August Jackson: social network analysis for intelligence (part four of four)
by Eric Garland
The thrilling conclusion, in which we talk about social network analysis from a real-life perspective and why it represents a powerful holistic world view.
August Jackson: social network analysis for intelligence (part three of four)
by Eric Garland
August Jackson shares how studying the link between people, companies, and technologies makes social network analysis a very powerful strategic tool.
August Jackson: social media analysis for intelligence (part two of four)
by Eric Garland
August keeps on a roll, telling you how to run a network analysis yourself, how to pick good sources (not necessarily LinkedIn!) and how this type of thinking represents a more holistic way to see your markets.
August Jackson: social network analysis for intelligence – (part one of four)
by Eric Garland
Sure, your teenager may hear the word “social networks” and think of a great way to coordinate a social life. August Jackson, Competitive Intelligence and Strategy Professional, Tech Pundit and Social Software Evangelist working for Verizon, knows that social networks are the key to advanced competitive intelligence analysis and extremely relevant, accurate business forecasts.
In part one of this four part interview, August gives us the nearly fifty year background of this analytical discipline, how we can better understand competitors, partners and customers alike, and why you should NOT start with software but make your first attempts at this work just with your brains and pen and paper.
The future of corporate espionage and security
by Eric Garland
Corporate espionage. Security. Keeping your precious trade secrets from The Bad Guys, whether they be competitors or government agents looking to destabilize your economy.
This. Is. Serious. Stuff! Just ask Washington’s Eamon Javers, who just published Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy, about the use of former MI5, CIA, and KGB agents in the corporate wars over market share in the chocolate toy segment. Spies are involved!
He’s even on the Daily Show, the highwater mark of all important information.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Eamon Javers | ||||
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So again, This Is Serious Stuff. Kids, break out your Cold War Mindsets!
This past weekend I spoke at the George Washington University’s graduate program for high-tech security to discuss the future of intelligence. As the professors expect, I take this from a much more broad perspective, bringing competitive intelligence, futures studies, scenario planning, stochastic thinking, and general irreverence into a bouillabaise we call Intelligence 2.0.
The real news piece here is that I am excited for the next generation of leaders. The dialogue that ensued among these future security professionals was broad-ranging, insightful, and fun. We’ll need plenty of all three in order to meet the needs of organizations that exist in a world of pervasive media, and these young people seem up to the challenge.
Some major points that came out of our dialogue:
- A command-and-control mindset about information will not fit with a world of social media – the goal will be to limit risk for a certain number of activities, not to funnel all information through one conduit.
- Asymmetry of analysis will be more important than asymmetry of information – it’s not who collects the most data, but who is the best at deriving insights who will be most effective.
- A corporate culture of constantly hiring and downsizing employees with decreasing levels of engagement is no recipe for data security – many corporations are begging for their data to hit the wild Internet through shoddy HR practices.
- The shift to Gen X management will be huge – while Boomers came up on strictly hierarchical, militaristic command structures, Gen X and Y believe much more in sharing information, decisionmaking power, even credit. This will change what “secure” means in the future.
- Increasingly multinational corporations are turning to nation-state legal apparatuses to enforce their own security needs – even though the economic benefit will not necessary transfer to the nation-state in question. Over time, tension will increase about this issue.
Not bad for a grad school class on a Saturday before lunch, am I right? If these are our future leaders, I couldn’t feel any more secure.
How do you describe competitive intelligence in your country?
There’s a forum discussion over at the Competitive Intelligence Ning community about the simple question:
How does the term “competitive intelligence” work in your country and in your language?
For our many readers from around the world, we’d love to hear your views and approaches!
Arik Johnson at the Intelligence Collaborative – Putting Intelligence First
by Eric Garland
A great interview with Arik Johnson of Aurora WDC on the future of intelligence and next-generation organizations.
Arik presents some really key ideas about how decisions need to come from the outside in, putting intelligence first and listening carefully to the external environment that is so important in understanding our future.
Social Media and Intelligence: the role of authority
by Eric Garland
Some of my comments from last week’s IntelCollab meeting in Washington DC.
August Jackson: Be the change you want to see in the intelligence profession
by Eric Garland
A sneak preview of August Jackson’s presentation at the inaugural Intelligence Collaboration meeting coming up this Thursday.
An introduction to the Intelligence Collaborative
by Eric Garland
I’m very excited for our upcoming inaugural meeting, this Thursday of our new, increasingly global, professional society, The Intelligence Collaborative.
The following video explains what intelligence is, why we need to collaborate, and why now is the perfect moment.
Have a look at the video, and if you’re anywhere in the MidAtlantic region, consider a trip to our nation’s capital this Thursday. Tickets are free – just bring your interest in how social media will change the practice of intelligence.
About Eric Garland
Eric is one of the world's pre-eminent thoughtleaders in forecasting and strategy. He helps leaders of business and government make critical decisions about their futures.Connect with us
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