This week, we continue our Tools for Clarity series by looking at the PEST analysis. Some of the tools in this series might be difficult to visualize in your mind, so I’ve put together examples of each tool that you can use in your context on my website. Head to mcurtis.co/clarity to find worksheets for each tool as each episode is released.

What is a PEST Analysis

• a formalized way of thinking through different parts of your organization
• The basic analysis is broken into four categories 
  • Political: what are the political things happening in your city, region, state, or country that have the potential to impact how your organization functions or is viewed? 
    • Evangelicals and Trump 
    • Local politics 
    • Labor laws changing? 
  • Economical: what is happening economically that could impact the way your organization functions? 
    • Broaden this to include the impact economics have on your congregation
    • Think back to the housing crisis: people losing their homes. That has a big impact on your people, and thus your organization.
  • Social: what realities exist in the social space? 
    • What is the expectation of staff entering the work force? 
    • What are growing trend-sensitivities of the people in your region?
  • Technological: what is happening in the space of technology that your organization should be attentive to? 
    • Are you speaking the native language of people, or are you speaking old language? 
    • Is technology changing the way people interact with organizations? Are you adapting? 

What does the PEST do?

• The PEST Analysis helps you assess what things going on outside your organization have the potential to impact your organization. Often the PEST analysis will help feed the “opportunities” and “threats” portion of your SWOT Analysis.

What doe a PEST not to?

• A PEST Analysis doesn’t solve you problems, is simply identifies what is going on outside the organization so you can begin assessing how those things will impact the organization.

Let’s walk through the sample PEST

• Context
• Working through the consideration of an online expression of church
• We didn’t want to do this “just because”
• The PEST Analysis helped identify some of the reasons we should have the conversation, but also helped us identify some of the pitfalls we wanted to avoid.

Keep in mind, this tool was being used deep within the organization to identify something that we should propose to leadership. While leadership is served well by using a tool like this, it can be incredibly helpful by you in your department today.