It Would Be Easy If It Weren’tfor People

Neil Simon and Amy KernBusiness Development Group, Inc.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This article explores three of the major areas of leverage in getting managementand staff (“organization members”) to use CI: (1) organizational structure, (2)organizational culture, and (3) personal operational style. Successful CI units createand define a place for themselves, rather than accepting a default that limits thecontribution they can make to achieve the organizational vision. The placement ofthe CI unit often can influence the acceptance and use of the CI process.Improvements in organizational structure can result from performing an“Organizational Landscape Analysis” and establishing alliances that nurture CI.The CI unit also will need to develop plans and strategies to identify existingcultural attributes and leverage points that can be used to support CI, and to breakdown barriers that inhibit CI activity. It is important to spread the belief that bymaking use of CI, organization members will have a higher probability for success.© 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Change—it can be invigorating or it can be extremelydifficult, or both. Some changes are so easy that theyseem to accomplish themselves, and others never have achance. Most have to be worked at!

In the life of an organization, for a variety of reasons,change (adaptation) is likely to be hard for people. It isrelatively easy to figure out what needs to be done andthen tell everybody about it, and that is where organiza-tions tend to put their effort and energy. The tough,

complicated part, which is frequently overlooked orignored, is getting organizational members to accept,exhibit, and sustain new ways of behaving. The diffi-culty is not just the discomfort individuals experience asthey try to change (or resist changing), but the mecha-nisms the organization employs (or doesn’t employ) bywhich organizational members are encouraged to changeor discouraged from changing. Whether CI is beingadopted for the first time, or some change is being

Competitive Intelligence Review, Vol. 12(1) 59–69 (2001)© 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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made in what CI does or how it is used, someone willhave to put some serious work into convincing the or-ganization and its members to behave differently withregard to CI—over the long haul.

So, how do we do that, anyway?This article will explore three of the major areas of

leverage in getting a company’s “organizational mem-bers” (people) to use CI:

Organizational structure

Organizational culture

Personal operational style

You know, that people stuff!

Organization as a SystemAn organization can be viewed as a system of interde-pendent components. Figure 1 shows one view of anorganizational system’s components and the relationshipsamong them. Implicit in this simple model are the peo-ple who operate within the system, interacting with andimpacted by everything else. Every component here isdesigned or evolved by people to facilitate or governother people’s work.

The organizational system components can be de-scribed as follows. The three areas on which this articlewill focus are also below in boldface type:

➣ Organizational culture—philosophy, vision, mis-sion and guiding principles, the social rules thatdetermine what gets attention, how events and

information are interpreted, what the priorities are,what is valued, etc.

➣ Structure—the organizational architecture that sup-ports business activities (e.g., hierarchy, roles andresponsibilities, work hours, pay rates, rules ofdeportment).

➣ Individual skills & aptitudes—each person’s uniquecontribution including knowledge, personal opera-tional style, unique vocational skill sets and behav-ior patterns.

➣ Work processes—the flow of tasks and information;how people are expected to complete their work.For example research and development comprisesone group of processes to which CI contributes,by participating in patent searches. A work processflow usually mandates the point at which CI isbrought into the process.

➣ Work practices—the formal and informal policiesand procedures that govern the manner in whichpeople complete work. (e.g., searching patent filesvs. specific academic databases).

➣ Tools & technology—the equipment and “knowl-edgeware” that assist people in completing work.

The three focus areas tend to be overlooked whenchanges are being planned for the CI function. Eachone merits a bookshelf of its own. The purpose of thisarticle is to provide only an overview and some thingsto think about.

Figure 1.Organization components and relationships.

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Organizational StructureStructure has to do with the way the organization isbuilt, and how its basic employee-related functionswork. The reporting structure (usually but not always ahierarchy) has a key impact on CI and its probability ofsuccess. Early research conducted by one of the authorsshowed that CI units fit into organizational hierarchiesin diverse ways. Each organization is uniquely con-structed and structured. Different processes and the re-sulting work practices connect in unique ways that areoften driven by the reporting and other structures of theorganization.

What CI Must AccomplishSuccessful CI units create and define a place for them-selves, rather than accepting a default that limits thecontribution they can make to achieve the organiza-tional vision. The placement of the CI unit often caninfluence the acceptance and use of the CI process. Sothe CI function needs to be positioned in the organiza-tional structure in such a way that it has the respect ofleadership in the organization. CI needs to have accessto key decision makers and thought leaders in the orga-nization to provide actionable information where itcounts and maintain active sponsorship for CI. Place-ment within the organizational structure can impact theaccess and influence CI has in the organization.

If a CI unit wants to be successful and play a signifi-cant role in the organization, CI leadership and its spon-sors need to understand the notion of system “fit.” Fitdescribes the place CI occupies in the organization. Of-ten CI departments are just “placed” in a location thatseems to make sense, and then end up captured therefor eternity. For example, an organization holding theperception that CI is just a data gathering activity maymake CI part of the library function. The researchshowed that this placement results in many librariansfeeling limited and/or overwhelmed and unable to per-form requested CI-related tasks. The organization thenforms beliefs about what CI can or can’t do, and theresult is an adverse assessment of CI. This simple exam-ple helps define the concept of fit and the impact oforganizational structure. Fit also includes such things as:

➣ Reporting structure and placement in the hierarchy (as-suming there is one).

➣ Work processes that incorporate CI where it can make asubstantial contribution.

➣ Policies and procedures that encourage or mandate the useof CI.

➣ Skills, tools and technology to support CI.

➣ Reward system that encourages or discourages use of CI.

The bottom line is that much of the way CI willwork for the organization is predetermined by theplacement of CI (or multiple CI units) in the organiza-tion and the rules (policies, procedures, reward system,etc.) that regulate the use of CI. It is important for theCI unit to be proactive and work (lobby) for appropri-ate placement.

THE CI UNIT MUST HAVE A CLEAR AND

DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF ITS CURRENT

PLACE IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, AS

WELL AS OF THE IDEAL PLACE WHERE CI COULD

CONTRIBUTE MOST EFFECTIVELY.

How to Accomplish ItThe CI unit must have a clear and detailed understand-ing of its current place in the organizational structure, aswell as of the ideal place where CI could contributemost effectively. Just as there is no one way that organi-zations are structured, there is no one way that worksbest to position the CI function. We will explore twoareas that will indicate possibilities to pursue and im-provements to make in terms of organizational structure:

➣ Organizational Landscape Analysis

➣ Establishing alliances that nurture CI

Organizational Landscape AnalysisTo learn the “lay of the land” in your organization, werecommend that an Organizational Landscape Analysisbe conducted. This form of analysis identifies key infor-mation critical for developing a successful strategy andidentifying the sponsor(s) who will support the directionyou want to take with CI. The Organizational Land-scape Analysis gathers information that will help the CIunit leverage roles & relationships that ultimately helppeople in the organization accept CI. Four areas areexplored using this tool:

➣ Corporate direction

➣ Organizational functional and political structure

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➣ Formal and informal norms and rules of the culture1

➣ Needs of leaders and influencers

The analysis can be conducted formally or informally.Findings should be documented thoroughly so that ad-justments can be made when personnel changes or theorganization modifies its direction. Often the CI sponsorwill need to seek approval for this type of analysis be-cause of the time and costs involved. The CI sponsorcould also address any concerns organizational membersmay have about the study. The basic steps in completingan Organizational Landscape Analysis are:

➣ Prepare a set of interview or survey questions that willdetermine where the organization is with regard to CI,and identify the individual needs/perceptions of key indi-viduals who could make or break the CI initiative.

➣ Identify key organizational members (leaders and influ-encers of CI and its customers).

➣ Conduct interviews with the key leaders and influencers.

➣ Analyze the responses and select those leaders and influ-encers who could potentially help CI determine andachieve its vision and mission.

➣ Partner and plan with the sponsors and key stakeholders2

to engage supporters and minimize the impact of detrac-tors.

To get you started, we have outlined below someexamples of questions that we have used with clients toreveal the organizational landscape:

➣ Corporate directionf What are the vision and mission of the organiza-

tion?f What are the vision and mission of your CI unit

and how do they tie into the organizations?

➣ Organization’s functional and political structuref For what essential reason does the organization exist

(including its products and services)?

f How does CI contribute to the organization’s suc-cess?

f Who are the key organizational leaders, and whatdo they contribute to the success of the organization?

f With whom do the key leaders ally? What does eachalliance contribute to the organization’s success?

f Do the leaders and their allies value what CI pro-vides?

➣ Formal and informal norms and rules of the culturef What does your organization value?f What are the rules around organizational work and

how things get done?f What are the rules and values around information?

Are organizational members rewarded by giving themaccess to information? Do organizational membersuse information as leverage to achieve recognition?

f What is the role of CI in how the organizationworks and how it handles information?

➣ Needs of leaders and influencersf Who leads the organization and what are their needs

and concerns?f What commitments do leaders make to CI?f Who talks to the leaders that has the ability to influ-

ence them?f Which leaders are supportive of CI? Which leaders

are detractors of CI?

Figure 2 provides a sample of a summary chart thatone organization used to compile leader and influencerresponses. It organizes information according to basicsystem domains: work systems, support systems andleadership systems. These constitute subsystems of theorganization. There are, of course, other ways in whichthe information could be organized.

After the collection and charting of all the responses,the CI practitioner has the opportunity to accomplishmany things that can increase the contribution of CIwithin the organizational structure:

➣ Identify an executive who can act as a sponsor for CI.

➣ Plan a strategy to engage supporters of CI.

➣ Plan a strategy to bring CI detractors around or reducetheir impact as much as possible.

➣ Determine common themes and concerns of leaders thatCI could address.

1 Note that this tool also gathers information on some aspects of organizational

culture, which is discussed elsewhere in this article. All of the elements of the

organizational system interact and influence each other. It makes sense to

leverage effort across the system where possible. The Organizational Landscape

Analysis is one example. It can be used to assess culture as well as structure in the

same data-gathering effort.2 Sponsors are those who are responsible for the CI program and key stakehold-

ers are those individuals who are the end users and/or key influencers that

directly use or are impacted by the CI process. There may be one or more

sponsors. There are usually multiple stakeholders.

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➣ Fine-tune the mission and vision of the CI unit if it isnot aligned closely enough with the organizational direc-tion.

➣ Identify and develop products and services that can beprovided by CI to meet the needs of the organization.

The CI unit needs to focus on leadership concernsthat can be addressed in the interest of the organizationas a whole. Supporting personal agendas that are notaligned with the organizational need can result in ham-pering potential CI activity or even the demise of theCI unit.

Establishing Alliances That Nurture CIAn alliance is a bond, connection, or association be-tween people that furthers common interests. There aretwo types of alliance interests to address: those of the CI

sponsor and those of the CI champion.3 The sponsor,champion, and CI practitioners need to share commongoals and achieve a balance in satisfying each other’sneeds, in order to establish a successful alliance.

THE SPONSOR, CHAMPION, AND THE CIPRACTITIONERS NEED TO SHARE COMMON GOALS

AND ACHIEVE A BALANCE IN SATISFYING EACH

OTHER’S NEEDS, IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH A

SUCCESSFUL ALLIANCE.

The attributes of each CI supporter are very impor-tant. A sponsor needs to understand the value of CI andbe willing to assist in its advancement. CI may havemultiple sponsors who assist in different ways. The

3 The CI champion is the individual directly responsible for the CI unit (e.g., the

CI manager).

Figure 2.Organization Landscape Analysis.

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champion is the one who takes on CI as a personal mis-sion and influences the organization accordingly. Utiliz-ing the results of the Landscape Analysis, the CI unitwill be able to find both a strong sponsor and the influ-encers that the CI champion can identify and approach.One person might possibly fill both roles. Examples areCEOs Bob Galvin of Motorola and Robert E. Flynn ofNutraSweet. In the most common scenario, however,the head of the CI unit becomes the champion with theassistance of a sponsor.

People being people, there are likely to be relation-ship barriers that need to be removed in order to buildand sustain strong alliances. These barriers commonlymanifest as distrust. Will the CI unit overstep its authorityor its budget? Will the CI unit advance its own agenda at theexpense of meeting the needs of its allies? Will integration ofCI into the business activities of the organization become anempire-building effort?

Strong alliances can be built by attending to somebasic relationship concerns:

Base the relationships on a quid pro quoIdentify what the sponsor wants from you. Identifywhat you want from the sponsor. Come to anagreement with the sponsor regarding what youwill do and how it will be performed. The ex-change process leads to cooperation rather thanretaliation or refusal to engage. People cooperatebecause they see something of value that they willgain in return.

Plan every strategy so that all parties win. If thatdoes not happen over time, the alliance will breakdown. It is important to deal with issues that arise,check for changes within the landscape (e.g., isyour data still relevant?) that may have taken placesince the original landscape analysis, and resolveemerging conflicts as early as possible.

In the event that a partnership has to be dissolved,try to do it in a clean way that minimizes residualanger. Some day you may want a new alliancewith that person.

Create an environment of opennessCreate a relationship where “straight talk” is therule. If you have relationships of openness you canaddress issues frankly and continue to work to thebenefit of one another and the organization. It isnot possible for any one person to know every-

thing, so give sponsors the information they needto support you effectively.

Build a trusting relationship

Make sure to do what it is that you say you aregoing to do, and do it in a timely fashion. Reliabil-ity, consistency of performance, and quality of ser-vice will assure the foundations of a trustingrelationship.

With an understanding of the organizational systemand a vision in front of them, the CI unit personnel canhelp define the outcomes and benefits that they willprovide, determine what information to share with or-ganizational members, build an appreciation of what CIhas to offer, and “sharpen the leverage points” that getorganizational members to use CI. If organizationalmembers don’t have the appropriate vision of CI, don’tknow the desirable outcomes and benefits CI can pro-vide, and don’t understand how to engage with the CIstaff, then CI will not be successful.

Organizational CultureOrganizational culture is the component of the orga-

nizational system that communicates expectations ofbehavior. People establish or maintain their membershipin the organization by meeting the cultural expectations.Organizational culture is the phenomenon that socializesthe organizational membership and provides the under-standing of how they are expected to prioritize, interre-late, and generally behave when functioning on behalfof the organization. Culture is manifested in part in thework rules and norms, which can be formal and/or in-formal. Work rules are based on such things as organiza-tional needs filtered through individual beliefs andperceptions about the organization and the work that issupposed to be performed. The vision, mission, guidingprinciples, logos, etc., are created by the organization assymbols of its culture.

If CI is to be successful it needs to create a depart-mental vision, mission, strategy, and guiding principlesfor its business conduct that align with the vision andstrategy of the organization and CI’s customers. Themore the CI department can be seen as supporting theaims of the organization, the more likely the success ofthe department.

The Landscape Analysis tool described in the previoussection can be used to collect information about theculture as well as the structure of the organization. The

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CI unit must have a clear understanding of the ways inwhich the culture impacts:

➣ The general availability of information

➣ Information acquisition and usage

➣ The sharing of information and the consequences for shar-ing it

➣ Rewards for using information to take action

➣ How business direction is defined and by whom

➣ The decision-making process and associated roles andresponsibilities

➣ The value the organization places on gathering and ana-lyzing data and providing actionable information to deci-sion makers

It is important to note that each work unit within theorganization has its own unique sub-culture. In multina-tional corporations, the addition of national cultural at-tributes and legal restrictions and requirements to theformula creates a very complex organizational culture.This results in many challenges for the CI unit toaddress.

What CI Must AccomplishThe CI unit will need to develop plans and strategies toidentify existing cultural attributes and leverage pointsthat can be used to support CI and break down barriersthat inhibit CI activity. Developing a good CI processwithin the ascribed structure will not be sufficient for thesuccess of your CI unit. If the organizational culture doesnot support the CI effort then there is little chance forany sustainability of the CI process. Often we find adhoc CI units (which form in response to some event orcrisis and dissolve when the situation is resolved). Forexample, if there is an entrenched “fire-fighting” men-tality or the structure is flat or decentralized, then an adhoc approach to CI may be what best suits the organiza-tion. CI might then be developed as a capability thatincludes the rapid formation of a virtual CI team, ratherthan a department or ongoing function. This type ofdesign can be quite effective in the right setting.

Another way to observe culture in action within theorganization is to search out organizational heroes andmyths. These stories illustrate what the culture values,notices and appreciates. Heroes enact the organization’strue values, rules and norms, which may not match

what has been documented. For example, in a particularvery highly regulated organization, there was one personwho achieved great success “playing a hunch” in spiteof all information indicating his action was a mistake.This person took a chance, went again the odds andwon. The individual was promoted, given a significantraise, and moved to an elite corner office. This storybecame a cultural icon communicating to the organiza-tional membership that intuition is valued more highlythan information. A cultural message of this naturemakes CI harder to establish and sell.

Another example of a cultural barrier has to do withhow organizational members are expected to work. Inmany organizations, the “good” employees are the oneswho focus on their own individual performance. Theyare recognized for their individual accomplishment.Their contributions to the success of their team, depart-ment and/or the organization as a whole are “invisible”to the reward system. This is a culture that values “starperformers.” If the vision of CI is to work for the bet-terment of the organization as a whole (e.g., by distrib-uting information as widely as possible), rather thanfocusing narrowly on the interests of an individual per-former, then CI will have a huge cultural challenge infront of it.

THERE CAN OFTEN BE AN OPPORTUNITY IN A

CRISIS FOR CI TO ESTABLISH ITS VALUE.THEREIN A NEW MYTH AND NEW HEROES MAY

BE BORN.

Since people tend to prefer to maintain the status quorather than to change, the trick becomes keeping inplace as many as possible of the practices and norms thatmost encourage and favor CI, and simultaneously ac-complish what benefits the organization. This endeavoris often one that takes time, patience, and much under-standing about how social systems change. Social scien-tists tell us that it takes 3–5 years for an organization toadopt a new function such as CI, and 14–17 years toenculturate it (make it a seamless, unquestioned part ofthe way work gets done).

In some cases, a business crisis of some sort will bringpeople together in a more open way. There can oftenbe an opportunity in the crisis for CI to establish itsvalue. Therein a new myth and new heroes may beborn.

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How to Accomplish ItThere is a fundamental paradox in changing an organi-zation’s culture. If people have a chance to participate indefining changes that will affect them and their work,they are much more likely to “buy in” and follow upwith the desired changes. On the other hand, it can bedifficult for people steeped in a culture to see how thatculture really operates and further to see what the possi-bilities are for changing it.

It is immensely beneficial to have a structured processthat drives the CI implementation and involves stake-holders and other organizational members. Involvementincreases buy-in, and also leverages different viewpointsto reduce the impact of blindness to the culture. Thereare four basic types of integration processes available toorganizations in the adoption or adaptation of a CI pro-cess. They are:

Turnkey operationThis type of operation is purchased as a wholepackage and “drop-shipped” into an organization.The advantage of this approach is that all the roles,responsibilities, and relationships are predetermined.The organization finds the right personnel to fillthe roles and drive the results. The advantages mayinclude lower cost and faster implementation. Thedisadvantages are that customization may be diffi-cult to impossible, and the approach written intothe package may not match your culture or meetall of your needs.

Top down pushSponsorship for CI is driven by a key executivebased on his/her perceptions or needs. He/she usu-ally lobbies other executives to adopt CI in somesort of quid pro quo arrangement. The advantage isthe CI process exists and is supported while thatindividual is still in power. The disadvantage is thatif the sponsor leaves the organization the CI effortmay be unsustainable politically.

Bottom up pushLower level employees see how CI can be used tobetter the organization and start their own initia-tives that they attempt to impose on management.The advantage of this approach is the employeebuy in to what was generated because of their par-ticipative involvement in the process. The disad-vantage is employees are not familiar with theissues and drivers of upper level management and

therefore cannot take their needs and demands intoconsideration.

PullA sufficient number of organizational membersrecognize challenges and/or opportunities thatcould be met by CI. A sense of unity and urgencydevelops that is strong enough to move the organi-zation toward CI almost naturally. Scenarios mightinclude a serious competitive crisis that threatensthe survival of the organization, a mood of enthusi-asm for excellence arises out of a competitive spirit,a small organization is carried along by a respectedand influential leader, etc. This is a change-ready,even a change-seeking organization. The advantageis that the social and emotional environment is itsown best incentive for change. Detractors and“saboteurs” have insufficient leverage to stop theprocess. The disadvantage is that it can be difficultto engineer this type of an environment within anorganization.

The authors’ preference is to take clients through apull-type self-design process that borrows from all of theadoption/adaptation models to accomplish CI integra-tion. The process, known as A2D4, consists of the fol-lowing high-level steps:

➣ AGREE on your task—With the CI sponsor andkey stakeholders (those who have something signifi-cant to gain if CI succeeds), determine what needsexist and what changes are desirable. During thisphase the CI champion needs to clarify what theorganizational system is willing and able to takeon. This is the time for the CI unit to developunderstanding about the organizational structureand culture, the concerns of the sponsor and stake-holders, and to begin to build relationships withthe sponsor and stakeholders that will benefit CI inthe future.

➣ ANALYZE your system—Formally analyze the cur-rent state of the organization and identify howother organizations are finding success (benchmarkother processes). Identify anything you can thatwill either assist or hamper the CI effort. Learnhow the organization currently does business andidentify areas where change will have an impact onthe performance of the system. Explore alterna-tives, review other systems and determine how CIworks for them.

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➣ DESIGN—Determine the desired future state forCI and how it will contribute to the future of theorganization. Align this image with the organiza-tion’s vision, mission and direction. Compare thevision for CI with the current state discovered inthe previous step.

➣ DEVELOP—Determine and document how youwill get from the current state to the desired fu-ture, what you will need in order to accomplishthe transition, and how you will know if you aresuccessful. Develop orientation and training materi-als and ways to establish accountability.

➣ DO—Implement the process designed and devel-oped in the previous steps. Conduct orientationand training, including getting leadership buy-inand support. Provide guidance and coaching as theimplementation unfolds.

➣ DIGEST—Establish a way to monitor the CI pro-cess after implementation to ensure that its perfor-mance is optimized. Continuously improve theprocess as you and the organization learn betterways to utilize CI.

A structured methodology is beneficial in several dif-ferent ways:

➣ It assists the culture in preparing for and implementingthe change.

➣ It helps to ensure that critical tasks are not missed.

➣ It helps to ensure that desired change is made in an or-derly and efficient manner.

➣ It provides those involved in making the change a way toset expectations and maintain accountability.

This interactive process provides ongoing informationfor the CI practitioner, sponsor, and champion so thatthey can communicate status and next steps to the orga-nization—what will be done when and for whatpurpose.

Personal Operational StyleHaving considered organizational structure and culture,we get down to the actual person. Personal operationalstyle is the unique way an individual thinks and oper-ates—that is what this diversity “stuff” is all about. Ap-

plied to CI, it is the individual service we provide toour customers in a way that works for them. Each per-son processes and understands information differently.The better we can meet the processing and understand-ing needs of our customers, the better our CI process isaccepted and adopted by the organization. This impor-tant aspect of the individual CI customer is not oftenexplored. For example, many practitioners provide in-formation that is succinct, bulleted, and condensed fortheir customers. On interview of current and past cus-tomers, and those that do not want to use the CI ser-vices, we have found that presentation of theinformation influences the use of the CI services. Somecustomers like bullets. Others like an explanatory para-graph. Some want all the detail. Others want pictures,symbols, graphs, and charts.

We will focus specifically on the aspects of personaloperational style that relate to one’s preferred way toreceive, process, and communicate information. Sincethe demand for your CI service will come from individ-uals, it’s critical to understand each customer’s prefer-ences and requirements for the type, quality, andquantity of information they use to make decisions.

What CI Needs to AccomplishCI needs to be perceived as a tool or capability that willhelp the organizational member succeed. CI practitio-ners need to build successful relationships with peopleinside other departments. As they “win over” enoughpeople a “critical mass” will develop, thrusting CI intonew social and structural levels of acceptance. InitiallyCI must be “sold” to an identified customer base withinthe organization. Sales are made to departmental leaderswho will be evaluating, endorsing, and suggesting CIactivities to end customers. These are the people whoneed your research, analysis and recommendations tobetter do their work.

There are several “selling points” to be made for CI.The “pitch” to the departmental leaders needs to re-volve around their ability to accomplish their jobs andfulfill their goals. An example of a leader “pitch” is toillustrate that CI can assist people by:

➣ Providing valid, reliable, timely and relevant information.

➣ Demonstrating how the CI process makes the customer’sjob easier/better (informed decision making, monitoringthe competition, reducing marketplace surprises, etc.).

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➣ Helping other departments achieve their goals and objec-tives related to information and improved decision-making.

➣ Using CI services to contribute to the competitiveness ofthe organization.

It is critical that you fulfill what you say you willfulfill in the pitch. Otherwise your credibility will belost along with the CI process.

The CI practitioner must build customer and rela-tionship skills that are focused on helping others experi-ence success. We recommend that a strong customerservice and satisfaction ethic be established. This pro-vides a foundation for building relationships.

The CI unit needs to meet stakeholders and custom-ers “where they are”—how they think, how they oper-ate, what their concerns are, what they want toaccomplish, and what their level of understanding of CIis. Trust is established through straight talk and commit-ted action that result in wins for both CI practitionerand customer. CI products and services need to be ac-tively marketed and the results of the work with theclients documented. This creates a track record of suc-cess. Look for opportunities to demonstrate how CImakes work more effective, and keep an eye open forbusiness challenges to which CI can be applied.

A process needs to be developed that will assist youin developing your CI unit and provide you opportuni-ties to understand your customers and their needs. Thefollowing is a list of recommendations:

➣ Interview each customer.

➣ Have them determine priorities.

➣ Find out their preferences: how they want the informa-tion transmitted, represented, etc.

➣ Establish a business relationship based on what theybelieve they need to do to succeed.

➣ Provide them with personalized documentation (consistentwith their language and preferences).

➣ Get feedback from the customers regarding your relation-ship.

➣ Help them feel they are an important part of your CIprocess, whether as a designer, reviewer or just a valuedcustomer.

➣ Show them that you are also a valuable part of theirprocess of working effectively.

ConclusionCI units face a complex task when they attempt to inte-grate with the organization and its work. The integra-tion requires organizational members to change theirbehavior, which in turn may require changes in the or-ganizational system. Planning and strategizing are re-quired to support successful CI implementation.

In order for CI to be successful, the unit needs to:

➣ Create structures that encourage the individual behaviorchanges that allow the integration of CI into the fabric ofthe organization.

➣ Influence cultural change that encourages the use of CI.

➣ Establish key personal alliances with sponsors, championand other stakeholders.

➣ Provide tools and practices that make CI useful and effective.

➣ Make CI a preference by creating the belief that with CIthe customer has a higher probability for success.

Of all the types of integration approaches available,pull-type self-design appears the most effective. It pro-vides process structure to the CI effort, and leveragesthe in-depth knowledge that already exists within theorganization to improve the system and generate buy-infor CI. People will buy in when they have an opportu-nity to participate and to be heard regarding their con-cerns, needs and desires for success for themselves andthe organization. Listen to the people and get them en-gaged, see that they have an opportunity to succeed,give them the encouragement they need to makechanges that might seem difficult and feel risky. Get outof your office and dive in where it’s messy, where peo-ple are doing work and resolving problems the best theycan. See where it is that CI can contribute.

CI would be easier if it weren’t for people, but itwould be much less fun, and in the final analysis, whatsense would it make, anyway?

Recommended ReadingSimon, N. (1996a). Gaining organizational sponsorship. Com-petitive Intelligence Review, 7(3), 80–82.

Simon, N. (1996b). Creating constructive alliances for a suc-cessful CI unit. Competitive Intelligence Review, 7(4), 86–87.

Simon, N. (1997a). Steps to establish or improve a CI unit.Competitive Intelligence Review, 8(1), 90–92.

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Simon, N. (1997b). Fundamentals of building sustainable cus-

tomers relations. Competitive Intelligence Review, 8(2), 88–

89.

Simon, N. (1997c). CI is not an island. Competitive Intelli-

gence Review, 8(4), 80–82.

Simon, N. (1998). Barriers to an information-sharing culture.

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About the AuthorsNeil J. Simon is president of Business Development Group,Inc. BDG is a “total strategic change” consulting firm thatcreates alignment between the competitive environment and

client potential. Neil has authored over 80 articles and publica-tions, including Navigating in a Sea of Change (SCIPPublications). Business Development Group, Inc., is located at220 East Huron, Suite 250, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 USA;tel: 11 734-741-4150; fax: 11 248-552-1924; e-mail:NJSimon@aol.com.

Amy Kern has over 14 years of experience in large corpora-tions, planning, directing and implementing complex changes inwork processes. She has also designed, established, marketed andmanaged centers of expertise serving internal customers in technicaland business process arenas. Over the last several years, Ms. Kernhas specialized in management coaching, team and personaleffectiveness coaching, organizational learning, process manage-ment and organizational culture. She is an associate of BusinessDevelopment Group and owner of her own practice, Life Walk:Coaching for Your Mind, Heart & Spirit.

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