What an intelligence-driven organization looks like

with Liam Fahey

What an Intelligence-Driven Solution Looks Like

Insight is where the game is won and lost notes that "Intelligence as an influence on decision making has not yet fully bloomed in many companies," listing a number of reasons why.

To address these challenges, today’s most successful intelligence teams have adopted a post-industrial, networked model, co-creating insights with decision makers, not just producing documents, powerpoints and spreadsheets. They build and sustain an intelligence capability that delivers real business results by:

• Determining the critical intelligence needs of the organization (not just what individuals say they want);
• Transforming multiple data types from a myriad of data sources into high-impact insights (not just “findings”);
• Identifying marketplace and competitive consequences of change: opportunities, risks, vulnerabilities (not just trends and patterns); and
• Integrating the intelligence capability with executive decision making.

This requires an obsession by intelligence professionals on enabling decision-making; they see their value not in their outputs but in their contribution to decision-makers. They must:

• Focus on insight as their key output;
• Spend their time on “mission important” issues and topics;
• Collaborate with cross-functional / unit teams to test and refine their outputs, avoiding the silos so common in today’s firms; and
• Engage with executives to help focus the work.

Next post: The Critical Role of the Executive in Intelligence