Week 6 Discussion- Capstone

Week 6 Learning Resources

Capstone

SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis is a common strategic framework that focuses on an organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). This framework will analyze the organization internally (through its strengths and weaknesses) and externally (through its opportunities and threats). Information gathered from a SWOT analysis can be used to make better, more informed decisions for an organization. Through these resources, you will examine the SWOT analysis, including some different perspectives and approaches on applying it to decision making.

· Kenton, W. (2025, December 19). SWOT: What it is, how it works, and how to perform an analysis Links to an external site. . Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/swot.asp

· Minsky, L., & Aron, D. (2021, February 23). Are you doing the SWOT analysis backwards?  Harvard Business Review Digital Articles , 1–6. http://hbr.org

· Niehaus, T. (2021, June 10) . Don’t jump into digital transformation without a readiness assessmentLinks to an external site. . Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/06/10/dont-jump-into-digital-transformation-without-a-readiness-assessment/?sh=79919b8a76e7

· OnStrategy. (n.d.). The strategic planning process in 4 steps Links to an external site. . https://onstrategyhq.com/resources/strategic-planning-process-basics/

Overcoming Resistance to Change

There is a plethora of reasons why organizations experience resistance to change. For example, there might be sunk costs associated with a process or technology that an organization’s leaders do not want to lose. As a result, they may resist a particular change, even though investing in a different process or technology could significantly increase productivity and profits. Change can be perceived as a threat, and most people (and organizations) are programmed to avoid threats. Managers and leaders often decline new initiatives and ideas, not because they are bad or unprofitable, but because they would require crossing the threshold of change that can be difficult to overcome. Using these resources, you will examine how organizations and their leadership can overcome resistance to change.

· Baumgartner, N. (2019, March 22). Change is the new normal: How to build a resilient workplace Links to an external site. . Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2019/03/22/change-is-the-new-normal-how-to-build-a-resilient-workplace/?sh=3582c7f55fc2

· GreggU. (2021, January 2). Overcoming resistance to change Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or_t4Dg6dIU

· Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Resistance to changeLinks to an external site. . In Organizational behavior and human relations . https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-organizationalbehavior/chapter/resistance-to-change/

· Martins, J. (2026, January 3). Change management process: 6 steps for teams & leadersLinks to an external site. . Asana. https://asana.com/resources/change-management-process

Organizational Readiness

Have you ever heard the sentiment that you cannot make someone change unless they want to change themselves? Perhaps you have experienced this in your personal life, whether through yourself or someone else. There is often a catalyst to set the change in motion that can range from reading a short article to surviving a near-death experience. The same concept can be applied in business, except that catalyst might appear as a new competitor entering the market or insolvency within 6 months if circumstances remain unchanged. Using these resources, you will explore the importance of organizational readiness for change.

· D’Amore-McKim School of Business. (2019, November 13). Organizational readiness assessment Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STeYt-JJtNY

· Dym, B., & Hutson, H. (2018). Leveraging organizational readiness for change Links to an external site. . The Systems Thinker. https://thesystemsthinker.com/leveraging-organizational-readiness-for-change/

· PKF Texas. (2016, June 27). Five critical areas of change readiness Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plzsMJfj9Ws

Evaluating Change Readiness

Assuming an organization has recognized its need for change and has broken past its resistance, what should it do next? Just because change may be necessary does not mean that it will always be easy to implement. It is important for leadership to determine how ready the organization is for the desired changes and then take the appropriate steps to ensure that transitions occur as smoothly as possible, not only from an operational standpoint but also in the attitudes and feelings among employees. Through these resources, you will examine how to evaluate how ready an organization is for change.

· Combe, M. (2014). Change readiness: Focusing change management where it counts Links to an external site. . PMI. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/change-readiness-11126

· Tanner, R. (2020, December 25). Is your organization ready for change?Links to an external site. Management Is a Journey . https://managementisajourney.com/three-questions-senior-leaders-must-ask-before-undertaking-organizational-change/

The Importance of Change Management

Have you ever worked for a company that was undergoing change? Whether that change was company-wide or affected just one department or team, there may have been some process in place to ensure that the affected individuals were aware of the change, the reason(s) for the change, and the process for how the change was going to take place. Leaders who have a solid grasp of change management principles and procedures can help to guide their teams through significant shifts in organizational goals, structure, technologies, and processes. And at the broader organizational level, the ability to manage change well can mean the difference between successful initiatives and ones that fail to deliver the desired results.

· McKinsey & Company. (2016, March 22). Dan Levin: The importance of change management Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkGY_xblI3M

· Prosci. (n.d.). Why you need a change management strategy Links to an external site. . https://www.prosci.com/resources/articles/change-management-strategy

· Stobierski, T. (2020, January 21). Organizational change management: What it is and why it’s importantLinks to an external site. . Harvard Business School Online . https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/organizational-change-management

Week 6 Learning Resources

Capstone

SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis is a common strategic framework that focuses on an organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). This framework will analyze the organization internally (through its strengths and weaknesses) and externally (through its opportunities and threats). Information gathered from a SWOT analysis can be used to make better, more informed decisions for an organization. Through these resources, you will examine the SWOT analysis, including some different perspectives and approaches on applying it to decision making.

· Kenton, W. (2025, December 19). SWOT: What it is, how it works, and how to perform an analysis Links to an external site. . Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/swot.asp

· Minsky, L., & Aron, D. (2021, February 23). Are you doing the SWOT analysis backwards?  Harvard Business Review Digital Articles , 1–6. http://hbr.org

· Niehaus, T. (2021, June 10) . Don’t jump into digital transformation without a readiness assessmentLinks to an external site. . Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/06/10/dont-jump-into-digital-transformation-without-a-readiness-assessment/?sh=79919b8a76e7

· OnStrategy. (n.d.). The strategic planning process in 4 steps Links to an external site. . https://onstrategyhq.com/resources/strategic-planning-process-basics/

Overcoming Resistance to Change

There is a plethora of reasons why organizations experience resistance to change. For example, there might be sunk costs associated with a process or technology that an organization’s leaders do not want to lose. As a result, they may resist a particular change, even though investing in a different process or technology could significantly increase productivity and profits. Change can be perceived as a threat, and most people (and organizations) are programmed to avoid threats. Managers and leaders often decline new initiatives and ideas, not because they are bad or unprofitable, but because they would require crossing the threshold of change that can be difficult to overcome. Using these resources, you will examine how organizations and their leadership can overcome resistance to change.

· Baumgartner, N. (2019, March 22). Change is the new normal: How to build a resilient workplace Links to an external site. . Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2019/03/22/change-is-the-new-normal-how-to-build-a-resilient-workplace/?sh=3582c7f55fc2

· GreggU. (2021, January 2). Overcoming resistance to change Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or_t4Dg6dIU

· Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Resistance to changeLinks to an external site. . In Organizational behavior and human relations . https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-organizationalbehavior/chapter/resistance-to-change/

· Martins, J. (2026, January 3). Change management process: 6 steps for teams & leadersLinks to an external site. . Asana. https://asana.com/resources/change-management-process

Organizational Readiness

Have you ever heard the sentiment that you cannot make someone change unless they want to change themselves? Perhaps you have experienced this in your personal life, whether through yourself or someone else. There is often a catalyst to set the change in motion that can range from reading a short article to surviving a near-death experience. The same concept can be applied in business, except that catalyst might appear as a new competitor entering the market or insolvency within 6 months if circumstances remain unchanged. Using these resources, you will explore the importance of organizational readiness for change.

· D’Amore-McKim School of Business. (2019, November 13). Organizational readiness assessment Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STeYt-JJtNY

· Dym, B., & Hutson, H. (2018). Leveraging organizational readiness for change Links to an external site. . The Systems Thinker. https://thesystemsthinker.com/leveraging-organizational-readiness-for-change/

· PKF Texas. (2016, June 27). Five critical areas of change readiness Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plzsMJfj9Ws

Evaluating Change Readiness

Assuming an organization has recognized its need for change and has broken past its resistance, what should it do next? Just because change may be necessary does not mean that it will always be easy to implement. It is important for leadership to determine how ready the organization is for the desired changes and then take the appropriate steps to ensure that transitions occur as smoothly as possible, not only from an operational standpoint but also in the attitudes and feelings among employees. Through these resources, you will examine how to evaluate how ready an organization is for change.

· Combe, M. (2014). Change readiness: Focusing change management where it counts Links to an external site. . PMI. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/change-readiness-11126

· Tanner, R. (2020, December 25). Is your organization ready for change?Links to an external site. Management Is a Journey . https://managementisajourney.com/three-questions-senior-leaders-must-ask-before-undertaking-organizational-change/

The Importance of Change Management

Have you ever worked for a company that was undergoing change? Whether that change was company-wide or affected just one department or team, there may have been some process in place to ensure that the affected individuals were aware of the change, the reason(s) for the change, and the process for how the change was going to take place. Leaders who have a solid grasp of change management principles and procedures can help to guide their teams through significant shifts in organizational goals, structure, technologies, and processes. And at the broader organizational level, the ability to manage change well can mean the difference between successful initiatives and ones that fail to deliver the desired results.

· McKinsey & Company. (2016, March 22). Dan Levin: The importance of change management Links to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkGY_xblI3M

· Prosci. (n.d.). Why you need a change management strategy Links to an external site. . https://www.prosci.com/resources/articles/change-management-strategy

· Stobierski, T. (2020, January 21). Organizational change management: What it is and why it’s importantLinks to an external site. . Harvard Business School Online . https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/organizational-change-management