Recently I wrote a blog post on Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/benoitgrenier_there-are-five-major-reasons-to-create-an-activity-7181237231678844928-NILZ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Today I share more to support this post.
In the article Organizational intelligence and counterintelligence
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cir.3880030109
The article by Herbert D. Clough and Robert A. Margulies, titled “The Corporate Competitive Intelligence/Counterintelligence Team: A Symbiotic Design for the Future,” explores the concept of competitive strategies and tactics through the lens of historical activities that required moves and countermoves, such as war, chess, athletic contests, and corporate global competition.
It highlights the importance of developing both offensive and defensive capabilities within organizations to navigate and succeed in the competitive landscape of corporate global competition.
The main objectives of the Competitive Intelligence/Counterintelligence (CI/CI) team are to produce and sustain a corporate competitive edge and generate superior customer satisfaction. The team, comprising CI professionals (offense) and Counterintelligence professionals (defense), works together to pursue opportunities against competition and counter threats from adversaries more effectively than if they operated independently.
Playing Field: The end of the Cold War and the information technology explosion have influenced and expanded market demand for goods and services globally. This has resulted in a highly competitive environment where companies compete for the same customer base across national and international boundaries.
Teams and Their Roles:
Offense (CI): Focuses on systematically collecting, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence about the business environment, competitors, and the organization itself.
Defense (Counterintelligence): Focuses on ensuring the safeguarding of critical company information and core technology against collection efforts by potential adversaries, including legal and ethical competitors, industrial espionage practitioners, foreign intelligence services, and hostile activist groups.
Advantages of the CI/CI Team Approach:
1- Fosters a symbiotic relationship between offense and defense, enhancing the organization’s ability to navigate the competitive landscape.
2- Helps achieve and sustain a competitive advantage in the global marketplace by focusing on both external opportunities and internal protections.
3- Encourages creativity, innovative thinking, and problem-solving techniques within the team.
4- Enhances team members’ analytical, organizational, and leadership skills through shared experiences and exercises.
5- Strengthens company loyalty and heightens team and individual esteem, turning personality differences into assets and developing mutual respect among team members.
The authors assert that the corporate CI/Counterintelligence team plays a crucial role in enhancing the corporation’s ability to produce superior customer satisfaction and maintain its competitive edge globally. This team concept offers an organizational advantage and represents a forward-looking approach to corporate competition.
The article underscores the necessity of integrating competitive intelligence and counterintelligence functions within organizations as a strategic approach to maintaining competitiveness and protecting valuable information and technology in an increasingly complex and global market environment.
Your thoughts?
