Being Emotional Intelligence a sine qua non for the success of Organizations in their respective performances, since it brings together People around the Vision, it is no less true that Intelligence about the Environment is equally essential, since both are the fundamental factors that fuel Innovation.
In 1932, Werner Heisenberg received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery and study of the so-called Uncertainty Principle. This principle states that it is impossible to measure the position and momentum of a particle accurately simultaneously.
Little could this eminent scientist, who died in 1976, imagine that his discovery would be so applicable to the description of competitive performance in the globalized economy of the 21st century. Paraphrasing Heisenberg, we could understand that the evolution of the competitive strategy of a given company is unpredictable, based on a "still photo" of its current positioning. Above all, because, if he indulges himself for too long in exploiting a dominant position, his subsequent trajectory may be too uncertain….
Adaptation and Intuition
It is believed that, in ancient times, men, like animals, had a strong sense of anticipation, perhaps highly developed by the hostility of the environment. Animals still keep it, to survive, especially in the wild. But the human race has paid a heavy price for its progressive civilization, and now we only have… intuition. It is not the same.
Intuition is the result of the association, conscious or, more frequently, unconscious, of knowledge that, obtained in isolation, is combined in a sudden concrete conclusion, thanks to the intervention of human, rational and emotional intelligence.
When the evolution of the ecosystem is slow, changes are known with relative ease, and individuals adapt in a time period that far exceeds their life cycle. This explains the survival of some species, in prehistoric times, because climate changes were measured in millennia…
However, many more species have probably disappeared, and many more mutated, during the past century than in the entire history of the planet.
Be that as it may, adaptation no longer ensures survival, because the forces acting in the environment are increasingly intense and sudden… but above all unpredictable. It seems incredible that with all the technology and knowledge that we have accumulated… we still cannot prevent the population from the imminence of a tsunami…
So it seems that, in the middle of the Age of Knowledge, not even with intuition, it is enough….we need something more.
Planning… without Environmental Intelligence?
Over many generations, Organizations have developed a solid culture of Planning that not only ensured continuity, but progress. Both the specific objectives and the resources to be used were established, during the course of time, in a given period.
Perhaps we have inherited, and without a doubt, improved, the planning techniques, from the sophisticated military operations. Which, by the way, was not very successful in the Vietnam War… nor does it seem to have improved its efficiency, if we look, currently, towards Mecca.
Also the current competitive environment, on a global scale, more closely resembles a jungle full of niches, some still unexplored, positions that can be fortified and impregnable for some time. And when the enemy discovers them, there will always be other niches for those who run to look for them. And so on, until he retires from exhaustion… produced by inexperience in the new, continually changing rules of the game.
Can companies really ensure their future only with strategic planning, even reviewing the scenario… annually? Perhaps they need, in addition to their own internal knowledge, some doses of intelligence about the environment, which allows them to monitor it. And not only to find out about the permanent "rule changes", but also to anticipate their consequences, exploiting them before anyone else.
Knowledge and Anticipation
Let's hear from Andy Grove, CEO of INTEL, who has been leading the microprocessor market for the past 30 years: “We are just a growing company…. The only competitive advantage that INTEL has is that we have been faster than others in get to some sites. If I have no places to go, I waste my time as a competitive advantage. So, give me a turbulent world, compared to a stable world, and I will prefer the turbulent world. "
I have seldom read such a clairvoyant phrase to express the intimate interrelation between space and time, as fundamental variables of the strategy. But the underlying deduction can be very distressing, for faint-hearted companies: If I don't identify my destination… why do I want the time? I wish I could stop it, until I have things clearer… because my competitors, if they know where they are going… are gaining more and more advantage.
Anticipation is the essence of Strategy. Because, in a globalized environment, the only sustainable and enduring competitive advantage lies precisely… in time.
Time is the least expensive and most accessible strategic resource, but its limitation requires an intelligent exploitation of competitive opportunities. The course of time is the most impartial, but unforgiving, referee of the competition.
Innovation with Competitive Intelligence.
And what does all this have to do with Innovation, you have been wondering for a while? Go for it…
Innovation, in competitive terms, means “Identifying something that we can do ex novo, or in a different way, but more valued and better paid” But also, and beyond any doubt, it is necessary “to do it before anyone else”. And that, which may seem obvious, is the competitive essence of Innovation: The others will be imitators, and, if we have enhanced our capabilities, directing them to the specific objective, the advantage obtained will be sustainable and lasting over time.
And what else does Competitive Intelligence pursue, but "Identify a differential competitive position, based on an incipient opportunity, which can be accessed in advance"
Therefore, both Innovation and Intelligence share the same nature: Knowledge of the Environment + Anticipation.
Competitive Intelligence is a discipline that deals with capturing, analyzing and interrelating knowledge about competitive forces and agents, in order to make Environmental Maps. In the interrelation of all knowledge lies the true strategic value added by Intelligence.
A CI System allows knowing and analyzing the environment, in order to be able to ANTICIPATE the results derived from the influence of key agents, providing a sector and / or company the opportunity to focus its innovation, based on current or potential capabilities, of its own Value Chain.
In order not to miss the train of innovation, it is safest to be your own driver.
