Putting the “I” in CI: A Librarian’s Introduction to Competitive

Intelligence

Bianca Lipscomb

Methodology

Barbara Ferry, Director of Business Research

Methodology

Comparative Research: CI vs. LIS-CI

Competitive Intelligence

Definition Not Corporate Espionage

By: magandafilleBy: Thomas Helbig

Intelligence Cycle

Fuld & Company, 2009 pg. 12

Role of Technology

• Importance of the human element

• Used mostly in the process of information gathering and dissemination

• True CI tools facilitate the entire Intelligence Cycle

Tools Overview

Full Cycle Software

Fuld & Company Intelligence Software Report 2008-2009

From: http://www.wordle.net/

Tools OverviewAnalysis Oriented

Pre-Processing: sorting and extracting relationships

Text Mining: summarize, categorize and visualizeAnalysis Support: dissemination

Research by the CLAIR Group at UMich:

Detecting multiple facets of an event using graph-based

unsupervised methods

Critique of LIS approach:• Information gathering and dissemination are emphasized over planning and analysis

• In order for LIS professionals to be true CI operatives they must have training in or exposure to business administration

Knowledge Management

Competitive Intelligence = Business Intelligence

Model of New LibrarianshipCompetitive Intelligence is one of the many ways for the tech and people savvy librarian to proactively affect positive change within their organization

By: David King

Skills• Knowledge of Information Sources and Research Methods

• Proficient with new technologies

• Disseminating Information

• Connecting People and Ideas

Skills

Q: How can librarianship better incorporate skills development for steps 1-Planning and 4-Analysis?

Fuld & Company, 2009 pg. 12

Users of CI• Library approach to CI expands traditional user base to:

• All levels of users throughout the organization• New environments

SLA CI Division Member Profiles

Correia, Cynthia Cheng. (January 2008). Members Survey: General Profile [Electronic Version]. Intelligence Insights, vol. 4:1, 4-12.

Total of 134 Respondents

43% work in Information Centers

21% work in Business or Consulting Services12% Pharmaceutical, Biomedical or Health Sciences10% Law8% Academic / Higher Education

35.2% spend less than ¼ of their time on CI

SLA CI Division Member Profiles cont.

57.14% cite Published Research as main job function19.84% cite Analysis7.94% cite human research

26.2% have practiced CI for over 10 years20.6% 1-3 years

21% support Organizational or Business Strategy with CI

74% started their training in the LIS field

Two Crucial Skills for CI:• Analytical Skills

• People Skills

In Summary:

“A good word processing program makes it easier to write and make revisions, and catch spelling mistakes:-It does not make you a better writer.-It doesn't affect the quality and content of the

reports you write.” -–B.

Hohhof

SCIP Blog Wordle

From: http://www.wordle.net/