematically on track.
- Strengths (Positive and Now): Ask what is currently going well. What are the organization’s strengths in regard to the market and to current clients or customers? You might even want to compare their beliefs to what is known about the competition in light of the strengths. The important part about starting with the strengths is that it allows the group the opportunity to express pride in their past achievements. In short, this allows them to brag a little together and share some positivity. I have learned from experience that this is always the place to start. The creative juices will flow better in any workshop environment if the facilitator is able to start the workshop by amplifying the positivity in the room by repeating the strengths that are expressed. How the organization’s strengths compare to customer expectations and competitor capabilities might become the raw material for opportunities later on. In this step, do your best to ensure that everyone expresses something that makes it to your chart.
- Weaknesses (Negative and Now): Ask what is not currently going well. What are the organization’s weaknesses in regard to the market and to current clients or customers? It is important that the positives and the negatives are alternated and that you do your best to create a safe environment where people are openly and honestly expressing themselves. You will invariably find disagreements in what some perceive as strengths, as others will perceive them as weaknesses. This is good. Write them all down in their respective quadrants. The important thing here is that everyone has a chance to gripe and complain, a little, about their frustrations. Encourage the flow above all else and pull on the threads as they arise to achieve alignment. Remember, and remind the group if you need to, that you are largely in the room together to work on the future. The intent of this section is to understand and learn from the past so that you can set yourselves up powerfully going forward. How the weaknesses compare to customer expectations and competitor capabilities might become the opportunities for the future.
- Opportunities (Positive and Future): Ask for the groups top of mind ideas about how to create a more positive future. Ask about current trends in their market or industry and how they might impact current clients or customers. This will give the team the opportunity to dream together and express the things that they could not wait to share with the others. If the team is enjoying any modicum of historical success, their strengths helped them achieve it. We need to make sure to discuss any opportunities to make these even stronger as a part of this exercise. Again, encourage the flow above all else and pull on the threads to achieve alignment around opportunities. If any ideas come up, encourage them to put them in a parking lot to prioritize together later as to not disrupt the flow of the group.
- Threats (Negative and Future): Ask what is keeping them awake at night. What are the things that threaten the organization’s future in regard to the market and to current clients or customers? The important thing here is that everyone has a chance to worry out loud and together about their fears for the organization. Encourage them to discuss the most challenging competitors and the changes that they are seeing in the market. Encourage them to thoughtfully explore how their strengths might also be blind spots that they should continuously examine.
Here is the same model shown with the “clearing the room” context:
Lastly, I have found that it is best to revisit the opportunities last by asking the group to think hard about the threats and to try to find ways to turn them into powerful opportunities for the future. I think of this in terms of yin and yang. Ending any exercise like this on a negative note can feel defeating for some. Always try to end this exercise with a positive, optimistic tone.
If you found this tool useful: Please clap, recommend my article or share it with your community. Most importantly, if you use it, please let me know what you learn so that we can grow and learn together.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_S._Humphrey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis
https://www.iep.utm.edu/yinyang/
