CI

COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE: “the Secret Weapon to Compete and to Win”


Climaco Cezar de Souza
Sector or Modern Companies and /or “the best way to predict the future”
AUTHORS: Prof. MB Climaco Cezar - The Hahn-Agrovision Brasilia - Brazil - www.ic-hahn.com 
// Dr. Andreas Hahn - IC-Hahn Chemnitz - Germany - www.ic-hahn.com
During the last years, with a growing internal and external competition, large corporations and even the Public Sector (countries, some states and municipalities) have increasinly recurred to the modern concepts and orientations of the IC – Business Competitive Intelligence in order to compete, prevail, offer best practise services to citizens, extend efficiencies and, mainly, reduce costs without laying off employees.
In 2015, among the 50 world leaders in BCI / IC ( "companies that best combine innovative technology with an effective business model") stood particularly out IBM, Amazon, Baidu, Illumina and Tesla Motors, but also Microsoft, Bosch, Toyota, Intel and others.
Thus, we can be said that modern businesses today adopt, increasingly, very effective tools management for best results (business and personal) as BSC “Balanced ScoreCard” more BCI to support its new management models and actions with customers and / or the entire population – models that were once based only on Japanese and American systems. These early systems frequently proved ineffective or were mainly based on efficiency-enhancing, however labor-saving and environmentally impactful measures – which led to reputation loss and functional inefficiencies.
https://www.technologyreview.com/lists/companies/2016/intro/#baidu
In the United States, a larger share of the companies already adopts the orientations and strategies of their IC Departments. 
Certainly, one of the well known reasons for the high US industrial efficiency as well as countries that are competing with Brazil is called high "average productivity of labor-work", most also obtained by the adoption of IC strategies in companies. In 2015, the countries with the highest average productivity of work were Luxembourg, the US and Germany, but even Venezuela and Argentina surpassed Brazil.
Unfortunately, in 2015 4 Brazilian workers were needed to match the average industrial productivity of US workers. That is, for example, in the same time period, an American skilled worker (or a corresponding group) could produce 4 computers or 04 cars, compared to just 01 by a Brazilian worker (or a corresponding group).
Please see:
http://econforreal.blogspot.com.br/search/label/Produtividade%20do%20trabalho
In Brazil, even so, IC measures have already been implemented  in BB - Bank of Brazil, Vale, Embraer, Tim and Natura and others, but most of our companies, consultants and professionals don´t even know what IC is nor are trained in Competitive intelligence.
Please see for further reference:
http://www.ibm.com/analytics/us/en/technology/business-intelligence/
Also, according to several studies, the rate of obsolescence of knowledge in many areas and its professionals is high and increases rapidly. In computer currently it is only 2 years; Law, Engineering, Medicine and related 3 years and in Economics, Management, Sociology and related areas 4 years, hence the importance of IC in business or public services.
Thus, for those Brazilian private and public companies that really want to compete, prevail and provide good services in any industry and location, the correct and encouraged activities of the Departments of IC (also for governments, cooperatives, states, institutions and even individuals) is absolute key.
http://www.administradores.com.br/artigos/carreira/a-obsolescencia-do-conhecimento/82155/
In Brazil, perhaps the most important and current purpose of IC gets evident when it comes to applying it to public services (foundations, municipalities and states). But here everything depends on the will of the governors, mayors and public leaders and their interest for the good not only of their constituents, but also the public in general, customers / suppliers in general, and especially for the fundamental cost reductions and higher effectivities per hour worked (no unplanned returns).
Thus, private enterprises, for cooperatives and Brazilian public bodies that really want to compete, win and provide good services in any industry and location the correct and encouraged activities of the Departments of IC (also for governments, cooperatives, state, institutions and even individuals)are key. Marketing and advertising actions are no longer enough, due to credibility and reputation issues.
In Brazil, although based on different approaches, according to the objectives in daily practice as well as the different experiences of deployers / consultants the technical and IC actions can be summarized by three letters "M": 1) Monitoring; 2) Merits; 3) Motivation.
Here's how it works:
1) MONITORING - This is not to spy on or harass, but rather to monitor intensively, externally and internally, the effectivities and quality of sale or provision of services to the end consumer or public (an improved after-sales process), all responding directly, or by immediate demand, to only one contractor person (President or CEO of the Company, Minister, Governor, Mayor, etc.), in order to avoid the so-called Redoma-effect (Secretaries, Directors and Advisors, unfortunately (for some " they "and / or their groups) or even without realizing it preventing the main boss from gaining access to correct and immediate information, which is necessary for the correct decision-making).
Also, it serves for monitoring competitors (actions and proposals from other companies or other states or municipalities that affect or may affect actions and results); in the same way, partners are overseen-, in a confidential and intensive way, most of the sites and services where the public can be abused in any way, even intentionally, by employees or managers. Such monitoring also uses full electronic means such as electronic medical records.
2) MERITS - This topic is fundamental for progressive adoption and even for the union / functional requirement for enterprises and public sector. In addition to establishing a Plan of jobs and salaries in a clear, objective and fair, the system also complete a good plan Compensation and Promotions, clear and programmed without sponsorships and "who says" but only by achieving combined goals six months before and hetero functional assessments every three months (the boss evaluates the employee but is also rated by their boss and view the return evaluations of their employees).
At the BB - Banco do Brasil the BSC added the BCI systems has been working almost perfectly for almost 15 years and was implemented at the beginning by an US consulting company (the same is currently being adopted by other private banks). 
It can be said that in the BB, the staff really go to work, to create, to compete and to honor its dependence (which is evaluated and scored semiannually in terms of achievement of goals and results for each portfolio, being funding, granting loans or insurance, also via the BSC/BCI modern instruments). 
Reportedly, some victorious BB employees can realize up to 18 salaries / year, good indirect part, ie as benefits, rewards and incentives. Also from the beginning of career all BB employees know the ladder positions that he can and are encouraged and trained to climb, since he has an interest and a lot of guts. For this, BB held many, many employees interviews with psychologist specialized over experienced / motivated operational leaders, included classroom and distance training, but many, many lectures and motivational meetings, even to prevent / reduce knowledge obsolescence of personal and group.
Obviously, today, it seems that there are strict controls of functional attendance via intranet, surveillance cameras (except in restricted bathrooms and local), functional access restricted to some places, access bans on blogs, social networks, some sites and even links for mobile phones .
Moreover, very modern and defiant forms, some companies, as Banco do Brasil led by Microsoft, Xerox among others, recently started an audacious project "work at home" in some sectors and services.  According to Yahoo Finance system “FlexJobs conducted an analysis of more than 40,000 companies and their part-time telecommuting job posting histories, revealing that there are 31 percent more remote part-time positions open now than there were in 2014 to 2015”.
Some in the US listed below by Yahoo Finance System:
https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/top-25-companies-hiring-part-time-work-from-home-jobs/
Back to the world importance of BSC/BCI Systems, in the case of Private Companies, Cooperatives and Public services, high number of employees the correct adoption more scheduled merger of the BSC tools with BCI tools can lead to excellent results already in short time and very cheap cost. They only need about 300 agents available and well trained / motivated to work, quietly and effectively and only with internal and external BSC more BCI tools.
Moreover, as expected strong increase of almost business of all private companies/cooperatives/public services on the internet (including the recent crowd-funding feared by all banks, financiers and insurance companies) and especially after the improvements already underway on private fast deliveries of goods and services, private companies more cooperatives and public sector that really want to compete (or re-elected to public office) will also have to adapt their BSC / BCI for its employees act in distance sales and support sales including through their own home-works (hardly outsourced). In fact, for some types of businesses (specially which do not manufacture or process), the use of expensive offices, agencies and other places tend to reduce and even end in a few years, which greatly changes the world economy and in many ways, especially leaving the central areas of large cities. In contrast, areas and premises located inside or in the field or in their own homes tend to be favored (including as indirect personal money compensation, but totally controllable by results), also expanding very personal and family well-being and reducing health costs, transports costs, accidents, assaults, robberies, deaths etc..
3) MOTIVATION – The motivation system is based on the belief that improving services requires not only a complete training, but also a reward system. Main focus here is not to punish the leaders and inefficient employees, but to monitor, reward, re-allocate and give second chances, and only punishing in grave cases of misconduct. This should lead to motivation-based increases in productivity in the short and long term.
See more in Portuguese about IC and its results in Brasil:
http://exame.abril.com.br/rede-de-blogs/brasil-no-mundo/2013/09/24/inteligencia-competitiva-nas-empresas-brasileiras/
http://www.agricultura.gov.br/arq_editor/file/camaras_setoriais/Hortalicas/26RO/App_IC.pdf
http://www.uel.br/revistas/uel/index.php/informacao/article/view/1834/1548
http://www.mbc.org.br/mbc/uploads/biblioteca/1170072780.9743A.pdf
The headquarters of ABRAIC – the Brazilian Association of IC analysts, founded in 2000, is located in Brasilia, in what was formerly the GD headquarters Bank of Brazil, where the system has been running, although almost secretive, for 25 years.
We suggest to those interested in establishing good IC systems to first contact ABRAIC in order to establish a good plan, with the main goal to establish or elaborate an IC business or public profile.
About, please see in Portuguese:
http://www.abraic.org.br/index.php?idAtual=1
http://www.abraic.org.br/inf.php?idAtual=1&idTela=5
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