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What Is The SPACE Matrix Strategic Management Method?

The document discusses the SPACE matrix, which is a strategic management tool used to analyze a company's competitive position and determine what strategy it should undertake. It does this by evaluating the company across four dimensions plotted on an x-y axis: competitive advantage and industry strength on the x-axis, and environmental stability and financial strength on the y-axis. The intersection point suggests one of four possible strategies: aggressive, conservative, defensive, or competitive. The document provides details on how to construct a SPACE matrix by rating factors for each dimension and plotting the results.

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Muhammad Khan
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278 views

What Is The SPACE Matrix Strategic Management Method?

The document discusses the SPACE matrix, which is a strategic management tool used to analyze a company's competitive position and determine what strategy it should undertake. It does this by evaluating the company across four dimensions plotted on an x-y axis: competitive advantage and industry strength on the x-axis, and environmental stability and financial strength on the y-axis. The intersection point suggests one of four possible strategies: aggressive, conservative, defensive, or competitive. The document provides details on how to construct a SPACE matrix by rating factors for each dimension and plotting the results.

Uploaded by

Muhammad Khan
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The SPACE matrix 

is a management tool used to analyze a company. It is used to determine what


type of a strategy a company should undertake. The Strategic Position & ACtion Evaluation
matrix or short a SPACE  matrix is a strategic management tool that focuses on strategy formulation
especially as related to the competitive position of an organization.

The SPACE matrix can be used as a basis for other analyses, such as the SWOT analysis, BCG
matrix model, industry analysis, or assessing strategic alternatives (IE matrix).

What is the SPACE matrix strategic management method?

To explain how the SPACE matrix works, it is best to reverse-engineer it. First, let's take a look at
what the outcome of a SPACE matrix analysis can be, take a look at the picture below. The SPACE
matrix is broken down to four quadrants where each quadrant suggests a different type or a nature of
a strategy:

o Aggressive
o Conservative
o Defensive
o Competitive

This is what a completed SPACE matrix looks like:

This particular SPACE matrix tells us that our company should pursue an aggressive strategy. Our
company has a strong competitive position it the market with rapid growth. It needs to use its internal
strengths to develop a market penetration and market development strategy. This can include product
development, integration with other companies, acquisition of competitors, and so on.

Now, how do we get to the possible outcomes shown in the SPACE matrix? The SPACE Matrix analysis
functions upon two internal and two external strategic dimensions in order to determine the
organization's strategic posture in the industry. The SPACE matrix is based on four areas of analysis.
Internal strategic dimensions:

          Financial strength (FS)


          Competitive advantage (CA)

External strategic dimensions:

          Environmental stability (ES)


          Industry strength (IS)

There are many SPACE matrix factors under the internal strategic dimension. These factors
analyze a business internal strategic position. The financial strength factors often come from company
accounting. These SPACE matrix factors can include for example return on investment, leverage,
turnover, liquidity, working capital, cash flow, and others. Competitive advantage factors include for
example the speed of innovation by the company, market niche position, customer loyalty, product
quality, market share, product life cycle, and others.

Every business is also affected by the environment in which it operates. SPACE matrix factors related
to business external strategic dimension are for example overall economic condition, GDP growth,
inflation, price elasticity, technology, barriers to entry, competitive pressures, industry growth
potential, and others. These factors can be well analyzed using the Michael Porter's Five Forces
model.

The SPACE matrix calculates the importance of each of these dimensions and places them on a
Cartesian graph with X and Y coordinates.

The following are a few model technical assumptions:

- By definition, the CA and IS values in the SPACE matrix are plotted on the X axis.
- CA values can range from -1 to -6.
- IS values can take +1 to +6.

- The FS and ES dimensions of the model are plotted on the Y axis.


- ES values can be between -1 and -6.
- FS values range from +1 to +6.

How do I construct a SPACE matrix?

The SPACE matrix is constructed by plotting calculated values for the competitive advantage (CA) and
industry strength (IS) dimensions on the X axis. The Y axis is based on the environmental stability
(ES) and financial strength (FS) dimensions. The SPACE matrix can be created using the following
seven steps:

Step 1: Choose a set of variables to be used to gauge the competitive advantage (CA), industry
strength (IS), environmental stability (ES), and financial strength (FS).
Step 2: Rate individual factors using rating system specific to each dimension. Rate competitive
advantage (CA) and environmental stability (ES) using rating scale from -6 (worst) to -1 (best). Rate
industry strength (IS) and financial strength (FS) using rating scale from +1 (worst) to +6 (best).

Step 3: Find the average scores for competitive advantage (CA), industry strength (IS),
environmental stability (ES), and financial strength (FS).

Step 4: Plot values from step 3 for each dimension on the SPACE matrix on the appropriate axis.

Step 5: Add the average score for the competitive advantage (CA) and industry strength (IS)
dimensions. This will be your final point on axis X on the SPACE matrix.

Step 6: Add the average score for the SPACE matrix environmental stability (ES) and financial
strength (FS) dimensions to find your final point on the axis Y.

Step 7: Find intersection of your X and Y points. Draw a line from the center of the SPACE matrix to
your point. This line reveals the type of strategy the company should pursue.

SPACE matrix example

The following table shows what values were used to create the SPACE matrix displayed above.

Each factor within each strategic dimension is rated using appropriate rating scale. Then averages are
calculated. Adding individual strategic dimension averages provides values that are plotted on the axis
X and Y.

Where do I go next?
The SPACE matrix can help to find a strategy. But, what if we have 2-3 strategies and need to decide
which one is the best one? The Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) model can help to
answer this question.

Should you have any questions about the SPACE matrix, you might want to submit them at our
management discussion forum.

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