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AROUND THE WEB 5 Blogs Every Competitive Intelligence Professional Should Read (But Probably Hasn’t)
Competitive Intelligence professionals benefit from taking a broad perspective on the information they use to do their job. This includes looking for sources of information that expand their personal horizons and challenge theirs and their stakeholders' assumptions. Here are five blogs that touch on some of the most important trends and disruptive forces in business today to get you beyond basic industry news and tactical CI sources and methods. Asymco: Asymco is short for "asymmetric competition." This blog is created by Horace Dediu, a former business development manager at Nokia and a student of Clayton Christensen. Horace examines the smartphone, tablet, media and related industries through the lens of Apple and its competitors. CI professionals will enjoy this blog for Horace's sharp application of the disruptive innovation model to rapidly-evolving industries. The same frameworks are relevant to other industries facing rapid change, convergence and disruption. Horace also demonstrates expert financial and quantitative analysis-- and is very transparent in his analytical methods. As a bonus, Horace cohosts "The Critical Path" podcast that addresses the same topics as his blog. Paleo Future: Writer Matt Novak and contributors catalog past predictions and visions of the future in this blog. Our scientific literature, fiction and collective imaginations are populated with detailed visions of the future that run the spectrum from the prescient to the ludicrous. I admit that this is a guilty pleasure. It's also a valuable perspective for strategy professionals that are trying to develop foresight about our own industries for our stakeholders. The detailed visions and illustrations of the future are the detailed narratives to which we should aspire in our own scenario analysis exercises. The Economist Schumpeter Blog: One of my favorite columns in each week's edition of The Economist is the column named for Joseph Schumpeter, the early 20th century Austrian-American economist who popularized the concept of "creative disruption." Each week this column examines an industry or firm facing the forces of creative disruption. The blog of the same name covers these themes throughout the week. The concept of creative disruption is very relevant to CI professionals trying to map the dynamics of our industries. The blog covers a variety of industries and macroeconomic topics. The Business Impact of IT and Economics of Information: Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee are co-authors of the book "Race Against the Machine" and professors at the MIT Sloan School of Business and Harvard Business School, respectively. In their book and their blogs they examine the economic and societal impact of the rise of digital technology and automation on global industry and the economy. They unpack the "good" and the "bad" of technology in a thoughtful and evidence-based manner. Strategy and CI professionals need to think clearly about the risk and reward that technology makes possible for our organizations and industries. These authors give you frameworks and examples to consider the real-world strategic and tactical consequences of emerging technologies on your industry and get beyond technology buzzword bingo. CI Life podcast: Sean Campbell and Scott Swigart at Cascade Insights publish this audio podcast. Sean and Scott are well known for their "Going Beyond Google" and "Framework Fight Club" sessions at SCIP conferences. This podcast is a 10-15 minute audio program that explores immediately relevant topics such as the value of conducting human intelligence inside your own organization, the benefits of elicitation and how to use social media to build CI source networks. Sean and Scott deliver these topics in their conversational and off-the-cuff style that demonstrates their mastery in CI collection and analysis. CI professionals of all levels will learn something new and enjoy themselves with every episode. About the Author August Jackson is a competitive intelligence and strategy professional who focuses on the role of information and data as the basis for competitive advantage. He is an Associate Director of Strategic Market Intelligence at Ernst & Young LLP. Previously August spent over 10 years in the telecommunications industry in marketing and competitive intelligence roles with Verizon, British Telecom and AT&T's Concert joint venture. He has also worked with government agencies to help them apply commercial intelligence methods and technology to government intelligence challenges. August is a blogger, podcaster and recognized expert in applying emerging technologies to business and intelligence practices. He received his MBA from the University of Maryland and his BA in International Affairs from George Washington University. |
