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by Ken Mocabee
During a crisis, it can be challenging to identify
the key factors that will influence the outcome in a positive
way. A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)
analysis can be an excellent tool for clarifying the issues
and focusing efforts in the right direction.
Note that a SWOT analysis is only a guide as a rapid-fire
way to identify the key factors that are in play. A carefully
crafted strategic action plan will be the next step, with
the SWOT analysis and other analyses used to steer that process.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Think of your strengths and weaknesses as sort of a “balance
sheet” of your resources. These would include all of
your assets that could impact your position, including financial,
intellectual, social and political assets.
The goal here is to inventory all of your assets, both tangible
and intangible, that you have at your disposal. What are your
financial resources? What are your internal resources? What
is your reputation? Who are your friends, allies and contacts?
Do you have political capital to spend?
Speaking of political capital, since you are here, you likely
know the importance of political capital, but you may not
know how to acquire it and use it. This is where solid lobbying
and media relations help can make a huge difference in the
outcome of a crisis.
A frank, honest evaluation of your weaknesses is crucial
in coming to grips with your situation. Do you lack financial
resources? Do you have a PR problem? Do you have a damaged
reputation? Is there pressure from the media? Is your crisis
siphoning resources from your core business activities? Is
there a morale problem? Do you have opponents and competitors
that are at cross-purposes with your goals? All of these should
be taken into consideration.
Opportunities and Threats
This part of the SWOT analysis will serve as the core of your
action plan. A carefully crafted action plan that takes into
account the political landscape, public and media relations,
and with all portions of your plan working in concert, is
critical. This is the time where you should not be guessing
about what your action plan will be, and the wrong moves can
be worse than no move at all.
The goal here is to form an action plan that capitalizes
on your strengths, and minimizes your weaknesses, takes advantage
of your opportunities, and, if possible, turns threats into
opportunities as well (or at least neutralizes them). The
plan should balance all of these factors, work within your
resource pool, and coordinate the efforts of all involved.
In a crisis, turning threats into opportunities should be
the goal whenever possible. For example, recently a metals
processing company was faced with a regulatory and public
relations nightmare when they were cited for environmental
contamination. The community formed committees to address
the problem, environmental groups got involved, and the media
attention was relentless. Instead of treating these parties
as adversaries, the company brought them into the process
and worked with them every step of the way. The result was
that the company cleaned up its operations, developed a plan
to abate the environmental damage, and emerged from the crisis
intact with improved public relations.
Conclusion
While a SWOT analysis is not the only tool for dealing with
a crisis, it can be very effective at simplifying a complex
situation by sorting out the significant factors and identifying
the proper path. Keep your SWOT analysis simple and concise,
and don’t over analyze. And remember that a SWOT analysis
is a subjective process that has limitations, but when applied
correctly can be a valuable tool.
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