An assessment of the internal and external factors that influence the performance of an organization are harmonized into one approach that analyzes the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) surrounding an organization; a SWOT analysis. Findings from SWOT analyses are provided to inform the decision-making processes while ensuring that they are strategic to achieving laid objectives. Whereas strengths and weaknesses emanate from within the organization, the opportunities and threats are usually multivariate and rise from the external environments that are usually beyond the organisation’s control. This writing will provide a SWOT analysis for Fibershed to illustrate how its strengths and weaknesses are drawn from its unique production concepts that are sustainable and efficient. It will also highlight the opportunities and threats that exist in the external environment that features the sociocultural context of people whose limited knowledge has only had negative implications towards the growth and expansion prospects of Fibershed.
Strengths
As an organization focused on developing and cultivating innovative production methods where resources are renewed, Fibershed has effectively inspired sustainable production methods that have given rise to a circular model that seeks to reuse resources. This has effectively protected and preserved the environment since traditional methods of production that employ linear models have constantly mutilated the environment while occasioning a substantial amount of waste. Delonge (2014) explained that land-based textile production had wide-ranging benefits since the net greenhouse gas emissions were reduced. Therefore, Fibershed stands to gain support from local communities and the government by promoting a culture of green purchasing, sustainable farming, and eco-friendly practices that minimize waste. By promoting studies into circular models of production where a ‘soil-to-soil’ process is adopted, Fibershed has singlehandedly augmented the economy since the textile and agricultural industries are effectively merged since their production models are regulated to ensure the proper utilization of bio-resource flow thus ensuring minimal wastage while inducing efficiency.
Weaknesses
Like many other organizations, Fibershed is limited by the level of competence of its agents as well as the organizational structure that limits its operations to a given context. This means that, in regions where there are few capacity-building programs that Fibershed conducts, there are adverse implications with regards to how its growth and overall adoption are seen to manifest. Consequently, the value chain is seen to diminish since people resort to convenient production models that are not sustainable. Fibershed’s operations are also limited by its organizational structure and policy, where guidelines for producers stipulate that all fiber, botanic dye and labor should be sourced within Northern California (Fibershed, n.d.). Consequently, this has stunted its growth into other regions seen as such stringent quality control (QC) measures have been a constraint for prospective producers wishing to venture into the Fibershed program. Such limitations can be countered by reviewing the guidelines to allow producers to localize their production while expanding the network of farmers, researchers, designers, sewers, knitters, spinners and millers beyond the present 51 counties of Northern California. This can include sharing the knowledge and techniques of production through mainstream media, where education and training can be provided to prospective members.
Opportunities
The growth and development prospects that come with Fibershed programs are vast. For one, economic growth that stems from the diverse and integrated production models between the agricultural and textile industries ensures that there are sustainable production methods that do not have adverse ecological impacts and minimal waste. Trejo et al. (2014) explained how the Fibershed programs offered individuals knowledge on the diversity of fiber resources and how this could be capitalized to stimulate the economy with rural New York. Furthermore, Fibershed as a movement is more likely to inspire a culture that would sustain the value-chain that stems from production, processing, marketing and consumption. Silvestri et al. (2018) explained how the Fibershed program was a fundamental step that provided new directions that provided multi-system-wide solutions aimed at restoring the environment while enhancing the textile industry to bridge the cultural divide that has continually existed among communities.
Threats
The major factors that pose a threat towards the growth prospects of Fibershed are largely sociocultural. The general inclinations and dispositions that people tend to have dictated how well they can embrace Fibershed as an ideology above their own cultural influences. For instance, Fibershed can be viewed as a Western culture that only promotes the consumerism cultures that have engulfed the entire globe for many generations. Whereas different regions worldwide have over time developed and established their own methods tied to several civilizations that go several centuries back, Fibershed is merely a concept that may find it increasingly difficult to adopt as it may be viewed as a capitalistic strategy. Sociocultural factors are also seen as a threat since Urry (2009) explained that a sociological analysis involving studying the contemporary conditions of life on earth was vital in instituting change. In this analysis, the author noted there is a need to outline the shifts within capitalism over the past century, the societal structures that render a society as either a disciplined, controlled, specialized, differentiated zone of consumption. For instance, Urry (2009) explained that capitalism through global climate change was occasioning a sense of disorder throughout different societies of the world and that many systems have been disrupted as a result. Ultimately, systems are challenged to evolve or break down. Fibershed is therefore threatened with the resistance to change that may emanate from such unforeseen turbulence that may emerge from different societies. Fibershed can effectively mitigate such threats by engaging communities through strategic partnerships that constantly sensitize people through advocacy, campaigns and social activism.
References
DeLonge, M. (2014). Greenhouse gas costs and benefits from land-based textile production.
Fibershed. (n.d.). Fibershed. https://fibershed.org/mission-vision/
Silvestri, N., Burgess, R., & Raps, B. (2018). Designing the future. http://fibershed.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/designing-the-future-may2018.pdf
Trejo, H., Lewis, T., & Thonney, M. (2014). Beyond wool: New York’s diverse Fibershed for textiles and clothing.Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings. 891. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/891
Urry, J. (2009). Sociology and climate change. The Sociological Review, 57(2_suppl), pp. 84-100. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2010.01887.x
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