Proactive competitive intelligence vs reactive competitive intelligence - Competitive Intelligence2024-03-29T10:47:17Zhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/forum/topics/proactive-competitive?commentId=2036441%3AComment%3A33295&feed=yes&xn_auth=noChris, we explore many of the…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2010-07-04:2036441:Comment:346902010-07-04T18:50:10.920ZAndrew Beurschgenshttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/AndrewBeurschgens
Chris, we explore many of these issues in our recent practitioner survey, called Intelligent Intelligence Career Planning which is available to download from <a href="http://www.ukcif.co.uk" target="_blank">www.ukcif.co.uk</a>
Chris, we explore many of these issues in our recent practitioner survey, called Intelligent Intelligence Career Planning which is available to download from <a href="http://www.ukcif.co.uk" target="_blank">www.ukcif.co.uk</a> Interestingly, sometimes even…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2010-07-02:2036441:Comment:346672010-07-02T19:38:48.650ZAnna F. Shallenbergerhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/AnnaFShallenberger
Interestingly, sometimes even being pro-active can be categorized/perceived as reactive -- which isn't always always bad.<br />
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On the good side -- even if you anticipate -- it may have been on the client's [internal or external] mind -- and whether they asked for/about something or not. But it does reinforce that you "get it" and can cut back on micro-management.<br />
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On the flip side, they may know they didn't but not want to admit it. And get a little passive aggressive about someone else having a…
Interestingly, sometimes even being pro-active can be categorized/perceived as reactive -- which isn't always always bad.<br />
<br />
On the good side -- even if you anticipate -- it may have been on the client's [internal or external] mind -- and whether they asked for/about something or not. But it does reinforce that you "get it" and can cut back on micro-management.<br />
<br />
On the flip side, they may know they didn't but not want to admit it. And get a little passive aggressive about someone else having a good idea. I haven't had that happen too often personally, but I've seen some colleagues get dinged.<br />
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I think really that both response levels have their place, and are part of the iterative process. Indeed, if we were "only" proactive, by definition, we are more professor than service provider. As KITs/KIQs evolve, there is some inherent reactive component, as least as the 'path-honing' tacks in another direction.<br />
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And I concur that one earns credibility -- it's not a given. Also that communication/presentation really impacts acceptance. However, I've seen people rely on those reasons as to why they either aren't more proactive or why when they are -- it doesn't go far. It can be an excuse for not wanting to risk being "wrong."<br />
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One other thought -- don't recall if anyone has raised it exactly this way, although I know some touched upon it. Today, almost everyone has more on their to do list [love those "stretch goals"] than is possible to accomplish, much least well.<br />
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In some cases, pursuing a proactive line of inquiry/analysis means sidelining something else particularly requested, not not giving it sufficient attention... Chris,
Sure, late June is fi…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2010-06-15:2036441:Comment:341502010-06-15T17:25:28.797Zmonica nixonhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/monicanixon32
Chris,<br />
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Sure, late June is fine, just tell me when. I believe you have my direct line number.
Chris,<br />
<br />
Sure, late June is fine, just tell me when. I believe you have my direct line number. Absolutely, late June, early…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2010-06-15:2036441:Comment:341492010-06-15T17:22:57.355ZChris Hotehttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/ChrisHote
Absolutely, late June, early July would be a good timeframe.
Absolutely, late June, early July would be a good timeframe. Welcome, if you want to talk…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2010-06-15:2036441:Comment:341472010-06-15T17:17:47.911Zmonica nixonhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/monicanixon32
Welcome, if you want to talk about this some time I could make myself available.
Welcome, if you want to talk about this some time I could make myself available. Your answer is, as always, cr…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2010-06-15:2036441:Comment:341462010-06-15T17:15:38.756ZChris Hotehttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/ChrisHote
Your answer is, as always, crystal clear, consistent, and to the point. Thank you for your pragmatic and educational insights.
Your answer is, as always, crystal clear, consistent, and to the point. Thank you for your pragmatic and educational insights. Chris,
The root of CI in cor…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2010-06-15:2036441:Comment:341452010-06-15T17:08:40.594Zmonica nixonhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/monicanixon32
Chris,<br />
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The root of CI in corporations today stems directly from the IC (government Intel Community). Where else? So, when sophisticated folks speak of CI, and companies that have strong CI capabilities, they always mean Strategic future forward insights/early warning - so CI in its pure form is STRATEGIC. Now, this is not to say that the tactical folks don't also fall under the overall CI banner, but they tend to be labeled Competitive Response or Business Intelligence as they tend to be…
Chris,<br />
<br />
The root of CI in corporations today stems directly from the IC (government Intel Community). Where else? So, when sophisticated folks speak of CI, and companies that have strong CI capabilities, they always mean Strategic future forward insights/early warning - so CI in its pure form is STRATEGIC. Now, this is not to say that the tactical folks don't also fall under the overall CI banner, but they tend to be labeled Competitive Response or Business Intelligence as they tend to be current focused.<br />
<br />
Strategic CI tends to report to Future Product Marketing, R/D, Corporate Strategy while Tactical CI or day to day business intelligence, tends to report to current product marketing in my experience at large firms.<br />
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Also my thoughts on the "Strategic and CI professionals" renaming- I think Strategic and Tactical CI Professionals would be better.<br />
<br />
M Thank you all for your very v…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2010-06-15:2036441:Comment:341422010-06-15T14:14:42.492ZChris Hotehttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/ChrisHote
Thank you all for your very valuable replies. I learned a lot from them and I think this question relates to the actual roots of competitive intelligence.<br />
- Is it tactical or strategic?<br />
- Is there a budget/resource or not?<br />
- Who does the CI team report to?<br />
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It comes to my mind that each company does have its own perception of what competitive intelligence is and what it should be producing.<br />
<br />
I have the weakness to tie this discussion to the very recent initiative SCIP is taking to rename this…
Thank you all for your very valuable replies. I learned a lot from them and I think this question relates to the actual roots of competitive intelligence.<br />
- Is it tactical or strategic?<br />
- Is there a budget/resource or not?<br />
- Who does the CI team report to?<br />
<br />
It comes to my mind that each company does have its own perception of what competitive intelligence is and what it should be producing.<br />
<br />
I have the weakness to tie this discussion to the very recent initiative SCIP is taking to rename this acronym as "Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals".<br />
<br />
What are your thoughts? Do you think SCIP also wonders whether there is a need to reposition or enhance what CI is and provides higher visibility in corportations?<br />
<a href="http://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/forum/topics/scip-strategic-and-competitive" target="_blank">http://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/forum/topics/scip-strategic-and-competitive</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=21947411&gid=68320&trk=EML_anet_qa_ttle-dnhOon0JumNFomgJt7dBpSBA" target="_blank">http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=21947411&gid=68320&trk=EML_anet_qa_ttle-dnhOon0JumNFomgJt7dBpSBA</a><br />
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Thanks for your thoughts.<br />
Chris. Hi Chris,
I don't think the…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2010-06-14:2036441:Comment:341072010-06-14T19:52:37.954Zmonica nixonhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/monicanixon32
Hi Chris,<br />
<br />
I don't think the pertinent question is should CI be proactive or reactive, there is a need for both strategic/proactive and tactical/reactive CI, its just normally accomplished with different sets of analysts with different skills that produce different deliverables for different audiences.<br />
<br />
With that in mind,in most large firms, there is typically a Strategic CI team that is focused on future items and providing upfront SEWS/HUMINT to Corp Strategy/R &D/C level execs/Strategic…
Hi Chris,<br />
<br />
I don't think the pertinent question is should CI be proactive or reactive, there is a need for both strategic/proactive and tactical/reactive CI, its just normally accomplished with different sets of analysts with different skills that produce different deliverables for different audiences.<br />
<br />
With that in mind,in most large firms, there is typically a Strategic CI team that is focused on future items and providing upfront SEWS/HUMINT to Corp Strategy/R &D/C level execs/Strategic Planning, and there is also a Competitive Response team that tends to be more reactive, focused on supporting the current business that is more request driven whose audience tends to be current marketing/sales.<br />
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The problem arises in my experience, when non CI savvy companies try to take one CI person in a huge enterprise and tells them to be both proactive/strategic and at the same time tactical/reactive. It will fail every time because there are too many product lines, categories, competitors, etc-- but perhaps more importantly, it will fall flat because if you are trying to be anticipatory and at the same time, are busy answering the phone for the sales force all day long to deal with issues around current products, you wont get the time to build the tools, collect pertinent HUMINT and flip on the future mindset...<br />
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M @Chris:
Proactive CI happens…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2010-06-08:2036441:Comment:338202010-06-08T13:33:57.884ZVishwanath Machirajuhttp://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/VishwanathMachiraju
@Chris:<br />
<br />
Proactive CI happens when this exercise becomes an ongoing process driven on a consistent basis with an enterprise wide mandate. One of the challenges I face with my function of driving and launching CI (<u>an engineering services firm</u>) is to educate the touch points of CI on the significance of CI for an effective strategy. Consistent information collation will be a patient exercise. Only when we sit on a pile of information can we execute the analytics based on patterns/trends…
@Chris:<br />
<br />
Proactive CI happens when this exercise becomes an ongoing process driven on a consistent basis with an enterprise wide mandate. One of the challenges I face with my function of driving and launching CI (<u>an engineering services firm</u>) is to educate the touch points of CI on the significance of CI for an effective strategy. Consistent information collation will be a patient exercise. Only when we sit on a pile of information can we execute the analytics based on patterns/trends displayed by the competition/market.<br />
Reactive CI will appear to be fulfilling but the predictions will be stale. At the end of the day, we will be interpreting what the competition wants us to interpret from them rather than us judging and predicting their next moves.<br />
So essentially, with reactive CI, the dollar value of our effort tends to be negligible on the table on most of the occasions<br />
<br />
- Vish