F ID I N E WS DEFINING OUR WHY To understand the expectations of its membership and FIDIs value proposition, FIDI carried out a formal SWOT analysis of the organisation. The results of this process will help shape FIDIs brand, governance and services into the future. Magali Horbert reports O MAGALI HORBERT, FIDI MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER FIDI should become more of a bridge between different global mobility stakeholders, creating a space for discussion and common projects ur identity as individuals, businesses and organisations is shaped by milestone events that change the way we interact with our environment. Those of us lucky enough to live with teenagers will know that these milestones are sometimes accompanied by an identity crisis that can be painful, confusing and loud. But a crisis can have the beneficial effect of forcing us to take a deep, hard look at who we are and to change the way we have always done things. FIDI celebrated its 70th anniversary in July 2020, in the middle of the first COVID-19 pandemic year. What was supposed to be a moment of celebration became a frantic exercise of adjusting to the changes brought upon us. We needed to adapt our ways of working and our services and identify how to help our members through this crisis. Of course, first we needed to understand what our members were going through and what their expectations were. Following a series of online meetings, webinars, workshops and Zoom calls where we listened, shared and learned a lot we understood that some deep selfexamination was needed. So, we embarked on a SWOT analysis of FIDI in the summer of 2021. FIDI Business cycle barometer / 2021 Q2 Entrepreneurial confidence 60 54 40 38 20 12 0 -20 -19 -25 -15 -40 -48 -60 Q4/2019 Q1/2020 Q2/2020 34 FF304 Dec_Jan 22 pp34-35 SWOT.indd 34 Q3/2020 Q4/2020 Q1/2021/ Q2/2021 IDENTIFYING FIDIS SWOT A SWOT analysis serves to identify an organisations Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, by looking at the internal and external forces that define its activity and plans. Between July and early September, a small research team (a group of university students from Brussels and the FIDI marketing department) conducted more than 65 one-on-one Zoom interviews with Affiliates, applicants, and a few external stakeholders, and analysed 83 online survey replies. Below are some of the main findings: 1. Business outlook is surprisingly good, but change lies ahead The first part of the SWOT analysis was via online surveys. The questions mainly focused on business, asking about pre-and post-COVID business realities and expectations. Based on the responses, the international moving industry was doing rather well pre-COVID, with a large majority of companies reporting an increase in overall revenue and in volume of international moves between 2015 and 2019. After an initial freeze of activity during the first global lockdowns in Q2 of 2020, business picked up again and, for some, to record levels with an unexpected boom in business. This observation confirmed the initial findings of our quarterly FIDI Global Business Confidence Barometer report, showing a steep positive hike in business confidence in Q1 and Q2 of 2021 (see Entrepreneurial Confidence chart). This raises a few questions: l T he industry is in good shape, but what happens after the postCOVID boom fades? What will the international moving industry look like in the new normal? lM overs are diversifying their activity, mainly by adding destination services (DSP) to their portfolio. How can they learn to compete in new markets, and to reach a new type of customer? l Technology and digital tools are seen as the biggest opportunities in the near future. How can movers identify which developments and tools really are useful, and which are just a passing trend? 2. FIDI has a strong reputation The second part of the SWOT analysis, mainly through one-onone Zoom interviews, focused on FIDI as an organisation: how is FIDI perceived by its members and beyond? What are the respondents expectations, and where could FIDI improve its services and activities? Overall, FIDIs perceived image is one of excellence and authority, with quality being seen as its main characteristic. This quality reputation is supported by a feeling of trust (in fellow FIDI Affiliates, the organisations management, and office), and a truly international community built on deep, long-lasting bonds. However, one observation mentioned a few times was that even though FIDIs membership was truly global, a one-size-fitsall approach to FIDI services had reached its limits. According to some respondents, FIDI would gain much from offering more tailored and segmented services. 3. There is still room for improvement A SWOT analysis can uncover some painful truths; however, the point of the exercise is to understand our weaknesses and act on them. One point raised was FIDIs lack of reactivity during the COVID crisis. FIDI was too slow in acting on its members real needs, and too slow in communicating what was happening in the industry in different regions of the world. FIDIs decision process was also WW W. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 07/12/2021 09:54