The most overwhelming challenge faced by practitioners
of competitive intelligence has little to do with the
development of their professional skills. Although
improving one’s competence in the “tools and techniques”
of intelligence collection and analysis is, of course,
essential, it is by no means sufficient for success. If
CI professionals are to add value to organizational
imperatives, if they and their “product” are to have
measurable impact on executive decision-making,
intelligence must become a central component of the
users’ decision-making processes. Competitive
intelligence must, in short, make a material difference
to the agendas of policy-makers. Without “buy in” on
their part, CI is doomed to failure. This article
addresses some of the cultural and “political” hurdles
that must be overcome, and the steps CI practitioners
can take to ensure that intelligence becomes an
indispensable management resource, fully integrated into
the processes of strategic and operational
decision-making. pdf 1999
