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Toronto, ON (PRWEB) November 14, 2006 -- The recent speech delivered on November 9, 2006 by Eliza Manningham-Buller, Director-General of MI5, on the terrorist threat facing the UK is one of those rare occasions when an expert outlines the true nature of intelligence work. Rodger Nevill Harding, author of the recently released book "Corporate Intelligence Awareness: Securing the Competitive Edge," discusses the direct business parallels.
Good intelligence predicts what might happen in the future - a series of often disparate clues that gives rise to theories that, if applied in time, might influence business strategy and planning. There are a lot of mights and maybes in intelligence, says Harding.
It would appear that Manningham-Buller agrees: "It is understandable that people are reluctant to accept assertions that do not always appear to be substantiated. It is right to be skeptical about intelligence… I wish life were like 'Spooks,' where everything is (a) knowable, and (b) soluble by six people. But those whose plans we wish to detect in advance are determined to conceal from us what they intend to do. And every day they learn. From the mistakes of others. From what they discover of our capabilities from evidence presented in court, and from leaks to the media. Moreover, intelligence is usually bitty and needs piecing together, assessing, judging. It takes objectivity, integrity and a skeptical eye to make good use of intelligence: even the best of it never tells the whole story."
There has always been a justifiable need to know in the business world. At best, only on a balance of probability can every changing variable of business, client, supplier and competitor be successfully evaluated. This task cannot be undertaken without as complete an operational or industry awareness and interaction possible. It does not take much effort to see why intelligence is not a popular business topic. Planners and strategists would much rather work within known and safe parameters. The problem is that the rapid and enormous daily exchange of information, changing global economic factors, and sophisticated spying technology makes it almost impossible to keep a secret for long and raises the price of staying competitive. As with counter-insurgency intelligence, the need to know often spills over into the realm of the unethical or worse, an ends-justifies-the-means mindset.
Harding, who in his book advocates the ethical and relatively cost free alternative of people awareness in securing and protecting corporate intelligence, was particularly excited by Manningham-Buller's remark that: "Safety for us all means working together to protect those we care about, being alert to the danger without over-reacting, and reporting concerns… We must realise that there are significant differences between faiths and communities within our society, and most people, from whatever origin..."
"Simply put," Harding says, "we are talking about a continually-changing context. Providing necessary background and depth to uncertain predictions is a task that is never done. It is also too big a job for assigned staff members alone. Imagine the benefit when the full employee component of any corporation or industry sector acts as the eyes, ears, and firewall of the organization! Imagine what a cost effective resource this would be?" Corporate Intelligence Awareness, according to Harding, is a concept that not only works, but is great team builder, providing a sense of common purpose and usefulness that strengthens the organizational fabric.
All that is required is a team creatively alert for random clues as to what might happen in their area of operation, and the adequate technology to record, store and deliver the information to the appropriate analysts and decision-makers. The same alert workforce, realizing how easy it is to ethically get hold of intelligence, will be circumspect about what it lets walk out the door. This, in turn, would allow for the evolution of a priceless climate of corporate security.
Without good, contextual and relevant intelligence, unimaginative decision-making results in one-dimensional promises of certainty and the acceptance of clichéd inaccuracies. These will ultimately erode the trust and support that employees have for authority figures and those whom they perceive to be in the know.
Imagine the corporate confidence of the organization that adopts the mantra from a recent billboard from AIM Trimark Investments: "Knowing Pays"… "Foresight beats hindsight every time." Knowing that the entire team is on board, corporations can make a conscious step into uncertainty much easier.
In his new book, Harding describes step-by-step how an organization can develop an intelligence-gathering strategy that does not cross legal or ethical boundaries. He describes how to gather the required information, analyze and process data, and ensure that the resulting product is made available to decision makers as soon as possible. Importantly, he links efficient intelligence gathering to effective corporate strategy development, planning, and product or service evolution.
The recent resignation of Hewlett-Packard Chairwoman, Patricia Dunn amid the uproar over the telephone probe scandal brings to our attention the question of what constitutes ethical intelligence gathering.
Intelligence expert Rodger Nevill Harding explores the implications for business executives on their own intelligence operations. Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB) September 15, 2006 –-
The recent resignation of Hewlett-Packard Chairwoman, Patricia Dunn amid the uproar over the telephone probe scandal brings to our attention the question of what constitutes ethical intelligence gathering. In this new case, the focus is on internal spying in safeguarding critical corporate information, raising the debate of justifiable spying versus legal spying. Looked at in context, Dunn clearly had to take action in stemming the apparent leak of information from her boardroom. “Given her motivation, the wherewithal, and her clear delegation of the task, perhaps she can be forgiven for presuming that the ends justified the means” says Rodger Harding, a Toronto-based business intelligence consultant and the author of the new book Corporate Intelligence Awareness: Securing the Competitive Edge.
He notes that “Today, many companies spy on their employees just because they can. The plethora of convenient technology makes such activity common place. There is a prevailing attitude that it is only a crime when a person is caught.” The legal contention in the HP case will turn around whether or not Dunn knew that her hired consultants obtained the information under false pretext. In the US – and certainly in Canada with the provisions in its Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and in its Telecommunications Act – fraudulently obtained information is illegal. Full disclosure is required unless the parties involved have signed prior waivers or agreements to the contrary.
The law may be interpreted widely, however, if disclosure compromises accuracy; for example, insurance claims investigators would not be expected to announce their investigation. If one considers the rise in the use of the Anton Piller remedy that allows authorized civil search and seizure procedures, the boundaries become even more tenuous. It is strange that this story merits news headlines. After all, breaches of personal privacy happen in our lives every day. Just read the fine print in an employment contract. Most now include provisions for employers to spy on their employees who waive their rights to privacy with their signature. Who really reads every word of the end user license agreements when installing software? Think of hardware devices (including HP products) that install monitoring systems on our computers. Think of companies like Real Networks, Adobe, Microsoft, and many others all in touch with their products on our computers because we have agreed to such action with the click of a button. Add to the mix the Sarbanes–Oxley Act and the zero tolerance policies that appeared after the Enron and WorldCom scandals – policies that demand absolute control.
It is a small wonder then that corporate executives feel obliged to batten down hatches in the workplace with whatever means are at their disposal. In a despotic environment, “Bring me proof” will send minions scurrying to do just that. But what transpired behind the closed doors at HP? Harding says that “I’m surprised that HP shares have risen since the news broke. From my viewpoint, the scandal raises several red alerts about the Board and its operation; namely that it is not a cohesive team, there are no open and safe channels of communication, and that board members do not feel comfortable enough to deal with people problems internally.
Patricia Dunn’s delegation of unmasking the culprits to an outside consultant is a major red flag that all was not well within the HP inner sanctum, itself a major security breach of intelligence security.” Is this behaviour an indication of a toxic business environment?
Harding notes that “A healthy management team would have seen and heeded the warning signs that must have abounded in the HP boardroom. A team aware of the problems would have processed the resulting clues and come up with a game plan to save the situation before it got out of hand.” Perhaps it was the failure to accommodate the longest-serving HP director, George Keyworth, that caused him allegedly to leak the information in the first place. How much better off would the organization be if it had fully utilized his talent, creating an environment that engendered his loyalty, despite whatever differences must have existed. Confrontation is a dirty word in our society. We seldom show displeasure and much less even do we express timely concerns or dissatisfaction. We smile falsely, and resort to back door tactics to achieve our ends. The resulting betrayal of our colleagues slowly but surely erodes confidence and the very moral fabric of our organizations. This erosion is visible to partners, clients, suppliers and the industry at large who have enough corporate intelligence smarts to look for the signs, long before it registers on the internal corporate radar.
Individuals make corporations, and they also break them. The organization that ignores the importance of intelligence awareness – sensitivity to what knowledge individuals might gather or disclose – does so at its peril.
Studies are showing that corporate espionage is on the rise. A new book called "Corporate Intelligence Awareness: Securing the Competitive Edge" tells business leaders how to protect their strategic information and how to use legal and ethical means to uncover their competitors' secrets. Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB) August 21, 2006 --
With the collapse of the Soviet Union the Cold War ended, but spies have never been short of work -- the business world uses their expertise on a daily basis. The FBI estimates that U.S. companies lose billions of dollars each year to foreign and domestic competitors who seek out their trade secrets.
The incidence of information theft is on the rise, according to The American Society for Industrial Security in a study that identified the hot commodities as financial data, research and development work, merger and acquisition plans, unannounced product specifications, and prototypes.
The emergence of prosperous new industrial communities around the world has made this trend a reality that cannot be ignored.
“Corporate espionage -- companies spying on other companies to find out competitor secrets -- is at an all-time high,” says Rodger Nevill Harding, a Toronto based business intelligence consultant. A former diplomat for the South African government and recipient of that country’s highest award for his intelligence-gathering and strategy work, he is a firm believer that “Organizations need to develop across-the-board policies to protect their core information assets.
At the same time, those companies should develop intelligence-gathering strategies that will seek out competitor information -- these are the ‘rules of war’ for modern business.” Harding’s new book “Corporate Intelligence Awareness: Securing the Competitive Edge” (Multi-Media Publications, $43.95) distills his years of intelligence and consulting experience into a handbook for corporate executives seeking to protect their resources and gain a strategic advantage over competitors. Using the people and technology resources already available to them makes this almost a cost-free exercise.
The FBI notes that companies seeking competitive intelligence generally use three different methods: They bribe people working inside the target organization to share research or other confidential documents, they hire employees who work in key positions in the target organization and then mine them for information about their former employer, and they establish what appears to be innocent business relationships with the target organization in order to get access to inside information. Harding believes that an enhanced people awareness approach to intelligence, coupled with the efficient use of technology, is a more ethical alternative.
An April 2006 report from MessageLabs, an Internet security company, noted that 61 percent of computers have some type of spyware or adware installed on them, and that well-known companies such as television, mobile phone and utility companies are using spyware to steal the secrets of rival companies. The prevalence of computer networks is making illegal intelligence gathering easier, with many attacks coming from overseas where the perpetrators cannot be reached by our law enforcement agencies. In response to a rash of high-profile cases, the U.S. enacted its Economic Espionage Act that makes the theft of trade secrets a criminal offense. People convicted under these laws face up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to a half-million dollars.
In a world where the trend is to rely so heavily on technology, Harding emphasizes that corporate espionage is not restricted to the Internet and information technology. He adds that not all corporate espionage is illegal or unethical. “While rummaging through a competitor’s garbage bins may be illegal in most areas, you can still unearth a tremendous amount of information from fostering a conscious awareness in your team of what competitors say and do. Chatting with employees of an organization at a conference, for example, can unearth a host of clues that ultimately give rise to (or confirm) a theory about future events. You would be surprised at the things people tell you that they shouldn’t when you show interest in their field of expertise.”
Corporate Intelligence- The Known VS The Unknown Quantifying Probability One of the biggest challenges I face when strategizing with clients to evolve a workable analysis from gathered intelligence is a degree of reluctance to deal with foreknowledge - What might happen, as opposed to what will happen! Certainty and the quest for ultimate control seem a more ready objective for most than that of managing the unknown. My objective is to create an awareness that will ensure organizational survival in today's business world. Companies that succeed have underlying cultures that demonstrate:
• Courage to manage the unknown - Factoring in uncertainty and recognizing that control is elusive.
• Preparedness to work with what is, and not what should be - Embracing contraries, confrontation, debate etc. as opportunities for progression.
• Energy to treat every situation and person, every day as a new experience - Making no assumptions
• Acceptance of the concepts of risk, delegation,assistance, trust, flexibility
• Willingness to make choices based on all experiences to date - Understanding gut feelings and intuition
• The ability to pursue variables,make choices and embrace visions that are not deemed current, usual, or appropriate.
Imagine my delight recently when, prompted by experience as a naval officer and later as a diplomat, I escaped into a fascinating naval espionage book* and by chance discovered Thomas Bayes’ Theorem of Probability. Bayes who lived in the 1700’s is possibly the first person to have linked probability to logical process by providing a mathematical basis to infer likelihood or possiblity. Simply put, he believed that by calculating the number of times a certain theory is put forward by experts one could infer the probability of its actual occurrence. He pitted the known VS the unknown! This approach would allow experts to make use of knowledge they did not know they had – A big picture approach to analysis. During the cold war both U.S. and Soviet submarines went missing without explanation, resulting in multi million dollar search expeditions all conducted with utmost secrecy. John Craven a U.S. Naval Intelligence trouble-shooter would formulate several hypotheses as to what could have happened and then collaborate with expert mathematicians to construct a map of the sea bottom – This done he would repeatedly ask them to place bets on the probability of alternative scenarios – each a potential location of the missing sub. Using Bayes’ formula he narrowed data down to 'most probable' and plotted maps that were ridiculed as 'insane' and 'impossible' – Yet he was always spot on! Listening to a Hunch!
We can talk ad nauseum about Intuition, Flexibility, Leadership, Individuality and Creativity but only with an understanding of them as the unknown within the framework of the known, will we come to consider them as concepts that underpin the business world.
The CEO of a hugely successful Canadian gold mining company described to me how a hunch had saved his organization from a disastrous merger. Contract finalizations had been ongoing for over a year, building on due diligence that predated the initial agreement. His team had worked long and hard to arrive at the point of final signature, yet on the eve of the event he called his accountant and lawyer late at night, informing them that the deal was off. Just on a hunch…There was no way he could logically substantiate his decision or put his finger on what it was that had spooked him! Naturally his team thought he had flipped out, yet within weeks the wisdom of his decision became apparent. As it transpired, the prospective partner organization had several well-hidden skeletons in its closet. The merger might well have been a catastrophic business move.
Would it not be logical to assume that if organizational leaders collectively applied Bayes’ approach, then dealing with the unknown would be much less threatening?
Toronto
* Blind Man’s Bluff The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage - Sherry Sontag & Christopher Drew
Business will always demand that we know what our suppliers, clients, associates, competitors and other industry members are up to, preferably before anyone else, if we are to stay ahead of the game. Once foreknowledge becomes common knowledge it is then information or data with little or no competitive edge. Foreknowledge can be procured through espionage, theft or ignored. I recommend a fourth option – Ongoing people awareness and action relating to relevant events as they unfold in the operational arena.
Take a real life example to illustrate the concept: Individual X mentions to business associate Y that he is looking for office premises to purchase in a nearby upmarket area where properties are seldom for sale. Y walks home on the same route through the area everyday. He has always noticed a cleverly converted heritage building that serves as offices and retail outlet for the owner. One day he notices an ambulance and other emergency vehicles parked outside. In the following weeks mail piles up; windows remain shut and dirty…The premises are clearly unoccupied. Eventually, he observes that minimum, but regular maintenance occurs – He occasionally sees a young woman emptying the mail box and watering the garden. After almost three months, there is a spurt of activity – The young woman and two men, spend at least a week sorting, emptying, filling recycling boxes and stacking garbage on the sidewalk.
It is not difficult to read from the earliest of the clues cited that the building will probably put up for sale. Y has three options regarding this intelligence: He can alert X; Investigate the intent of the owner/executor; ask around the neighbourhood; or do nothing. In fact Y mentions to a neighbour Z that he had an associate who “would pay any price for a property in the area” and wondered what was happening with the building in question. He takes no concrete action. Finally a realtor sign signals that the property is “For Sale!” He then informs X. At his point intelligence has become accessible information, and any competitive edge X might have gained is lost.
It transpires however that neighbour Z, on the strength of Y’s intelligence clues/theory, made inquiries and ultimately bought the property privately from the deceased estate at an extremely reasonable price. Knowing that the property was in high demand and that there was a potential buyer available he then engaged a realtor to market the property at an inflated price. Z saw the opportunity, decided to act, and doing so in good time, secured the Competitive Edge!
Relating this situation to any business scenario shows how easy it is to let opportunities slip, despite the best strategy and plan that may be in place. The importance of trusting instincts, following up and communicating with decision-makers cannot be overstated. The inverse is also true - Being circumspect with confidential business objectives, details and intelligence is critical. Think how often you have heard people unwittingly divulge confidential information? Corporate Espionage is alive and well! An aware team will ensure that the task is not made easy for those who are intent on discovering their own business secrets.
Competitive Intelligence (CI) in this scenario would refer to X’s ability to access property information via Internet applications/technology or those of a specific realtor. Any success would necessitate registration of contact and requirement details. The only chance of securing the property would have been once the details had been entered into the realtor database.
Intelligence Awareness inhabits the uncertain world of the future – What might happen! The business entity, whose people remain aware and ready to explore this territory, will take educated risks and stay ahead of the game. This is not an easy task in a post 9/11, Enron world where the quest for certainty seems the greatest business priority.