It’s obvious that strategic competitive intelligence contributes to the success of companies. Management has to cross the border from data-information-knowledge towards intelligence. However, management currently is stuck in data and information. They have “to walk another mile” to get to strategic intelligence.
Intelligence agencies around the world are busy, 24/7, to get the best insights and foresights with the aim to avoid surprises which might have impact on countries and their citizens. Well-known examples are French DCRI, US-based CIA and NSA, Russian FSB (formerly KGB), British MI5 and MI6 and more. Since 1985 our firm is active in establishing strategic intelligence in international companies around the globe. In our Master Class we train managers, professionals and business leaders how to apply strategic intelligence within their organizations.
The above is one of the testimonials concerning our Master Class held in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2016 with 45 business professionals attending from a wide variety of industry sectors. It was a real challenge for us to work with these Israeli professionals in what is seen as the “cradle of the most advanced intelligence practices in the world”. Our host was the Israel Export Institute.
For decades, it has been difficult to climb the intelligence pyramid from data, information, and knowledge to intelligence towards courses of action. A second point is that most of us tend to stick to the short-term operational and tactical level, because most managers are not aware of the strategic direction of the company. Peter Drucker stated that strategy is the most difficult thing in business because it means making choices that differentiate us from the competition. A third aspect is that data and information management in most organizations is generally poor!! Why is this?
We are forced to establish beliefs about the world, our lives, the economy, investments, and our careers among others. We deal mostly in assumptions, and the more indistinct these are, the stronger the confirmation bias. The ‘confirmation bias’ is the mother of all misconceptions: It reflects our tendency to interpret new information so that it becomes compatible with our existing theories, beliefs and convictions.