The functions of institutional research in American colleges and universities are diversified and still in the process of being defined. For many institutions, an institutional research office may serve many purposes that are institutionally specific while its other functions may be common to a variety of federal and state requirements. One function of institutional research that has been little discussed in the professional literature is that of organizational intelligence. In an era when the FBI, the CIA, and other investigative agencies are in a state of ill grace, institutional researchers may prefer to play down their information gathering, analysis, and reporting activities wherever there is a semblence of secretiveness or an excessive concern with confidentiality. Cloak-and-daggers would hardly seem tools of the trade, and spying is a harsh term to use for systematic inquiry. A strong case can be made, nonetheless, for the viewpoint that institutional research is a form of organizational intelligence. Uncited in the literature, and apparently unheeded by institutional researchers, is a book that can be read with full consideration of its implications for institutional research on many campuses. The book has been in circulation for ten years and lacks numerous post-Watergate examples that could be given to support its main argument. Written by Harold Wilensky, a well-known sociologist, the book is entitled Organizational Intelligence: Knowledge and Policy in Government and Industry (1969). Wilensky's subtitle is an indication of his theme that knowledge is a major determinant of policy in industry and government. From the beginning, he believes, the social sciences have been policy-oriented and have adapted themselves to the wishes and preferences of power. The knowledge explosion and the organizational revolution of more recent years make it mandatory that we understand the interplay of administration and public interests. We do not know enough about the relationships between experts or specialists and persons in positions of