A SWOT analysis is only possible if you have in-depth knowledge of the internal environment and a clear understanding of the university\u2019s mission and vision. During a SWOT analysis, the strengths and weaknesses of the university and the opportunities and threats of the environment with regard to the goals in the vision are listed and assessed. This exercise should be done by representatives of different stakeholders in the university, since they bring in different perspectives. A SWOT analysis, if done correctly, promotes the use of an institution\u2019s strengths in a constructive and effective way given the trends and influences in its environment. It is of crucial importance to understand the exact meaning of the four core elements of the SWOT analysis.<\/p>\n
Strengths<\/strong><\/p>\n Agents, factors or forces that are helpful for achieving the long-term objectives of the university and that can be controlled by the university. Agents, factors or forces that are harmful to achieving the long-term objectives of the university, but which can be controlled by the university. Agents, factors or forces in an organization’s external environment that can be directly or indirectly helpful in achieving the long-term objectives of the university, but which cannot be controlled by the university. Agents, factors or forces in an organization’s external environment that can be directly or indirectly harmful to achieving the long-term objectives of the university and that cannot be controlled by the university.<\/p>\n How to perform an analysis?<\/strong><\/p>\n It is recommended to involve stakeholders from various levels in your university when doing a SWOT analysis in order to promote input from different perspectives. You might even think about involving students and partner universities, as they tend to have a less biased and\/or interest-motivated view. A common procedure is first to create a long list of items for each category, then have an open discussion of these items, merge and categorize them, and prioritize the three or four most important ones for each category. Before you can do this exercise, it is crucial that you have proper knowledge of the trends and developments in the environment and of your own university and its culture. Furthermore, it is crucial that the participants have an open, objective attitude towards the exercise in order to avoid answers which may be intended to please the leadership rather than to reflect the actual situation. This is especially important when prioritizing the items for the \u2018weaknesses\u2019 category.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next?<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you have established a list of three or four prioritized items for each category, you need to come up with actions or measures you can take for each of the items: Remember that you can change strengths and weaknesses, but not the opportunities and threats. There are techniques to combine internal and external elements in your questions, e.g. How can we use this strength to exploit this opportunity? This helps you relate your university to its environment, which will lead to more effective actions.<\/p>\n A tool for using and analyzing the results of the SWOT analysis in more depth is the \u2018confrontation matrix\u2019. This tool, which is frequently used in marketing, requires the participation of a group of people. Each of the participants is asked to prioritize the different options identified through the SWOT analysis in a matrix by assigning scores. Merging the scores assigned by the different participants shows which options have been assigned the highest scores. In this way, a group of people collectively decide which options are strategically most important to the institution and should therefore be given particular attention. Once the priorities have been identified, you can start creating a work plan which details actions, allocates resources, indicates responsible units, etc. (see, for example, https:\/\/expertprogrammanagement.com\/2011\/08\/the-confrontation-matrix\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n Download the SWOT template (word)<\/a><\/p>\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 Strategic Planning for Internationalization in Higher Education There are different tools which can be used in the process of … <\/p>\n
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\nWeaknesses<\/strong><\/p>\n
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\nOpportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n
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\nThreats<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/impala\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/1.4.1_Graphic_SWOT.jpg\")
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\n\u2022 For each strength you ask yourself the question: What can we do to use and further improve on this strength in order to achieve our strategic goal?
\n\u2022 For each weakness you ask yourself the question: What can we do to improve on this weakness so that it will not prevent us from achieving our strategic goal?
\n\u2022 For each opportunity you ask yourself the question: What can we do to exploit this opportunity in order to achieve our strategic goal?
\n\u2022 For each threat you ask yourself the question: What can we do to cope with this threat so that it will not prevent us from achieving our strategic goal?<\/p>\n
\nElizabeth Brewer, Harvey Charles, and Adelaide Ferguson; contributions from Susan Carvalho and Joanna Regulska
\nAIEA OCCASIONAL PAPERS, February 2015
\nhttps:\/\/aiea.memberclicks.net\/assets\/docs\/Issue_Briefs\/aiea_issuebrief_2013sept-%20op.pdf<\/a> (accessed 12.04.2018)
\n\u2022 The Confrontation Matrix
\nExpert Program Management
\nhttps:\/\/expertprogrammanagement.com\/2011\/08\/the-confrontation-matrix\/<\/a> (accessed 01.08.2018)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"