In strategy development, what does the "look from below" (internal) perspective examine, and how does it relate to a SWOT analysis?

It examines the organization's own sales/cost figures and its strengths and weaknesses — the internal half of a SWOT analysis.

* SWOT as a 2x2: internal control vs external response. *

"Looking from below" turns the analysis inward:

• Hard numbers: which markets generate revenue, what costs offset them.
• Capabilities: "Where are we strong? Where must we develop? Can we do it with current resources, or do we need to acquire more?"

This is the Strengths/Weaknesses half of SWOT (the Opportunities/Threats half comes from the outward-looking perspectives like "look from above" and "look sideways"). Honest internal assessment prevents a strategy that assumes capabilities you don't actually have.

Tip: Internal "strengths & weaknesses" are things you control; external "opportunities & threats" are things you respond to. Mixing them up is the classic SWOT mistake.

Go deeper:

• SWOT analysis (Wikipedia) — the internal strengths/weaknesses vs external opportunities/threats split.