SWOT Analysis Definitions

The next two, the opportunities and threats, are more external to the organization. Although, we said strengths could be leveraged, right? So they could create opportunities. Weaknesses, if they are very serious, could become a threat to the organization. So when we think about opportunities, I usually think of what are some areas the organization might be able to branch into. What are current trends in a area that organizations might be able to capitalize on? For example, just using Duquesne University as an example, we certainly believe we have a good reputation in the region and nationally, so could we use that to branch out into online education since that is one of the big trends in higher education today? In fact, the University is embarking on a number of initiatives in the online market right now. Threats are those things that are on the horizon. They could be market forces, they could be things that the competition is doing that really threaten the long-term existence or sustainability of the organization. Competitive pressures, regulatory actions, product obsolesence, any of those could be a significant threat.

When I work with organizations to identify their opportunities and threats, I always tell clients that they need to be scanning the horizon. What is coming up that could present an opportunity? What is coming up that could be problematic for the organization in the future?

CLOSE