Discussion Question- need in 3 hours

frugal housekeeper

Turning Darkness into Light using a SWOT Analysis to Help Your

Organization to Stand the Tests of Time by Alan S. Bigger and Linda B. Bigger

In 1592, the doors of a higher education i n s t i t u t i o n opened, based upon a charter from Queen Elizabeth I of England. That orga- nization. Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, has functioned continu- ously since that date. In 1653, the library at Trinity College received a book for safekeeping from the followers of Sir Oliver Cromwell. The book, titled the Book of Kell s, had been written in about 800 A.D. at a place called lona or Kells, County Meath in Ireland. The lav- ishly decorated book contains the four gospels in Latin, with illumi- nated lettering. It is amazing to behold, and may be viewed, a page per day, at Trinity College. The book has withstood the ravages of time, wars and weather, and has survived for approximately 1,200 years — basically intact. The book, and the monks who wrote the book, had a huge impact on the religious life of Ireland and eventually, all of Europe. A ninth-century Irish monk in St. Gallen, Switzerland, cited in the current Guide for Visi- tors published by Trinity College Library of Dublin, sums up the impact of the book as "Turning Darkness into Light."

However, the survival of the book was not by accident. Through the ages, many people have taken care of this amazing book, such as the monks at lona or Kells and Henry Jones the Bishop of Meath in 1661 A.D. Throughout history, the scholars of the day have rec- ognized the s t r e n g t h s of the book — such as the bindings and parch-

ments of the book (a vellum made of calf skin), the skillful lettering and the great teachings it provided during the Dark Ages. However, the people who helped the book survive did so by recognizing its w e a k n e s s e s as well — the book could be damaged by weather and it was vulnerable to attack because all did not accept the teachings. At the same time, the keepers of the book realized, even through 2010, the o p p o r t u n i t i e s for the book — it is now on display at Trinity College for the world to read. The Book of Kells has become a true wonder of the the literary world. Yet, throughout the 1,200-plus years of its existence, the book was, and still is, subject to significant t h r e a t s , such as those caused by humidity, possibilities of fire, light rays, and even the possibility of theft. The book is now stored in a highly secured area with tem- perature controls and subdued lighting. However, one leaky roof, an over-exposure of lighting, or a fire could destroy a literary work of art that is priceless. For those who might like to learn more about the Book of Kells please refer to: www. bookoßells. ie I book-of-kells I.

From the story about the Book of Kells, one can see that over the years, the keepers of the book have, in essence, performed a SWOT analysis, where over the centuries they have identified the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats both to and of the book. Due to their rigid review of these issues over more than a millenni-

um, the book survives for you and I to visit today. It has survived for 1,200 years and more than 500,000 people view the book every year. It survives today, in part due to the SWOT analysis technique

Even though it has been hard for experts to pin down the inventor of the SWOT analysis, since it is more of a process than a product, the SWOT analysis process has been attributed to Albert Humphrey of Stanford University, who used the process with research during the 1960s and 1970s. It is an incredibly simple, yet robust system that can be used to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that an organization faces, including policy changes, market- ing strategies, production issues and many others. Prior to starting the SWOT process, the organiza- tion should state an issue it wishes to discuss, or ask a question that it wishes to research that is impor- tant. A table or other tool should be used to record the strengths of an organization or process (what it does very well); the weaknesses (the issues that it does not handle well), the opportunities (what can be changed to be better), and the threats (those issues that could damage processes, products or even the survival of the organiza- tion). To read a more in-depth un- derstanding of the SWOT process and to download some free sample forms, please visit http: 11 istdko- chi. org I pdf I swot-analysis.pdf.

A SWOT analysis is best used with a subject or question t h a t

6 Executive Housekeeping Todoy/September 2010

is clearly defined. Once defined, the person conducting the process should call together a cross section of representatives of the organiza- tion. All should be brought together into a room, with a chart with four boxes posted on the wall or writing board that states the question or issue. Using a nonjudgmental or brainstorming technique, people can provide their answers to the questions in the four areas of strengths, weaknesses, opportu- nities or threats. These responses can be called out and recorded by the moderator or participants may be asked to write out their answers for each area on the chart provided. Once these have been identified, the answers under each area can be consolidated so that the issues can be reviewed and discussed under each of the four headings. An additional step can be taken by ranking the issues in order of importance in each of the four ar- eas, from most important to least important, and a discussion can be conducted to develop a series of ac- tion steps to build up the strengths, minimize weaknesses, identify opportunities, and to eliminate or mitigate threats to the organiza- tion. The initial SWOT tool could look like the chart below:

The following definitions could be used to help define and focus in on each of the areas:

• Strengths: Attributes of the person or company that are helpful in achieving objectives.

• Weaknesses: Obstacles or attributes that could prevent achievement of the objectives.

• Opportunities: External con- ditions that are helpful in achiev- ing the objectives. Depending on which topic is being discussed, it may be appropriate to list internal or external opportunities.

• Threats: External conditions that could damage the objectives. Depending on which topic is being discussed, it may be appropriate to list internal or external threats.

It may seem that by using a SWOT analysis, we could be "SWOTing" at flies; however, there is plenty of evidence that shows that many organizations use such an approach and are suc- cessful. For instance, Euromoni- tor International indicates that they have profiles of more than 350 companies who use a SWOT analysis. SWOT has also been used extensively in research at Stanford University with Fortune 500 companies, and many com- mercial consulting companies are

TOPIC OR ISSUE TO BE DISCUSSED:

STRENGTHS

• What do you do well? • What unique resources can you draw on?

• What do others see as your strengths?

OPPORTUNITIES

• What good opportunities are open to you?

• What trends could you take advantage of?

• How can you turn your strengths Into opportunities?

WEAKNESSES

• What could you improve? • Where do you have fewer resources than others?

• What are others likely to see as weaknesses?

THREATS

• What trends could harm you? • What is your competition doing? • What threats do your weaknesses expose you to?

Source: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/workiheet5/SWOTAnalysisWorksheet.pdf

storing data about the strengths and weaknesses of companies. If a SWOT analysis will work for these entities, and has helped organizations to survive, maybe we too can conduct a SWOT that could have a significant impact on the longevity of our organizations, and help us turn the darkness of these economic hard times into the light of a new tomorrow.

On the following page, you will find an example of how a SWOT analysis could be used to help you work through a possible issue or concern in a facilities organiza- tion. The keys are to ask the right questions, involve the right people, be willing to be open to some pain- ful revelations without judgment, and to develop an action plan that people will buy into once it is complete.

Once the SWOT analysis has been completed, it is important to start to hone down or prioritize the list of issues that need to be addressed in a plan of action. From the example on the following page, this facilities organization may decide that by implementing ag-

(contiriued on next page)

Orflarget M A I N T E N A N C E

Providing Housekeeping Solutions for Over 20 Years

Mike Pappas Sales Manager (877)851-5224

www.on-target.com Franchises Avaltable

Circle Reader Sen/ice No 7

September 2010/£xecuííVe Housekeeping Today 7

FRUGAL (continued from previous page)

gressive training, purchasing new equipment, starting an employee safety, attendance and recognition program, and by studying and ap- plying best practices from other organizations, they may be able to reach their objective and thus, strengthen their organization's po- sition for the years ahead. In order to ensure that the action plan, once implemented, is having the effect that was planned, it is important to write some meaningful measure- ment objectives that all of the staff can buy into during the next year or two. The action steps could have some of the following measurable goals:

• Lost time due to absenteeism drops 10 percent.

• The injury rate drops by 20 percent.

• The cost per square foot de- creases by 5 percent.

• Productivity improves by 15 percent.

• Increased training hours at attendance of staff at IEHA, ISSA or APPA meetings.

• Complete five visits to orga- nizations to evaluate their best practices and to implement five that apply at your institution.

The benefits of the SWOT analy- sis are as follows:

• Keeps people focused on the task at hand.

• Enables participants to be open and honest.

• Gains a buy-in to the process and outcomes.

• Provides for a clear list of strengths, weaknesses, opportuni- ties and threats.

• Assists the moderator and participants to list and rank all issues.

• Develops clear and measur- able actions steps.

• Provides for engagement of persons at all levels.

The disadvantages of not con- ducting a SWOT of your orga- nization on a regular basis can

SAMPLE SWOT ANALYSIS FOR A FACILITIES ORGANIZATION

Objective:To provide the best facilities management services to our customers in the most cost effective and innovative manner possible.

STRENGTHS

•Well-trained personnel. • Hard-working personnel. • Use clear and repeatable cleaning processes and procedures.

• Long-term and dedicated employees. • Good cleaning equipment and chemicals.

OPPORTUNITIES

•Teaching people how to handle change. • Develop a safety program. • Purchase more efficient cleaning equipment.

• Analyze all tasks that are performed and eliminate or contract out tasks that are not key competencies.

• Develop an awards and recognition program that recognizes people with good attendance.

• Visit with peers to learn how they are economizing and increasing efficiencies.

• Attend professional training provided by organizations such as IEHA, ISSA or APPA.

WEAKNESSES

• Inflexibility with change (an attitude of "We have always done it that way").

• Higher absenteeism than peers. • Cleaning equipment, though good, is not efficient by today's standards.

• An attitude of entitlement (the company owes me a job, 1 have worked here 30 years).

• Number of on-the-job injuries too high. • Not enough people to get the job accomplished.

• Budget cuts.

THREATS

• Companies that indicate that they can provide services cheaper.

• Overall operational costs too high and productivity too low.

• If we do not lower costs and increase productivity we could be subjected to budget cuts, layoffs or some functions could be outsourced.

be detrimental not only to your organization, but possibly to your career. Let us go back to the Book of Kells. At some stage between 900 A.D. and the 1600s, the book was lost, only to be found buried in the ground and all the gold filigree had been removed. If the book had remained in the ground, the book would have been destroyed by the climate — it would have been lost to society forever. However, some unknown individual of the day re- covered the book from the ground, took care of it and got it into the right hands for preservation, and the rest is history.

We have an opportunity today to complete a SWOT of our orga- nization and seek to run the best organizations in the industry. Or, we can ignore this tool and fail to perform a timely SWOT analysis

and find our organizations buried under the issues of the days, such as decreasing budgets, less per- sonnel, doing more with less and possibly being outsourced. We can rejoice with the Irish monk that wrote "Turning Darkness into Light" as we position ourselves and our organizations for the years ahead, or we can be buried by the darkness of the many challenges that we face today. Do you wish to survive like the Book of Kells (1,200 years is not bad!) or do you wish to be overrun by your prob- lems? The choice is yours! ^

© Copyright 2010. Alan S. Bigger and Linda B. Bigger. Alan Bigger, REH, is currently a facilities management consultant and trainer and is available to assist with training and consulting as needed. Linda Bigger is a freelance editor. E-mail them at TheErugal- [email protected].

8 Executive Housekeeping Today/September 2010

Copyright of Executive Housekeeping Today is the property of International Executive Housekeepers

Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the

copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for

individual use.