How Would you Change SCIP? - Competitive Intelligence2024-03-29T09:58:16Zhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/forum/topics/2036441:Topic:7702?commentId=2036441%3AComment%3A8412&x=1&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHi Arik
Thanks for the appla…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2008-08-18:2036441:Comment:84122008-08-18T17:01:50.567ZClaudia Claytonhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/ClaudiaClayton
Hi Arik<br />
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Thanks for the applause. Some of that applause is due to Liz and now to Robyn and Sandy, and Ken Garrison as well. They have been very supportive of the committee. And yes I hope someone steps up to do this. I personally found it interesting, challenging, and rewarding. And there is a lot more to do ...<br />
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And Shelia in the interest of time I am posting my response to you as well. You have an excellent point and I think some of the structure of SCIP creates this loss of valuable history…
Hi Arik<br />
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Thanks for the applause. Some of that applause is due to Liz and now to Robyn and Sandy, and Ken Garrison as well. They have been very supportive of the committee. And yes I hope someone steps up to do this. I personally found it interesting, challenging, and rewarding. And there is a lot more to do ...<br />
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And Shelia in the interest of time I am posting my response to you as well. You have an excellent point and I think some of the structure of SCIP creates this loss of valuable history of the association. The staff turnover though - as I have been told - also has to do with staff feeling under appreciated and even having to pull arrows out of their backs more often than not. I find that staff respond best to respectful compliments and correction. For example, I have worked with one sub contractor on an ongoing, full time basis for 13 years. I pay more compliments than criticisms and still demand high standards. I think we can do the same with SCIP staff and get better results. It is also a good idea to pass those comments through Ken or the board members to make sure we see where there are clusters of problems, need for training or supervision, etc.<br />
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I will admit that I don't have some of the same frustrations that those of long standing as SCIP members reasonably do. As a relative newcomer, I don't have all those disappointments to remember. While they should not be forgotten, in my opinion neither should they be placed on new staff who are doing their best to make SCIP a more successful association. So we need a balance of memory and fairness to the new staff members. I do think that the comments reflect what happens when you have a lot of turnover and that high turnover reflects key issues that need to be addressed.<br />
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Those are my two cents -- we need members like Sheila and Arthur who bring that long term perspective and speak up about the things that need to be fixed. Frankly I'd also like to hear from others about these things and also about things the association could do to provide greater satisfaction along the lines of August's recommendations.<br />
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Going into 2009 we're facing major challenges in terms of meetings and travel budgets, membership budgets, etc. It will take a lot of grit and ideas to make it work.<br />
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Best<br />
Claudia Thanks Claudia - I'd like to…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2008-08-17:2036441:Comment:83412008-08-17T03:35:03.248ZArik Johnsonhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/ArikJohnson
Thanks Claudia - I'd like to applaud the EAC in its work the past several years to make the education programs at SCIP a much more member-focused activity. And to echo Claudia's call that volunteers who wish to play a role should step to the plate to continue their good work. Claudia (Clayton), Dale Fehringer and Pat Bryant have really taken the topics and market need seriously and as their own leadership is about to rotate out at the end of the year, SCIP needs committed volunteers to step…
Thanks Claudia - I'd like to applaud the EAC in its work the past several years to make the education programs at SCIP a much more member-focused activity. And to echo Claudia's call that volunteers who wish to play a role should step to the plate to continue their good work. Claudia (Clayton), Dale Fehringer and Pat Bryant have really taken the topics and market need seriously and as their own leadership is about to rotate out at the end of the year, SCIP needs committed volunteers to step in.<br />
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As Sheila points out below, the collective memory of an organization is based on the immediate generation that precedes it, so stepping up early on as successors in roles such as the EAC is necessary to maintain consistency of planning and programming from year to year. "We have also had major staff…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2008-08-16:2036441:Comment:83232008-08-16T19:36:48.991ZSheila Wrighthttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/SheilaWright
<i>"We have also had major staff turnover .. "</i> At the start of my career I was given some very good advice, which has proved to be very accurate. When applying for a job, the first thing you should check out is the turnover rate of their key decision makers. If it is high, then the organisation cannot avoid contracting that debilitating and costly corporate disease, 'fast forgetting'. This is the polar opposite of what most efficient and effective organisations try to achieve by progressing…
<i>"We have also had major staff turnover .. "</i> At the start of my career I was given some very good advice, which has proved to be very accurate. When applying for a job, the first thing you should check out is the turnover rate of their key decision makers. If it is high, then the organisation cannot avoid contracting that debilitating and costly corporate disease, 'fast forgetting'. This is the polar opposite of what most efficient and effective organisations try to achieve by progressing up the learning curve. Fast forgetting leads to the non resolution of problems, repetition of mistakes and basic managerial erorrs. There is nobody there to tell the new guys that what is being suggested has all been done before. There is no organisational memory. The second thing you check out is the rate of staff turnover. If that is high, it is as good a sign as you will ever get that all is not well. High staff turnover is rarely indicative of everybody being blissfuly happy and working hard. Rather, they are working hard at getting out and getting out quick. Maybe the root and branch review suggested by others, needs to start closer to home. Having served as the Chair of…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2008-08-15:2036441:Comment:83042008-08-15T23:16:36.018ZClaudia Claytonhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/ClaudiaClayton
Having served as the Chair of the EAC for the past year, I can concur that SCIP needs to understand its environment to be as relevant as possible to the members. Doing a SWOT on SCIP every year - and building this into the planning process with categories to be addressed such as education, certification, member value and other quantifiable items seems like a good idea. We should not be afraid to look at the ugly parts as well as the beautiful ones - the threats and well as the opportunities. I…
Having served as the Chair of the EAC for the past year, I can concur that SCIP needs to understand its environment to be as relevant as possible to the members. Doing a SWOT on SCIP every year - and building this into the planning process with categories to be addressed such as education, certification, member value and other quantifiable items seems like a good idea. We should not be afraid to look at the ugly parts as well as the beautiful ones - the threats and well as the opportunities. I would definitely support that idea. I am a firm believer in research and have incorporated that into planning for future SCIP events - we recently interviewed a number of key practitioners in reference to a potential meeting for 2009 for example.<br />
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SCIP definitely does not yet provide the breadth of education to CI personnel that other groups do today, and we are working to "catch up" ... <i><b>but we are also working to look at how we can leapfrog ahead.</b></i> This year we did provide many new webinars including up to two per month for the second half of the year. In addition, we launched the first ever call for proposals for a new SCIP course (instead of tapping speakers on the shoulder from among a small pool of regulars) and are presenting a new course on Starting and Managing the CI Function for the first time in September. All future courses will use the RFP process so that we can have a wider range of speaker opportunities for members. We have made mistakes too, but have learned from them including putting a session of a course in Boston in Feb and not checking local course offerings for our UK course in 2008. Sometimes when you are focusing on the strategic picture you forget the important details. So for that reason, we are attempting to develop and ongoing tracking system that will help guide us to prevent these mistakes. (See below).<br />
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Next year's strategic plan for education and the education calendar along with new courses to meet the needs of the community -- based on competitive offerings and the Body of Knowledge - is currently in the works. One element of that plan the committee is working on is a template for education planning that takes into account educational results data to date, other market offerings based on location and timing, the Body of Knowledge, the results of an education survey we did this year to prioritize future topics, etc. We also hope to provide this back to SCIP for continued tracking and future use. If you can think of anything else we need to incorporate, let me know.<br />
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<i><b>Most of the EAC will be leaving at the end of this year, so if you want to make a difference in this regard - per Craig and others - call Sandy Skipper or Ken Garrison and volunteer.</b></i><br />
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The industry frustration regarding certification is loud and clear and I think will be addressed in 2009. I can't say more now, but I certainly hope so!<br />
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On several points I strongly agree. First, all major changes should at the very least be communicated well with the rationale (including financial necessity where this applies) but it would be even better if we can use a process like the one August outlined to at least show the association is listening, even if necessity outweighs desire in the end. It is even worse when changes are made and the constituents don't feel they had a say in the matter. Especially if the change affects them negatively. As a result of the association raising fees for vendors to advertise and doing away with the partner program, I am actually working with some independents in the US to form an alliance that can pool its resources and exhibit at the conference. Independents and smaller consulting firms don't have a good forum for creating visibility now with SCIP. SCIP may be working on a solution, but we have an optional solution that doesn't involve SCIP changing its policy.<br />
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I also feel strongly that marketing the association, presenting its value and programs to the CI community, identifying more ways to add value to the membership are all important.<br />
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On the point of SCIP staff however, in working with them on a day to day basis, I have not seen anyone who is underutilized. For many months we had one person managing all education programs including development, on site, the conference, etc. We have also had major staff turnover, which usually doesn't happen when staff has too little to do. Some of the staff wear multiple hats. The education staff and the business development staff both produce revenue.<br />
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I think that having an open forum like this and addressing these issues is a good idea and should continue. I imagine the SCIP board and staff will try to take some of the ideas and make SCIP better. Keep the thoughts, criticisms, and ideas coming. I am sure someone is listening!<br />
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Thanks<br />
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Claudia I'd like to make a few commen…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2008-08-11:2036441:Comment:81512008-08-11T20:00:38.282ZMichael Neugartenhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/MichaelNeugarten
I'd like to make a few comments.<br />
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Firstly, one would expect SCIP (as a CI organization) to at least be aware of some of the parallel organizations that it can learn from - it should surely be cognizant of its own external environment, or is it stuck in a huge blindspot?<br />
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One example, as others have mentioned, is the SLA. I have on number of occasions asked both SCIP and the SLA what differences there are between them, and why I as a CI practitioner should be a member of either one or both…
I'd like to make a few comments.<br />
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Firstly, one would expect SCIP (as a CI organization) to at least be aware of some of the parallel organizations that it can learn from - it should surely be cognizant of its own external environment, or is it stuck in a huge blindspot?<br />
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One example, as others have mentioned, is the SLA. I have on number of occasions asked both SCIP and the SLA what differences there are between them, and why I as a CI practitioner should be a member of either one or both societies. In one revealing comment, some senior SCIP people had at one point not even heard of the SLA - despite its CI Division having been its fastest growing division in recent years. SLA <i>is</i> different from SCIP and has a different membership constituency. But it also takes a far wider view of what can and should interest its members: and not surprisingly the SLA magazine is far more informative and refreshing than its SCIP equivalent.<br />
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Over the last few years, I have suggested to SCIP directors that they look at SPIE - the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. No, they are not spies, and they have little to do with CI. But what can SCIP learn from them? The development of SPIE shows that an organization, originally started by optical engineers working on missile ranges, who wanted an open forum where they could talk and share their knowledge and experience, has since become, <i>the</i> society for ALL aspects of optics, whether defense, medical, entertainment, space, sports, underwater, computer-based etc etc etc. As I recall, many of the early activists in SCIP came from organizations where they too were seeking an open forum to share ideas ...<br />
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The SLA take a wide and encompassing view of data, information, knowledge,knowledge management, information search, and CI - to name just some of the issues they encompass. And what does this have to do with SCIP? Well, the SLA is in this respect closer to SPIE - in that they are not afraid to include subjects which are seemingly peripheral to their core interests. On the other hand, it is SCIP that seems stuck in a largely US-centric "CI101" approach, with a limited repertoire of commercial courses (has SCIP really now sunk to becoming a platform for those commercial interests which give such courses?), and seems unable to get beyond its all-too-oft-repeated knee-jerk apologetic reaction "we are not industrial espionage". It would be nice to see SCIP define what CI IS for a change, and not what it is not.<br />
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As one colleague mentioned, one can 'get' to CI from so many different paths, that SCIP does not have the definitive answer as to what a CI professional is or should be. Which makes its sometimes 'holier than thou' attitude, that it and only it knows what CI is, a little wearying to say the least.<br />
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You mention the academic side of things - well, in a few weeks time ("the beginning of September"), we may hear (if SCIP keeps to the timescale it announced when it put the JCIM into abeyance - without warning or serious explanation) what is to become of the 'restructured' JCIM.<br />
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So, is JCIM being relaunched in three weeks? somehow, I'm a little doubtful.<br />
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What serious professional organization <u>ceases publication of its main journal</u>, in order to "restructure" it? This badly-handled, badly communicated, and sad episode has left a very bad taste regarding SCIP's commitment to academic or even quasi-academic activity. It is still not clear (to me at least) what needed fixing, and without an understanding of that, how can we as SCIP members know whether what may have needed to be fixed was in fact fixed?<br />
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To build up the reputation of an academic journal, openness, continuity and reliability of operations are essential: the timescale from submission, through revision, to approval often runs into well over a year. By so abruptly stopping the journal, a message has been sent to potential contributors that will reverberate for at least the next 24-36 months ... and for what purpose? we shall have to wait and see. It's not as though this hasn't happened to SCIP before - you may recall the now defunct CIR - Competitive Intelligence Review - there was an 18-month hiatus before the JCIM replaced that.<br />
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In conclusion, here's hoping for a more reflective and more open SCIP, one which becomes just a little more aware of the environment in which it is operating, and what organizations, conferences, and literatures compete for its (actual and potential) members attention and pocket.<br />
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The cost-effectiveness of membership in SCIP remains significantly lower than many other professional, CI, business information, strategy, or management-related organizations of which I am aware. Unless this changes drastically, SCIP will continue to lose members, and become less and less relevant to the ever-widening CI-related community.<br />
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Regards<br />
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Michael Neugarten I am including a presentation…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2008-08-08:2036441:Comment:80242008-08-08T13:40:35.278ZCraig S. Fleisherhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/CraigSFleisher
I am including a presentation I did for the SCIP Great Lakes chapter in my last month as President of SCIP in 2006. It was designed to look at the past, present, and future of SCIP. It represented a sense of where I thought it had been, was, and was going at that point in time. I thought it might be of interest to our group members and would welcome any comment.
I am including a presentation I did for the SCIP Great Lakes chapter in my last month as President of SCIP in 2006. It was designed to look at the past, present, and future of SCIP. It represented a sense of where I thought it had been, was, and was going at that point in time. I thought it might be of interest to our group members and would welcome any comment. Not wishing to score points -…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2008-08-04:2036441:Comment:78232008-08-04T22:31:43.975ZArthur Weisshttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/ArthurWeiss
Not wishing to score points - I'm aware that the Web 2.0 webinar was sponsored by Dow Jones. However it was advertised and promoted via the SLA and not SCIP yet would have been of interest and relevant to a lot of SCIP members. If it was independent of the SLA why couldn't SCIP also promote it? Further, according to the SLA web-site, their CI program is accredited - by IACET (the same organisation that accredits the Academy of CI courses).<br />
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My aim in mentioning these is to show that SCIP now…
Not wishing to score points - I'm aware that the Web 2.0 webinar was sponsored by Dow Jones. However it was advertised and promoted via the SLA and not SCIP yet would have been of interest and relevant to a lot of SCIP members. If it was independent of the SLA why couldn't SCIP also promote it? Further, according to the SLA web-site, their CI program is accredited - by IACET (the same organisation that accredits the Academy of CI courses).<br />
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My aim in mentioning these is to show that SCIP now has a competitor that's rapidly moving into the space that should be firmly owned by SCIP. The fact that the SLA does promote CI training and events should raise serious alarm bells within SCIP. The SLA would not be promoting CI activity if there wasn't a need for it among their members. That these people don't join SCIP suggests that SCIP is not addressing the needs of a large number of potential members.<br />
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I know that some people will dismiss them as "librarians" and not "CI professionals". However when you go down that road, you'll end up not having any members at all. My background is marketing - not <i>intelligence</i>. I guess therefore I can't be a competitve <i>intelligence</i> professional. Then there are others that have information science / KM backgrounds, or academic backgrounds, or .... We need to be inclusive and if there is a sizable segment that feels that SCIP doesn't address their needs then rather than dismiss them, they should be welcomed.<br />
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As a 10-year plus member I value the organisation and believe it is needed but despair that instead of increasing interest in competitive intelligence it's losing it - as evidenced by the member decline. I'm not a change-management guru - but know that when something isn't working, hoping it'll improve with the economy is a false dream (especially as the decline occurred during an economic boom). In other words, major change is needed to stimulate interest - but I don't see this happening. Yet! I would echo Bill's comments.…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2008-08-04:2036441:Comment:78062008-08-04T19:24:22.443ZCraig S. Fleisherhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/CraigSFleisher
I would echo Bill's comments. I can tell you that the interaction and knowledge you get from Board service adds a high degree of context (as well as colour) to one's understanding of how the association can and cannot serve its members. SCIP has been around for over 30 years, many of them highly successful, others far less so. It has already passed that threshold that many associations never pass -- getting beyond those most difficult early years. Having said that, it will always face the…
I would echo Bill's comments. I can tell you that the interaction and knowledge you get from Board service adds a high degree of context (as well as colour) to one's understanding of how the association can and cannot serve its members. SCIP has been around for over 30 years, many of them highly successful, others far less so. It has already passed that threshold that many associations never pass -- getting beyond those most difficult early years. Having said that, it will always face the challenge of staying relevant, or even ahead of meeting the needs of its members. The best way to ensure that it does meet the challenge is for concerned individuals with good ideas and an understanding of how to execute them in a multi-constituent (vendors, corporate practitioners, consultants, clients/customers, academics, etc.) volunteer environment to step forward, be heard and counted. I'd be happy to speak with any interested parties about my experiences on the SCIP Board and answer questions about potential service if it would help. Hey August. The call for Boar…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2008-08-04:2036441:Comment:78002008-08-04T18:44:56.904ZBill Fiorahttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/BillFiora
Hey August. The call for Board of Director nominations is a great way to frame the discussion as it gives people a way to channel their ideas (and frustrations) into concrete steps and suggestions. At a previous job, we had the mantra that "to criticize is to volunteer." That is, if someone feels strongly enough about an issue to voice it publicly, then they should also be the first to help make the necessary changes. Running for the SCIP Board (or other volunteer positions) is a great way to…
Hey August. The call for Board of Director nominations is a great way to frame the discussion as it gives people a way to channel their ideas (and frustrations) into concrete steps and suggestions. At a previous job, we had the mantra that "to criticize is to volunteer." That is, if someone feels strongly enough about an issue to voice it publicly, then they should also be the first to help make the necessary changes. Running for the SCIP Board (or other volunteer positions) is a great way to do this. SCIP wouldn't exist without volunteers, and there are a number of people on this discussion forum (and on this thread) who have given a lot of their time to the Society in recent years to help make improvements. I know that I've learned a lot during my time on the Board, and encourage anyone with a strong interest to put their name (and their ideas) forward. Point of information. The SLA…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2008-08-04:2036441:Comment:77912008-08-04T17:24:12.740ZBonnie Hohhofhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/BonnieHohhof38
Point of information. The SLA CI certificate program is not accredited. It is the result of the hard work and knowledge of Cynthia Cheng Correia of Knowledge Inform who designed and teaches most of the courses.<br />
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The webinar "The impact of web 2.0 on competitive intelligence" was another of Cynthia's efforts, and was sponsored by Dow Jones, not SLA.
Point of information. The SLA CI certificate program is not accredited. It is the result of the hard work and knowledge of Cynthia Cheng Correia of Knowledge Inform who designed and teaches most of the courses.<br />
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The webinar "The impact of web 2.0 on competitive intelligence" was another of Cynthia's efforts, and was sponsored by Dow Jones, not SLA.