abilities necessary to succeed in CI? - Competitive Intelligence2024-03-29T09:38:09Zhttps://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/forum/topics/abilities-necessary-to-succeed?commentId=2036441%3AComment%3A49458&x=1&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHi Monica,
Thank you for you…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2011-04-20:2036441:Comment:494582011-04-20T11:17:06.375ZMiguel Duarte Ferreirahttps://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/MiguelDuarteFerreira71
Hi Monica,<br />
<br />
Thank you for your comments and reply, as usual great food for thought.<br />
<br />
Allow me then to pick up where you left it.<br />
<br />
1) I agree. There is no one on the ‘CI Training’ arena doing this kind of ‘teaching’. On my view this alone tell us a lot about how much there is the need to further improve the training offering ‘out there’.<br />
<br />
2) I believe that although challenging and far from having an ‘algorithm’ we can for sure have a good ‘heuristic’ – your own comments above to Eric are a great…
Hi Monica,<br />
<br />
Thank you for your comments and reply, as usual great food for thought.<br />
<br />
Allow me then to pick up where you left it.<br />
<br />
1) I agree. There is no one on the ‘CI Training’ arena doing this kind of ‘teaching’. On my view this alone tell us a lot about how much there is the need to further improve the training offering ‘out there’.<br />
<br />
2) I believe that although challenging and far from having an ‘algorithm’ we can for sure have a good ‘heuristic’ – your own comments above to Eric are a great example. As I view it is far better to have a ‘valid’ approach on how to take in consideration corporate politics into a CI role than to expect to hold a ‘reliable’ one or, even worst, not to take this into account when doing your ‘CI business’.<br />
Coming back to the lack of training offering on this specific topic or how challenging this may be, I would suggest that like it happens so many times we have to look ‘elsewhere’, here goes a set of links where formal training is already being offered (I cannot comment on the quality once I have not attend these courses but looking at the AMA one I would say it seems to be good enough to partially serve the ‘needs’ I am talking here):<br />
<a href="http://www.amanet.org/training/seminars/Mastering-Organizational-Politics-Influence-and-Alliances.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.amanet.org/training/seminars/Mastering-Organizational-Politics-Influence-and-Alliances.aspx</a><br />
<a href="http://unex.uci.edu/courses/sectiondetail.aspx?year=2011&term=Winter&sid=00374" target="_blank">http://unex.uci.edu/courses/sectiondetail.aspx?year=2011&term=Winter&sid=00374</a><br />
<a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/learning-solutions/onsite/Organizational-Savvy-Politics-Training.asp" target="_blank">http://www.lsaglobal.com/learning-solutions/onsite/Organizational-Savvy-Politics-Training.asp</a><br />
<br />
3) I am fully with you. We should first recognized where ‘you are’ (meaning in what kind of company/culture/politics are we working) and work from there. On a ‘true telling company’ being Good will likely takes you further than being Successful. Still, corporate politics is not ‘a thing’ that you only have on ‘true telling’ company, in fact that may even be a huge blind spot. Every company has its own corporate politics, which reinforces your above comment on how difficult it may be to develop a training program to tackle this challenge. Thus one has, a first step, to learn which one it is and how it works and go from there - should we focus on being ‘Good’ and only after invest on being ‘Successful’? Or vice-versa? My approach is that you should go for both with the same enthusiasm and focus.<br />
I find it amazing that almost no, if any, undergraduate or graduate management course has a course on this topic as a way to prepare future managers to deal with this from the beginning of their careers (this comment is more Portugal centric given I really cannot speak for any other geography). Still, my understanding is that things aren’t that different in other countries (but maybe I am wrong…).<br />
<br />
Cheers,<br />
<br />
Miguel I just noticed that I researc…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2011-04-16:2036441:Comment:491272011-04-16T04:57:10.491ZPatrick Munzigerhttps://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/PatrickMunziger
<p>I just noticed that I researched all of these things in the past:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>- appartments, etc. for my sister</p>
<p>- Im about to create a piece of content (for a website) with the most in-depth cost of living analysis of Germany (will be more in-depth than anything out there on the web, Ive seen - I love to dig deep ;))</p>
<p>- crime rates + weather...</p>
<p>- toxic animals in diff. regions around the world</p>
<p> </p>
<p>researching local schools + environmental conditions (I…</p>
<p>I just noticed that I researched all of these things in the past:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>- appartments, etc. for my sister</p>
<p>- Im about to create a piece of content (for a website) with the most in-depth cost of living analysis of Germany (will be more in-depth than anything out there on the web, Ive seen - I love to dig deep ;))</p>
<p>- crime rates + weather...</p>
<p>- toxic animals in diff. regions around the world</p>
<p> </p>
<p>researching local schools + environmental conditions (I mean liability) are things I wouldnt mind researching, either...or well enjoy...actually.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>so basically Ive been doing real estate research for a while already, havent I?;-)</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p> Hello Trip - thanks for the r…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2011-04-16:2036441:Comment:484772011-04-16T04:22:12.561ZPatrick Munzigerhttps://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/PatrickMunziger
<p>Hello Trip - thanks for the reply, first of all!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>here are the answers to your questions (hope this doesnt sound like I didnt appreciate them! lol, bc I do):</p>
<p> </p>
<p>- my sister (who moves around the world regularly) usually asks me to research how to find an appartment, where to stay, etc. ...in online marketing people usually asked me to do quick market research for them (2 friends). ...I also had a (student's) job interview at one of the bigger names in online…</p>
<p>Hello Trip - thanks for the reply, first of all!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>here are the answers to your questions (hope this doesnt sound like I didnt appreciate them! lol, bc I do):</p>
<p> </p>
<p>- my sister (who moves around the world regularly) usually asks me to research how to find an appartment, where to stay, etc. ...in online marketing people usually asked me to do quick market research for them (2 friends). ...I also had a (student's) job interview at one of the bigger names in online marketing in germany, who would have hired me to research stuff such as new web analytics technology and if it pays off buying it basically.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In other words, it's really all kinds of research. I've been thinking of investment research, also - such as the web analytics software example.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>- things I research for myself: it's really all over the place....job opportunities like CI ;) is something ive been researching for years (thats how I found my way into SEO and online marketing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>important note, however: the more challenging it is to figure it out, the more I enjoy it actually. "rote research" e.g. compile a list of xyz that anyone can do...is not my kind of research, I love a good challenge</p>
<p> </p>
<p>- it certainly involves all kind of sources - wherever I can get the information from ;-).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>- I never read them, actuall but Ive been thinking about those tv shows like CSI,etc. and thought..hey...that certainly would be for me (in a business context or similar)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>- Ive looked into the first, but not really the last 2. Ive thought of genealogy research, though. i need to look up investigative journalism (i did look into online journalism as a career).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>- NOPE! This one was new for me. I looked into employee background research before - actually i was wondering if id be able to make a living based on return-on-time invested in that field.</p>
<p><br/>As for due diligence, I just read up on it..and it seems highly interesting. thanks for the insight, I had never thought about this one.</p>
<p><br/>So due diligence consists of employee background research, businesses acquisitions and real estate acquisitions, basically.......?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I find the idea of due diligence in real estate appealing - just like ive been wondering if i could end up in investment research in the real estate industry. Do most people who work in due diligence work on business transactions or are there many jobs in the field of real estate, too? (of course im talking about all kinds of real estate not just nice houses lol).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Is this about doing the deep research Ive been wondering out? figuring out things that others (who are not as inquisitive) may miss?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>PS: one thing that confuses me is that I came across a website that mentioned due diligence in the context of CI ...I assume it has nothing to do with the "whats going on behind the walls of company xyz",though and everything to do with acquisitions,new hires,etc. right?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p> </p> Patrick,
What are the thing…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2011-04-15:2036441:Comment:484752011-04-15T21:30:51.229ZTrip Kranthttps://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/TripKrant
<p>Patrick,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What are the things that people ask you to research for them?</p>
<p>What are the things that you research for yourself?</p>
<p>Does your interest in research only involve using databases and the internet, or does it also involve libraries, public records, and talking to people?</p>
<p>Do you like detective or mystery novels?</p>
<p>Have you looked into investigative journalism, law enforcement, or private investigation?</p>
<p>Have you looked at the field of due…</p>
<p>Patrick,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What are the things that people ask you to research for them?</p>
<p>What are the things that you research for yourself?</p>
<p>Does your interest in research only involve using databases and the internet, or does it also involve libraries, public records, and talking to people?</p>
<p>Do you like detective or mystery novels?</p>
<p>Have you looked into investigative journalism, law enforcement, or private investigation?</p>
<p>Have you looked at the field of due diligence?</p> I thought about competitive i…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2011-04-15:2036441:Comment:484722011-04-15T16:09:25.648ZPatrick Munzigerhttps://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/PatrickMunziger
<p>I thought about competitive intelligence and it being anticipatory, at the back of my mind.... and trying to create a competitive advantage for the company. I think I'm already doing something like this in online marketing - let me give an example:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>the mobile phones/mobile web isnt really that big, yet (then again I dont know if this may be different in the US?). However in Japan the mobile web is big already. Ive been pondering the question if "foot traffic" will become big…</p>
<p>I thought about competitive intelligence and it being anticipatory, at the back of my mind.... and trying to create a competitive advantage for the company. I think I'm already doing something like this in online marketing - let me give an example:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>the mobile phones/mobile web isnt really that big, yet (then again I dont know if this may be different in the US?). However in Japan the mobile web is big already. Ive been pondering the question if "foot traffic" will become big once everyone is starting to use the mobile phone to access the web. right now its all about search engine traffic, and paid for traffic. in the future, once mobile gets big people may start typing in web addresses they see somewhere. Right now im trying to find someone from Japan to ask questions about how mobile web access has changed the job of online marketers in Japan....this could then be leveraged as a competitive advantage for a website in the US. - in theory, anyway LOL Im not sure if this is gonna be actionable, to be honest ;-).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Another example would be that understanding the underlying factors of the market environment....and understanding them to a deep level (so you can spot changes sooner than the competition)...is something else that could be leveraged to be ahead of your competitors. ...for example when it comes to bidding on keywords in PPC Marketing (pay per click marketing basically means that internet marketers bid on keywords that people search for on the internet. ...if you bid on them youll have one of those ads that are displayed at the right side ofgoogle's search results.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>if oyu can anticipate such changes of underlying factors, you should be able to be the first to bid on a keyword, that only now becomes highly searched for....and have a first mover advantage over your competitors.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Is this kind of thing going on in competitive intelligence? thank you!</p> Hello Monica - thanks for the…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2011-04-13:2036441:Comment:482062011-04-13T19:22:16.533ZPatrick Munzigerhttps://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/PatrickMunziger
<p>Hello Monica - thanks for the reply!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As for me being a number crunching guy or a qualitative guy...I think Im probably neither :-). What I enjoy doing is deep research, research that is a challenge (to figure something out,etc.). Usually it has little to do with numbers, though I'm not opposed to number crunching, either. ...eh maybe I dont understand the word qualitative right - I'll shoot you a PM about this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I really just found the field of CI and this…</p>
<p>Hello Monica - thanks for the reply!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As for me being a number crunching guy or a qualitative guy...I think Im probably neither :-). What I enjoy doing is deep research, research that is a challenge (to figure something out,etc.). Usually it has little to do with numbers, though I'm not opposed to number crunching, either. ...eh maybe I dont understand the word qualitative right - I'll shoot you a PM about this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I really just found the field of CI and this forum because of trying to find a venue where I could do this type of research. It seems that my understanding of CI was too narrow!</p>
<p><br/>however, actually I do enjoy anticipating opportunities, problems,etc.. I usually do this in my life on a regular basis trying to gauge which life problems are next. Anticipating problems that are about to arise (many in life are just waiting to happen, because they happen to everyone, or everyone who is similar to yourself) is my favorite "problem solving" technique actually!;-).</p>
<p><br/>So even though CI seems not to be what I was lookinng for in terms of doing mostly research...it could still be an option for the future (Im still in college, anyway). but for now, Im probably wrong, here!</p>
<p><br/>Thanks for everyone who answered my questions, of course!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EDIT: Oops, just noticed, that I can't message you until youve accepted my friend request (in case you do accept it). I wanted to ask you something about the research part, but it includes information about myself that I'd prefer not to share on a public forum. ...It's nothing bad just something Id prefer not to be on the public www....and of course I'll make sure I keep the message to 3-4 lines and ask a precise question! :-)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>hope this isnt asking for too much!</p> Patrick,
RE: Your Responses…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2011-04-13:2036441:Comment:488272011-04-13T17:51:23.274Zmonica nixonhttps://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/monicanixon32
Patrick,<br />
<br />
RE: Your Responses<br />
<br />
Patrick: I'm looking for a field that is mainly about doing what I would call "deep research" - e.g. where the deeper you can dig, the better you're gonna be. It seems that CI is about much more than that and the main task of it doesn't equal "digging deep"?<br />
<br />
Monica: Digging deep is only part of the equation relative to CI. Yes, CI requires extensive research both primary (HUMINT) and secondary source review, but perhaps most importantly, it requires seeing…
Patrick,<br />
<br />
RE: Your Responses<br />
<br />
Patrick: I'm looking for a field that is mainly about doing what I would call "deep research" - e.g. where the deeper you can dig, the better you're gonna be. It seems that CI is about much more than that and the main task of it doesn't equal "digging deep"?<br />
<br />
Monica: Digging deep is only part of the equation relative to CI. Yes, CI requires extensive research both primary (HUMINT) and secondary source review, but perhaps most importantly, it requires seeing linkage/patterns in behavior and being able to get underneath whats really going on. This requires tremendous depth, historical perspective and context only gained by watching the evolution of competitors and the effect of their actions in the market over time. I guess my question to you is are you a numbers guy or more of a qualitative sort? CI isnt so much about crunching large data sets in databases, or customer focused information, those are more the domains of MR and BI. CI is about being anticipatory, providing strategic early warning.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
2. I know (by now hehe) that there's a difference between being good at something and being successful at it (meaning that being good at a certain skill doesnt necessarily mean youll be able to charge a high price for it in the market, etc...) - I assume that's what the difference of "good" and "successful" was about?<br />
<br />
Monica: No, the argument about being good vs being successful here wasn't related to price. What we were saying is that being a great analyst is only one piece of the puzzle is being successful overall in CI, the other element was being adept at politics, navigating the cultural dynamics at play in organizations which CI sometimes butts up against as a change agent /truth telling function. I just read all the replies,…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2011-04-13:2036441:Comment:486322011-04-13T03:04:19.209ZPatrick Munzigerhttps://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/PatrickMunziger
<p>I just read all the replies, again ...but cant really reply,yet ..gonna have to read it another time to remember and address the right points! just saying this so you wont think i dont appreciate it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>However, one thing Id really like to ask, already...is competitive intelligence different from competitive intelligence RESEARCH ...as in the latter being a subset of the former.... or does competitive intelligence research not really exist</p>
<p> </p>
<p>thank you again!!</p>
<p>I just read all the replies, again ...but cant really reply,yet ..gonna have to read it another time to remember and address the right points! just saying this so you wont think i dont appreciate it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>However, one thing Id really like to ask, already...is competitive intelligence different from competitive intelligence RESEARCH ...as in the latter being a subset of the former.... or does competitive intelligence research not really exist</p>
<p> </p>
<p>thank you again!!</p> wow thanks for the replies, e…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2011-04-12:2036441:Comment:484612011-04-12T19:15:13.555ZPatrick Munzigerhttps://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/PatrickMunziger
<p>wow thanks for the replies, everyone! Unfortunately my PC is giving me issues (at home), so Im only at the library now and cant reply to all of this, but I'll sure get back to it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>quick reply, though ;-):</p>
<p> </p>
<p>1. I'm looking for a field that is mainly about doing what I would call "deep research" - e.g. where the deeper you can dig, the better you're gonna be. It seems that CI is about much more than that and the main task of it doesn't equal "digging…</p>
<p>wow thanks for the replies, everyone! Unfortunately my PC is giving me issues (at home), so Im only at the library now and cant reply to all of this, but I'll sure get back to it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>quick reply, though ;-):</p>
<p> </p>
<p>1. I'm looking for a field that is mainly about doing what I would call "deep research" - e.g. where the deeper you can dig, the better you're gonna be. It seems that CI is about much more than that and the main task of it doesn't equal "digging deep"?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>2. I know (by now hehe) that there's a difference between being good at something and being successful at it (meaning that being good at a certain skill doesnt necessarily mean youll be able to charge a high price for it in the market, etc...) - I assume that's what the difference of "good" and "successful" was about?</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p> Eric, Miguel
As always, supe…tag:competitiveintelligence.ning.com,2011-04-12:2036441:Comment:484602011-04-12T18:52:51.334Zmonica nixonhttps://competitiveintelligence.ning.com/profile/monicanixon32
Eric, Miguel<br />
<br />
As always, superb comments by both of you.<br />
<br />
Eric, you are of course, precisely right. Do what I said and you'll be a really, really good CI analyst, but indeed organizational politics and culture do factor in heavily to success. Interestingly, very few people ever talk about this, and it is indeed a challenge in some organizations. So right, CI folks are supposed to be change agents; but at the same time we are supposed to be political, goes without saying that these two things…
Eric, Miguel<br />
<br />
As always, superb comments by both of you.<br />
<br />
Eric, you are of course, precisely right. Do what I said and you'll be a really, really good CI analyst, but indeed organizational politics and culture do factor in heavily to success. Interestingly, very few people ever talk about this, and it is indeed a challenge in some organizations. So right, CI folks are supposed to be change agents; but at the same time we are supposed to be political, goes without saying that these two things frequently run in direct contravention. Now, IF you are in a organization that has a truth telling culture this wont be such an issue, but if you are in a company that tends to operate on conventional wisdom and cant handle the truth, as a CI practitioner you then are forced to navigate the political waters relative to how much truth that they can handle, and whats going to happen to you as being the messenger of bad news, not to mention as someone who can slaughter the sacred cows so to speak. (ie some folks will fear you because they know you can blow up the falsehoods they purport)<br />
<br />
I faced this constantly when I moved from working as a SR Strategic analyst at a truth-telling company to being the manager of a start up CI function in a Japanese multinational with a inordinately reactive profile and a notorious and comical inability to accept the truth.What was I thinking? Suffice it to say, it wasn't pretty. Here's an example: I had to in one instance make a critical judgement about revealing the outright falsehoods sales management was telling our CEO about the state of play in our largest account-- do I let him keep believing the happy, everything is fine rhetoric he was being spoonfed by sales management when we were weeks away from having them dump us for nonperformance in favor of a major competitor , or do I present the truth that he is being intentionally misled and we have not met SLAs, the client is thoroughly disgusted with us, sales has known all this for a long time and done nothing to rectify, etc? I had the GAM begging me to bring this to the attention of Exec US management because he knew his managers were blowing smoke, and that more than likely the CEO wouldn't read an email or return a call directly from him- but that said CEO would read an email if it came from me documenting all this, or if I walked into his office and blew the whistle using the evidence the GAM provided. No win situation right? One way or the other, someone is going to be angry, embarrassed, etc. This is the kind of thing I think CI folks have to deal with often and it comes down to doing the right thing to protect the company at the risk of being unpopular with certain audiences. (Hmm add this as another trait CI folks have to have, being OK with sometimes being unpopular)<br />
<br />
Funny speaking of this, at my first CI job in the final interview, the sagacious CI Manager said to me "Are you afraid to be unpopular? If so, this isn't the job for you. " Right on, how wise he was. .....<br />
<br />
Now to your questions and points Miguel:<br />
<br />
1) I think few people out there doing CI Training are doing much more than the basics- generalities of how to do elicitation, secondary source allocation,business school SP frameworks.<br />
<br />
2) I don't know how anyone would necessarily teach a course on how to navigate generally through the maze of corporate politics. They would vary significantly I would surmise by company, and be firm specific. I may be wrong on this note...<br />
<br />
3) As to the point about being good being secondary to being political, well in my personal experience being good will carry an analyst a long long long way in a company where truth telling is OK. In these climes, if you're not good, you can be political all you want and you will fail. On the other side of the coin, in companies where truth telling is not as accepted, being political takes more precedence than being really, really good.<br />
<br />
M