Competitive Intelligence for Information Professionals

By Margareta Nelke and Charlotte Håkansson

Information professionals should be able to take a proactive role as a strategic partner in their organization's competitive intelligence. Their role needs to focus on the "outside-in" approach, based on their organization's strategic needs and objectives. Competitive Intelligence for Information Professionals explores the role of strategic information and intelligence in organizations, and assesses the values and needs of intelligence in organizations. The book provides guidance on how to work strategically with competitive intelligence, methods for monitoring and analysis and a process-oriented approach. Chapters include discussions on how news monitoring and competitive intelligence interact and how this offers opportunities for cooperation between different departments. Cases from the authors’ own experiences when working with competitive intelligence in international corporations are also included.

• Competitive intelligence (CI) is a new area for Information professionals
• Offers perspectives on a new trend within the library and information sector
• Provides a comprehensive approach to CI

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Release date: Jan 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9780081002438

Margareta Nelke

Margareta Nelke graduated from the Swedish School of Library and Information Science in 1982 and took a diploma in Marketing Management in 1990. After a short period at a public library and a university library she worked as an information specialist in corporations. In 1983 she took up the position of library manager at Alfa-Laval and in 1989 she got a similar position at Tetra Pak. At Tetra Pak the library was transformed into a Technology Intelligence function in 1999. In June 2002 she took up a position as the Global Technology Intelligence Process Owner at Tetra Pak. From 2004 and onwards she has been working as an independent consultant in her firm, I.C. at Once, offering investigations, coaching and training in competitive intelligence, information management and business development. During the years she has contributed to several publications and written journal articles and books on knowledge management and competitive intelligence. She has also lectured at seminars and conferences, in some cases as the keynote speaker. In 2002 she was awarded by the Special Library Association the ESLY 2002 (European Special Librarian of the Year 2002). She is a member of the Swedish Association of Information Specialists and was the President of this association between 2006 and 2009. She was also a member of the board of the Swedish School of Library and Information Science between 2008 and 2014.

Book preview

Competitive Intelligence for Information Professionals

Charlotte Håkansson

Margareta Nelke

Table of Contents

Cover

Title page

Table of Contents

Chandos Information Professional Series

Copyright

About the authors

Foreword

Acknowledgments

List of abbreviations

Introduction

1: The value of competitive intelligence

Abstract

Definition of competitive intelligence

Why is the importance of competitive intelligence increasing?

What range should competitive intelligence include?

Who should interact?

When is the right time?

How – three different approaches

Porter’s five forces

Case: Adding value

Critical success factors for competitive intelligence

A question of survival

2: The right leadership adds value to competitive intelligence

Abstract

Where do we start?

What does leadership mean?

Challenges of business and organisational management

Information professionals take the lead

Future leadership development

Future changes and preparations

3: Competitive intelligence from start to end

Abstract

Systematic competitive intelligence

Types of competitive intelligence operations

Work smarter with PCMAC

4: Plan and prioritise

Abstract

Why, who, what

Case: Bottom-up approach for drawing the business environment map

Case: Top-down approach for drawing the business environment map

Blind spots

Critical success factors

5: Capture and manage

Abstract

Capture

The sources

Case: Networks

Information research

Manage

Information overload

Filter and structure information

Presentation of the result

References for validation

6: Analyse and communicate

Abstract

Analyse

Analysis methods

Early warning systems

Working with analyses

Communicate

Deliverables

Case: Technology intelligence briefs

7: The organisational side of competitive intelligence

Abstract

Organisational conditions

Three poisonous Ps

Organising competitive intelligence

8: Knowledge management – a vital component of competitive intelligence

Abstract

Knowledge management adding value to competitive intelligence

Synergies between knowledge management and competitive intelligence

The different aspects of knowledge sharing

Case: Knowledge sharing

Tacit and explicit knowledge

Knowledge sharing – the aspects of space and time

Knowledge management and IT systems

Case: Information audit in the pharma industry

Do not forget information retrieval!

Explicit knowledge and documentation

Social media

9: The human side of competitive intelligence

Abstract

Qualified competitive intelligence requires qualified people

Perception of the surrounding world

Case: Reacting to signals in the surrounding world

Competence for successful performance

Case: Information professional’s competence – CIFOR reviews

The competence of the information professional

Ethical competitive intelligence

10: The role of the information professional in competitive intelligence

Abstract

Information professionals add value to competitive intelligence

The different roles in competitive intelligence work

Information professionals and analysis

Scenarios of the contributions of information professionals

Case: Information professional’s role in the technology intelligence process

11: Promoting competitive intelligence: the importance of marketing, communication and evaluation

Abstract

The importance of marketing, communication and evaluation

Definition of marketing

The difference between marketing and branding

The AIDAS model

Choosing manners and methods of marketing

Case: The battle for visibility

Target groups

Marketing and communication plan

Communicating results

Evaluation

Measurements

Case: Statistics from intelligence portals

Challenge the measurements and the methods

12: Tools and methods

Abstract

A toolbox

LOTS strategic design for innovation

SMART

PEST

Relation matrix brainstorming

Impact analysis

SWOT

Porter’s five forces

Benchmarking

War gaming

Scenario planning

Why, what, who, when and how?

User investigation

AIDAS

Key performance indicators

Lastly . . .

References

Index

Chandos Information Professional Series

Series Editor: Ruth Rikowski, (email: [e-mail])

Chandos’ new series of books is aimed at the busy information professional. They have been specially commissioned to provide the reader with an authoritative view of current thinking. They are designed to provide easy-to-read and (most importantly) practical coverage of topics that are of interest to librarians and other information professionals. If you would like a full listing of current and forthcoming titles, please visit www.chandospublishing.com.

New authors: we are always pleased to receive ideas for new titles; if you would like to write a book for Chandos, please contact Dr Glyn Jones on [e-mail] or telephone [phone].

Copyright

Chandos Publishing is an imprint of Elsevier

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Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Details on how to seek permission, further information about the Publisher’s permissions policies and our arrangement with organizations such as the Copyright Clearance Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website: www.elsevier.com/permissions.

This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher (other than as may be noted herein).

Notices

Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary.

Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.

To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of product liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.

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ISBN 978-0-08-100206-3

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About the authors

Charlotte Håkansson achieved her master’s in Library and Information Science in 1997 from the Swedish School of Library and Information Science. As an information professional she first started her career in the pharmaceutical industry as a Documentalist at Ferring in Sweden in 1996 and then continued as a Medical Information Specialist and Corporate Intranet Project Manager at Ferring International Centre in Denmark in 1999. In 2004 she was offered the position of Business Intelligence Manager at corporate level at Nycomed in Denmark – a position she held until 2010 when the company moved to Zurich.

In 2011 she founded Novolentia – a consultant company working with individual and qualitative deliveries of business intelligence processes and solutions. Novolentia offers specialised and competitive business intelligence as well as structured information management within businesses, organisations and public areas.

In 2012 she was offered a position for research support at the library of the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences – SLU University Library. Charlotte is today working as a Team Leader Research Support at SLU University Library besides managing her own business at Novolentia.

Charlotte has a broad international experience of project management: corporate projects to analyse organisational processes, global intranet implementation, discovery and database solutions, business intelligence systems, information management of competitor solutions and information audits.

She is a member of the Swedish Association of Information Specialists (SFIS) as well as a coordinator of SFIS’s Business Intelligence Network. Charlotte has also been a chair of the Swedish Association of Information Specialists South between 2006 and 2009. During the same time period Charlotte worked as an external lecturer in Business Intelligence at Copenhagen University in Denmark.

Before starting her career as an information professional Charlotte was a registered nurse and has extensive clinical experience from the University Hospital in Lund, Sweden.

Margareta Nelke graduated from the Swedish School of Library and Information Science in 1982 and took a diploma in Marketing Management in 1990. After a short period at a public library and a university library she worked as an information specialist in corporations. In 1983 she took up the position of library manager at Alfa-Laval and in 1989 she got a similar position at Tetra Pak. At Tetra Pak the library was transformed into a Technology Intelligence function in 1999. In June 2002 she took up a position as the Global Technology Intelligence Process Owner at Tetra Pak. From 2004 and onwards she has been working as an independent consultant in her firm, I.C. at Once, offering investigations, coaching and training in competitive intelligence, information management and business development.

During the years she has contributed to several publications and written journal articles and books on knowledge management and competitive intelligence. She has also lectured at seminars and conferences, in some cases as the keynote speaker. In 2002 she was awarded by the Special Library Association the ESLY 2002 (European Special Librarian of the Year 2002). She is a member of the Swedish Association of Information Specialists and was the President of this association between 2006 and 2009. She was also a member of the board of the Swedish School of Library and Information Science between 2008 and 2014.

The authors may be contacted at:

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

Foreword

The amount of business information that is available and possible to analyse is gigantic and increases every day. This fact results in new challenges in how information is investigated. Today, information in diverse areas is collected and stored in different databases and servers globally and the uses of the Internet have made detailed searches and retrieval of information available from a laptop anywhere. This is convenient and allows online searches and the identification of information that has just recently been uploaded and made available. For example, day-to-day searches can provide updated and important pieces of information if operated in the right way. Thus an organisation that operates in a competitive environment needs to have planned and structured competitive intelligence processes. Such intelligence allows the organisation to develop and keep its competitive advantage over its contenders – intelligence work must be a central and prioritised activity in any organisation in order to meet future challenges. A scheduled and structured competitive intelligence process includes areas that are diverse but essential in the organisation, areas which together form the overall operational base. In a company, examples of such areas can be technical, scientific, patent, market and, in the case of pharmaceuticals, also regulatory information. Due to the Internet, searchable information is turned over rapidly – information that is relevant today might not be so tomorrow. Thus a carefully planned competitive intelligence operation is even more important today.

People working in a competitive situation often recognise the need for competitive intelligence and this requirement is met by ambitious in-house programmes. This is a good start, but to fully exploit the potential of this effort, a dedicated and structured way of working is necessary and will improve the outcome of the operations. In the process of improving the structure of the work questions arise: how do we find information that is relevant, what do we lack and how do we structure and analyse the intelligence information? This leads to follow-up questions like: do we look into the most relevant databases, are we using appropriate search strings and is the wealth of information acquired structured and analysed by individuals with the right competence? In many situations, information is collected in an ad hoc manner, without a structure to organise the search in a cost-efficient way. A lot is to be gained if the intelligence information work is planned and organised – the benefit is cost and time-efficient identification of relevant information to ensure the best benefit for the organisation.

This book is written by Charlotte Håkansson and Margareta Nelke, two information specialist professionals with long experience. The book addresses important issues in the area of competitive intelligence and includes two important comments, first on the process of planning, retrieval and analysis of intelligence information and, second, on the strategic and proactive role that the information specialist professional must play in this process. The structured and process-oriented way of working is discussed. For instance, the wealth of information can result in information overload which can pose problems – there is simply too much information to analyse. Furthermore, after the analyses have been successfully performed, good communication skills are essential to import the new knowledge into the organisation. This book brings up important issues in the field of competitive intelligence and should be read by any professional who wants to know more of this area of work. In addition, the book is important for information specialists who want to learn more about the proactive project leader role that they can take on in competitive intelligence work.

Competitive intelligence is nothing new – it has been used for centuries, for instance for military and commercial purposes. In earlier times information collection and analysis took a long time. In contrast, the speed with which essential information is handled today has increased enormously. This is truly a dramatic change and competitive intelligence work must adjust and be organised in an optimal way to the new the circumstances. This book then contributes to the understanding of how to improve and adapt competitive intelligence operations.

Eskil Söderlind, PhD, MBA

Avena Partners

Acknowledgments

This book is a collection of experiences and thoughts around the complex area of competitive intelligence in our daily lives. We who have written this book are senior information professionals and it has been a great pleasure to share our thoughts and experiences from working with competitive intelligence for quite a long time.

But without the support from our dedicated reviewers this work would have been so much more difficult. Thank you, Jonna Nilsdotter and Joanne Hurman, for being so supportive and professionally critical in your approach. We also want to thank Eskil Söderlind, of Avena Partners, for sharing his business advice and providing us with a valuable foreword to this book. We are also most grateful to our colleague Lena Ekelund who, without hesitation, became our reference expert.

List of abbreviations

AIDAS

Attention, Interest, Desire, Action, Satisfaction

CIFOR

Center for International Forestry Research

CSF

Critical Success Factors

DOI

Digital Object Identifier

EPISTELM

Economics, Politics, Institutions, Society, Technology, Environment, Legal, Media

EWS

Early Warning System

KIT

Key Intelligence Topic

KPI

Key Performance Indicator

MOE

Measure of Effectiveness

PCMAC

Plan & Prioritise, Capture, Manage, Analyse, Communicate

PEST

Politics, Economics, Society, Technology

SCIP

Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals

SFIS

Swedish Association for Information Specialists

SLA

Special Libraries Association

SMART

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reliable, Time-bound

SWOT

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

TIP

Technology Intelligence Process

Introduction

Monitoring and analysing the external world is something that everybody is doing – it is a matter of survival for individuals, companies and organisations. This type of monitoring is more or less conscious as we continuously notice what is happening in the surrounding world and plan our actions having taken this into consideration, often without being aware of this behaviour.

This is a book about something quite different from