There is a verse in the Christian Bible that says, “faith without works is dead.” It is talking to people that say they are Christians but show no evidence of that identity. The background of the statement is the assumption that being (or becoming) a Christian is reflected in visible changes in a person’s outlook, attitudes and actions. Orthodox Christianity does not endorse wishy-washy faith any more than it canonizes competing worldviews. (Presumably, other faiths hold similarly strong views of what is right and wrong for their adherents. )

What should be expected of an “orthodox” competitive intelligence professional? Should they be in the prediction business?

(Note to self – using “all”, “always” and “never” guarantees that you will sometimes be wrong.)

Beware of consultants (like me) that tell you that they know what to deliver and how to deliver it to your organization. Be especially cautious when the consultant knows a lot about competitive intelligence but only a little about your situation. Maybe, after you have talked with them awhile, it is more reasonable to accept the opinions of an outsider but only after they have demonstrated knowledge about your competitive challenges.

And what are your competitive challenges? Who cares most about these challenges?

Common challenges are growing the business, reacting to a competitors’ initiatives, clarifying a product or market strategy, deciding a business strategy question and cutting costs effectively. In many organizations, strategists of one type or another are the decision-makers. They are responsible for overcoming these important challenges and, thus, are the customers of the related competitive intelligence.

Competitive intelligence has a significant role in addressing all of these challenges.

A CEO faces a decision about whether to make an investment in a new product line that requires significant capital. Does he need any competitive intelligence?

A General Manager must decide the complete range of activities to implement to enter a new market segment. Does she need competitive intelligence?

The Marketing vice president struggles to clarify the winning proposition for the key brand of the company. Does his organization need competitive intelligence?

It is easy to answer “yes” to these scenarios. Each decision-maker faces choices that affect their organizations and, ultimately, influence their chances for success. However, the choices are rarely simple. For example, favoring one approach means that another must be deemphasized leading to disruptions in the organizational roles and responsibilities. Changes often imply new investments, processes and skills. These things cost precious money, time and energy that must be deducted from a finite “bank” within the company. Moreover, other stakeholders assert their importance along vectors independent of competition. For instance, owners, regulatory agencies, communities and others regularly inject their priorities into the mix considered by senior managers.

Since competitive intelligence is only one of the voices in the mix, how can it be effective (and not be unwisely drowned out)?

Here are three ideas to consider.

This competitive intelligence series describes some practical steps for someone to follow that is interested in starting a CI activity in an organization.

These days, when the economic conditions are so difficult, may seem like the wrong time to some to get started. The other view (and one that I agree with) is that competitive intelligence is more important in hard times though the methods employed may be different. So, what is the absolute first step that is critical for the eventual success of a CI program?

Simply put, the first step is to “find the pain.”

By pain, I mean the obvious, significant and personalized need for competitive intelligence felt by someone that is in a senior position in the company.

Their pain can be caused by many things. Here are some common examples.

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