Former Global Competitive Intelligence lead at GE answers our Competitive Intelligence questions.
In this week’s question and answer session, the former Global Competitive Intelligence lead at GE answers our Competitive Intelligence questions. We agree to all of these answers, especially number two. Competitive Intelligence allows an organisation to make better and informed strategic decisions.
1. In your view, what’s Competitive Intelligence?
The process we use to understand an organisation environment, identify and keep track of relevant information for improving decision making.
2. In your view, what’s the true benefit of CI?
It allows an organisation to make better and informed strategic decisions.
3. How would you advise a company with no experience in Competitive Intelligence to get started?
I’d suggest doing some basic courses on the subject and thinking about how the company searches, analyses, and disseminates its findings regarding its environment.
4. What analytical tools do you recommend?
I don’t have a favourite tool, as each organisation needs are different.
5. Competitive Intelligence is becoming too much about risk mitigation, copying the competitor and the last dataset. And not enough about growth, exploration and creation. It can stop people from being original, risky and creative enough. Do you agree?
Definitely no.
6. Without giving away anything confidential, what’s the best result you have achieved with CI?
To help an organisation to identify important technology trends and developments for its sector.
7. Artificial Intelligence and platforms will transform CI, and there will be no need for human input in the future. The longevity of the job of a Competitive Intelligence analyst is limited? Do you agree?
I don’t think so; I prefer to believe that AI will enhance people’s capabilities, not replace us.
8. Finally, what’s the one piece of advice you would give a CI analyst?
To continue studying in order to improve his or her skills and to stay up to date.
Conclusion
In this week’s question and answer session, the former Global Competitive Intelligence lead at GE answers our Competitive Intelligence questions. Going on this and previous answers in this series, it’s evident that Competitive Intelligence is here to stay, and machines will not be taking over just yet. However, it would not be very Intelligence Analysis-like to dismiss anything completely. After all we are not trying to prove the existence of Weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So we will keep an open ear out for those marching robots – or not as may be the case.
How do you think machines will take over the work of humans within Competitive Intelligence?
