Communication for Leadership: Complete SWOT Analysis (Essay Sample)

Communication Leadership
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Communication Leadership
Using SWOT analysis technique to study the effectiveness of the communication in Urban Outfitters, there is evidence of some strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal, while opportunities and threats are the external factors that may affect the successfulness of the communication (inman.com, 2015).
Urban Outfitters got much criticism after producing a blood-stained Kent state sweatshirt (buzzfeed.com, 2014). People were angry because there was a seeming correlation with the 1970 shooting where an Ohio National Guard killed four students during the Vietnam War protest.
One of the strengths of the Urban Outfitters in communication is an immediate response to criticism. Urban Outfitters responded to the criticism by use of a spokesman. They told the public they had no intention to show any similarity between the shootings and the sweatshirt. They went further to say that it was due to discoloration that the sweater appeared to be blood stained. This shows that the company has an adaptive mechanism that makes it able to respond to the controversy promptly (Almaney, 1974).
They also have a share in the market. This is because even after promising to stop producing the sweatshirts, they were still sold out at other online shopping websites (Woolard, 2016). This, therefore, shows that Urban Outfitters have a significant share of the market.
There is a geographical threat for the company. They provoked the Irish community as they saw that the outfit was depicting unflattering stereotypes of the Irish culture (wahsingtonpost.com, 2012). In his statement, Crowley, with nine members of Ad Hoc Committee asked Urban Outfitters to stop selling the items although they were created with a sense of good humor because they depicted a form of stereotyping and condemnation to the Irish community (Downs et al., 2004).
There is a weakness in the company’s branding department. This is because they did not adequately consider the effects the Kent state sweatshirt would have on the external environment. They need to consider positive public relationships before going forward to print the shirt. Also, there would be better communication in the company and let people contribute their views on the product (Spector, 2014). This would show a picture of how the product might be received in the outside world.
There is an opportunity to increase the public relations of the company. The company responded to all the criticism of the public timely. They accepted their mistake but went further to say that it was not their intention to refer to the said tragedy and promised to destroy all the Kent state sweatshirt products and stop selling them (Urban Outfitters. (2014). This would have been a breakthrough for the company, although it failed as the product was still on other online shopping websites (Lombardi, 2016).
There is a sociological threat. For communication to be efficient, it has to come from a reliable source. Although the spokesman to the public regarding the misinterpretation of their intention to selling the product, their promise to remove the sweatshirts from the market failed (Outfitters, 2014). This would, therefore, lead to the loss of public trust and confidence. This would further reduce the company’s market share in the long run.
Communication is what holds an organization together during the times of crisis. It is advisable to maintain a healthy adaptive mechanism to be put in place during these times (staffconnectapp.com, 2016). This helps the company to have a timely response to any controversy. The best way to handle controversy is to communicate with both external and internal stakeholders. If the management knows about a crisis that would face the company, then it is good to tell the staff so that they do not stay uninformed about it (Judkis, 2012).
Effective communication mediums need to be put in place. Sometimes, middle level staff can know about a crisis in the media and the news even before they are told by the management. A company needs to create a detailed and open policy on how employees are to use social media. Employees can help by participating in social media forums where there are discussions about the organization (Dur & Network, 2014). They can also inform the public of other services and products offered by the company.
Communication could promote growth. If there is adequate communication between the internal and external stakeholders, then the public will be notified of the areas where the company is best at (staffconnectapp.com, 2016). This could better the public relations of the company which will eventually lead to better market share in the long run. This might also result in the growth of the enterprise.
There is a need to incorporate staff in times of crisis. A company needs to use ‘content experts.’ These are the people who have more information about the product. In the case of Urban Outfitters, they should have used the staff to communicate with public about other products offered by the company instead of using a spokesman only (Office Snapshots, 2012). This is a good form of public relations like any other.
From the above, it is evident that communication is crucial for the growth of an organization. Therefore, it is advisable for a business to keep a well-updated comm...