Competitive intelligence: Lessons from the trenches

Abstract

AbstractThis article is adapted from the introduction to the recently published book Proven Strategies in Competitive Intelligence: Lessons from the Trenches, edited by John E. Prescott and Stephen H. Miller (2001, John Wiley & Sons). Along with his own research, Dr. Prescott draws key lessons from articles published over the past five years in the pages of Competitive Intelligence Review, including competitive intelligence (CI) case studies and competitive technical intelligence (CTI) case studies, as well as articles describing, from a case study perspective, CI and CTI research tools and analytical techniques. The four overarching lessons he finds and explains are (1) CI programs require a clearly articulated role that emerges through a process of (re)learning the intelligence needs of organizational members; (2) the set of outputs from a CI program must be disseminated on a timely basis, provide actionable implications, and be perceived as credible and trustworthy; (3) in organizations, an intelligence‐driven culture is built one person at a time, through intelligence skill enhancement, human network development, and mechanisms that facilitate the flow of information; and (4) the evolution of CI programs is a natural phenomenon driven by the needs of the corporation, feedback, and quality enhancement techniques. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.