Structure
SWOT stands for:
| Helpful | Harmful | |
|---|---|---|
| Internal factors | S - Strengths | W - Weaknesses |
| External factors | O - Opportunities | T - Threats |
Internal factors concern the organisation itself (people, resources, culture, skills). External factors concern its environment (parish, diocese, society, trends, other communities).
The tool spread in strategic planning in the 1960s; its origins are linked with work at Harvard Business School and the Stanford Research Institute (including Albert Humphrey), though exact authorship is disputed.
How to run it
- Gather a diverse team (not only leaders).
- List ideas in the four boxes - first individually, then together.
- Choose the 3-5 most important items in each box.
- Draw strategic conclusions, e.g. with a TOWS matrix:
- S-O: how can strengths help seize opportunities?
- W-O: how can opportunities help overcome weaknesses?
- S-T: how can strengths protect against threats?
- W-T: how to reduce risk where weaknesses meet threats?
- Translate conclusions into SMART goals.
Example for a community
- S: committed animators, good relationship with the parish priest.
- W: no successor for the leader, unclear budget.
- O: a new housing estate in the parish, diocesan interest in a formation programme.
- T: leader overload, competition from young people's many activities.
Limitations
SWOT can be superficial - it is easy to make a list, harder to draw conclusions. It is static and depends on participants' honesty; it often leaves out weaknesses nobody wants to name. That is why it works best in a team with psychological safety and as a prelude to discernment and planning a vision.
Sources
E. P. Learned, C. R. Christensen, K. R. Andrews, W. D. Guth, Business Policy: Text and Cases, Irwin 1965 H. Weihrich, The TOWS matrix - a tool for situational analysis, Long Range Planning 15 (1982) T. Hill, R. Westbrook, SWOT analysis: It's time for a product recall, Long Range Planning 30 (1997)