Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
SpringerLink
Log in

Creating Impactful Intelligence: Communication Lessons from the Corporate Environment

  • Chapter
Intelligence Communication in the Digital Era: Transforming Security, Defence and Business

Abstract

Actionable intelligence arises when the decision maker is convinced to execute on the recommendations provided in intelligence reports. This means that intelligence analysis must be communicated in a manner that will convince management to take action. This chapter summarizes lessons learned from a review of practitioner-oriented articles found in the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) literature (primarily Competitive Intelligence Magazine and CI. Insight), Global Intelligence Alliance (GIA) research, and conference papers from CI practitioner conferences. The objective is to better understand how the competitive intelligence field views the communication element of the intelligence process and, more importantly, how to make communications more effective. The author draws on his own experience as an intelligence researcher (academic) and consultant over the past 20 years.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Notes

  1. Calof, Jonathan. ‘Communications and Trade Shows’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 11 (6), (2008): 43–45.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Kindler, Tim. ‘Creating a Successful CI Operation in Today’s Corporate Environment’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 6(5), (2003): 6–9, p. 8 referenced.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Fiora, Bill. ‘Creating Information That Cannot Be Ignored’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 6(5), (2003): 36–37, p. 36 quoted.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Rothberg, Helen. ‘Telling the Intelligence Story’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 16 (4), (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Calof, Jonathan and Jerry Miller. ‘Competitive Intelligence a Comparative Analysis’. Proceedings, Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals Annual Conference (1997): 213, San Diego, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Dale Fehringer, Bonnie Hohhof, and Ted Johnson. State Of The Art Competitive Intelligence. 1st ed. (Virginia: Competitive Intelligence Foundation, 2006).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Global Intelligence Alliance, 2010. MI Trends 2015: The Future of Market Intelligence. White Paper March 2010 (Global Intelligence Alliance, 2010, p. 4).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Global Intelligence Alliance, 2010. MI Trends 2015: The Future of Market Intelligence. White Paper March 2010 (Global Intelligence Alliance, 2010, p. 9).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Naylor, Ellen. ‘Communicating Cooperatively’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine, 10 (1), (2007): 44–46.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kindler, Tim. ‘Creating a Successful CI Operation in Today’s Corporate Environment’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 6 (5), (2003): 6–9.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Lewis, Dafyyd. ‘Rules Of Engagement: An Essential Prerequisite for Delivering Intelligence. Competitive Intelligence Visually’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 6 (5), (2003): 15–19.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Prescott, John, and Rachelle Williams. ‘The User-Driven Competitive Intelligence Model: A New Paradigm for CI’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 6(5), (2003): 10–14, p. 10 quoted.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Poon, Patrick, Gerald Albaum, and Peter Shiu-Fai Chan. ‘Managing Trust in Direct Selling Relationships’. Marketing Intelligence & Planning 30(5), (2012): 588–603.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Wood, John Andy, James S Boles, Wesley Johnston, and Danny Bellenger. ‘Buyers’ Trust of the Salesperson: An Item-Level Meta-Analysis’. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management 28 (3), (2008): 263–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Young, Louise, and Gerald Albaum. ‘Measurement of Trust in Salesperson–Customer Relationships in Direct Selling’. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management 23 (3), (2003): 253–269.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Sullivan, Mark. ‘Push Competitive Intelligence: Nested Internal Communication’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 11 (4), (2008): 10–12.

    Google Scholar 

  17. The growing use of structured analytic techniques may also help alleviate this problem in that they provide a transparent and systematic process for generating conclusion that the recipient of the analysis can track and critique. See Richards J. Heuer Jr. and Randolph H. Pherson, Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis 2nd Edition (Washington DC: CQ Press/SAGE Publications, 2nd Edition, 2015).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Calof, Jonathan. ‘Competitive Intelligence Are We Really Becoming A Profession’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 11 (5), (2008): 16–20.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Global Intelligence Alliance. Become A Trusted Advisor To Your CEO And The Top Brass. Global Intelligence Alliance, 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Kangiser, Angela. ‘Delivering Competitive Intelligence Visually’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 6(5), (2003): 20–23, referenced from p. 21

    Google Scholar 

  21. Hohhof, Bonnie. ‘Communication Vs Presentation’. SCIP Insight, 2009.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Hohhof, Bonnie. ‘Communication Vs Presentation’. SCIP Insight, 2009.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Miller, George A. ‘The Magical Number Seven, Plus Or Minus Two: Some Limits On Our Capacity For Processing Information.’ Psychological Review 63 (2), (1956): 81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Masri, Kamal, Drew Parker, and Andrew Gemino. ‘Using Iconic Graphics in Entity-Relationship Diagrams: The Impact on Understanding’. Journal of Database Management (JDM) 19 (3), (2008): 22–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Elizondo, Noe, and Erik Glitman. ‘Delivering Competitive Intelligence to International Audiences’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 6 (3), (2003): 55.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Van Zyl, Dr. Johan. ‘Competitive Intelligence in the Knowledge Economy: A Reality or Just an Aspiration?’ In KCIM Conference. Johannesburg, South Africa, 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Sperger, Michael. ‘May I Have Your Attention’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 11 (4), (2008): 13–16.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Rothberg, Helen. ‘Telling the Intelligence Story’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 16 (4), (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Masri, Kamal, Drew Parker, and Andrew Gemino. ‘Using Iconic Graphics in Entity-Relationship Diagrams: The Impact on Understanding’. Journal of Database Management (JDM) 19 (3), (2008): 22–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Kangiser, Angela. ‘Delivering Competitive Intelligence Visually’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 6 (5), (2003): 20–23.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Hohhof, Bonnie. ‘Communication Vs Presentation’. SCIP Insight, 2009.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Fiora, Bill. ‘Creating Information That Cannot Be Ignored’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 6(5), (2003): 36–37, quoted from p. 36.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Rothberg, Helen. ‘Telling the Intelligence Story’. Competitive Intelligence Magazine 16 (4), (2013).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Jonathan Calof
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Intelligence Services and Democratic Systems, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain

    Rubén Arcos (Professor) (Professor)

  2. Pherson Associates, Reston, Virginia, USA

    Randolph H. Pherson (President) (President)

Copyright information

© 2015 Jonathan Calof

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Calof, J. (2015). Creating Impactful Intelligence: Communication Lessons from the Corporate Environment. In: Arcos, R., Pherson, R.H. (eds) Intelligence Communication in the Digital Era: Transforming Security, Defence and Business. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137523792_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation