SWOT Analysis
Analyzes internal strengths/weaknesses and external opportunities/threats.
PURPOSE
The SWOT analysis helps organizations systematically assess their strategic position before making decisions. It reveals where internal strengths should be leveraged and weaknesses addressed, and where external opportunities should be seized or threats mitigated. This creates a well-founded basis for strategic planning and prioritization.
HOW TO USE
Create a four-quadrant matrix and first collect internal strengths and weaknesses with the team, then external opportunities and threats. Prioritize the most important points per quadrant and develop strategies from them: Strengths-Opportunities strategies (leverage), Weaknesses-Opportunities strategies (catch up), Strengths-Threats strategies (defend), and Weaknesses-Threats strategies (avoid). The analysis should be regularly updated.
WHAT IT IS
The SWOT analysis is a classic strategic analysis tool that examines four dimensions: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. The first two dimensions concern the internal perspective, the latter two the external environment. The tool is often displayed as a four-quadrant matrix and is one of the most widely used strategy tools worldwide.
EXAMPLE
Example: You are preparing the strategy retreat of a mid-sized publishing house and facilitate a SWOT analysis in which the team maps internal strengths (strong author relationships), weaknesses (outdated website), external opportunities (growing podcast market), and threats (declining print circulation) across four quadrants. From this, you derive concrete strategic directions, such as a podcast channel that combines the author strength with the market opportunity.