At a Crossroads: Information Professional to Intelligence Agent
by Bonnie Hohhof and Lera Chitwood
Many information professionals are at a crossroads in their careers. They no longer just access and collect information: They must add value to the information through delivery, content, systems, or knowledge. One direction to move into is an analyst's position in an intelligence operation. Individuals with information backgrounds are already active participants in the competitive intelligence field. They are key suppliers of competitive information and provide strong support to the intelligence process, often as part of the intelligence team. To date, few information professionals have moved into an intelligence analyst's position.
The lack of a large peer group or template for this change leads to several questions: What factors can facilitate this change? Do people who have made a sucessful transition have similar competencies? Are there specific environmental situations that made their career change easier? Do information professionals just self-select out?
Considering a career change can be difficult, especially when the path is not well marked. This article, based on preliminary research sponsored by the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP), is an attempt to develop markers to help individuals chart their own effective path from information professional to intelligence analyst.
Once started, the focus of our research quickly centered on a series of questions:
- What are the requirements for a successful career as an intelligence analyst?
- What are the key characteristics of a successful intelligence analyst?
- Are these skills, traits, or training something that information professionals have or can obtain?
- Why do few information professionals choose to pursue careers as intelligence analysts?
- Is there a natural 'de-selection' inherent in information professional's required skills or personality traits?
- Can training, mentoring, and encouragement for this career move be put in place by an organization such as SCIP?
Methodology
We used an intelligence project approach. We first defined a set of basic issues and reviewed the published information base to leverage existing knowledge. Using both personal contacts and the knowledge of senior intelligence experts, we identified and interviewed both individuals who made the transition from information provider to intelligence analyst, and the people who have hired or developed such individuals.
We also factored in our own perspectives and experiences in making career transitions out of the information provider role. Both of us, originally educated as librarians (back when there were no information specialists), have spent a total of twenty-five years in intelligence operations. We have worked for several companies and management structures that embraced different information and intelligence focuses.
As in any intelligence project, we had to weigh the efforts and returns of specific activities, understand the knowledge and expertise of our information and intelligence sources, allocate project resources, and provide a deliverable within a specific time frame. Once the sources created a pattern of information, we stopped gathering information and started analyzing it.
Analytical Process
Before we detail the characteristics of a successful intelligence analyst, let's review the analytical environment, processes and techniques. Traditionally the intelligence analysis process contains five core steps:
Analytical framework/problem identification - define the intelligence questions and the decisions that they influence.
Collection - compile available information from primary (people) and secondary (print) sources; determine source integrity and information context.
Synthesis - ask questions about the information; separate facts and judgments; identify patterns and discontinuities.
Analysis - develop hypothesis and scenarios; identify alternative interpretations, assumptions, and conclusions.
Conclusions/ implications - assess probable success or failure of alternative actions and their implications to the organization; answer 'what' and 'so what' questions; recommend alternative courses of action. In addition, the techniques involved in the analysis step uses a mix of specialty skills and educational or professional background:
Competitor - SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, threat), strategy, alliances, plans, intentions.
Market - win/loss, competitor/customer value chain.
Financial - cash flow, cost and ration, credit/debit.
Organization - structure, decision makers, leadership.
Technology - research and development, product, manufacturing.
Environmental - regulatory, legislative, political, economic.
Forecasting - statistical, econometric, qualitative, quantitative.
The following three sections cover key analyst characteristics, overlapping characteristics of information professionals and analysts, and problematic information professional characteristics. The article concludes with a discussion of facilitators need to transition from information professional to intelligence analyst.
Key Analyst Characteristics
During the interviews, we quickly discovered we could not limit the discussion to the competencies and characteristics of information professionals; we had to identify the key characteristics of a successful intelligence analyst.
Intellectual curiosity, self starter - driven to find a solution to a problem. The universal characteristic of a successful intelligence analyst is intellectual curiosity. One individual described this as enjoying "the thrill of the chase." The analyst's curiosity extends beyond their expertise to encompass all subject areas affected by the problem.
Chaos, uncertainty, ambiguity, risk - personally balanced in an environment that contains, chaos, uncertainty, ambiguity, and risk. An analyst can work with an imperfect knowledge base and make predictions without certainty of success.
Pattern, intuitive thinker - recognizes novel patterns, establishes linkages, and infers missing pieces of information. An analyst is comfortable in coming to a conclusion when complete evidence is lacking. Diplomatic, confident, tolerates criticism -- communicates positive and negative results that can come under strong criticism. Analyst's conclusions often differ from the organization's conventional wisdom or the personal preferences of their senior managers (including direct supervisors).
Self-directed, problem solving focus - keeps activities tightly focused on solving problems. Analysts often schedule, organize, and manage the analytical activities of ad hoc teams and work under tight schedules.
Logical, quantitative skills - uses financial and marketing tools and techniques. Most analysts have specialized professional and business skills; many have a subject Master's or equivalent experience, and an MBA.
Understands the business issues - has organizational, cultural, and industry experience to phrase the intelligence results in business terms. Analysts must present intelligence recommendations from the perspective of their business customer.
Strong, effective communicator and interviewer - is comfortable and flexible in questioning individuals. An analyst presents findings concisely and convincingly, often in face-to-face meetings with the primary intelligence client.
People oriented - has the social skills to positively interact with all intelligence clients and information sources, both peers and superiors, individually and in groups.
Information Professional/Analyst Characteristics
The interviews also identified several characteristics that are typical of both the analyst and information professional. They are similar but vary in how they are implemented. Several arranged themselves along a continuum, differing in emphasis and scope. Some of the differences focus on process and results, and may seem minor. However, many interviewees made a specific effort to characterize these differences.
Curiosity - inquisitive interest. This key analytical trait focuses on gaining enough understanding to know the issues, solve a puzzle, and develop implications. Information professionals curiosity is usually directed towards the desire to find, locate, and discover an answer to a specific question.
Persistence, tenacity -- uses a broad range of resources to discover an answer to a question or identify the full range of issues impacting a potential decision.
Disciplined organizational skills -- most information professionals and analysts have detailed and well developed organizational skills.
Communication skills: writing - succinct, focused, and convincing. Communication skills: listening - information professionals apply active listening to understand their client's needs, which are often not clearly stated. Analysts extend this beyond client requirements to understanding the underlying intelligence problem that needs to be solved or decision that needs to be made.
Communication skills: interviewing -- information professionals are quite adept at interviewing the person requesting information, asking the 'who, what, when, where, why, and how' series that evoke specific answers. Analysts also conduct problem definition interviews. In addition, they interview to solicit information or share specialist's knowledge, often over the phone and with individuals they do not know or do not have a working relationship.
Problematic Information Professional Characteristics
All individuals interviewed, both those who have made the transition from information professional to intelligence analyst and those who hired or developed them, identified a set of information professional characteristics that negatively impact efforts to effectively assume the analyst's role. Some are generalities; others reflect the information professional's working environment. All affect their ability to make a successful career transition successful.
- Prefers working individually rather than as part of a team.
- Uncomfortable with risk-taking, uncertainty, and ambiguity.
- Hesitant to make leaps in judgment with incomplete data.
- Overextends collection/organization of information.
- Lacks financial analysis and business skills.
- Lack confidence and experience in dealing with and presenting to often intimidating senior management levels.
- Too much emphasis on lower impact service; not enough time spent on providing solutions and adding individual assessments, viewpoints, and insights.
Transition Facilitators
After asking the interviewees to identify the characteristics of a successful intelligence analyst and the information professional skills that contribute and hinder becoming a good analyst, we asked them the following questions:
- Is there any specific training or subject expertise that is required to make the transition to intelligence analyst?
- What environment factors help or hinder this transition?
- What cultural factors have to exist?
- Is there a specific progression of responsibility or activities that lead to an analysts position?
The ensuing discussions generated by these questions were in some cases highly idiosyncratic, but fairly consistently identified ways to facilitate the transition to intelligence analyst:
Develop intelligence mentor and company culture mentor. Establishing mentoring relationships is critical. The intelligence mentor helps guide the development of intelligence skills and shows how to apply them. This individual may be within your organization or from an outside supporting group, such as a local SCIP chapter. The internal culture mentor helps decode the complexities of the individual company culture.
Participate in an intelligence team effort. Having role models is the most effective way to break out of old ways of thinking. The quickest way to develop analytical skills is to use the peer process to critique your work and gain an understanding of how analysis turns information into intelligence.
Develop human contacts to identify management issues. Create an informal information network to help you identify what issues are important to your management and when new questions arise. Use this information to add value to your own information reports.
Learn about your business. Understanding the business mindset helps focus the analytical effort on problem solving. Often the best way to learn about the organization's business is to work closely with a sales or product manager.
Practice, practice, practice. Enhance your own reports to include analytical perspectives. Add comments and observations; note when a piece of information is unusual or unique. Learn by doing.
Solicit client evaluations and recommendations. Close the intelligence loop by asking how your clients used the information you provided. Did it help them in their decision-making? Is there anything else they would like to see? Did they even read it? If not, why not?
Take risks. Take positions. Take a stand. A defining characteristic of a successful intelligence analyst is a high comfort level with risk. In reports, indicate what you found, what you expected to find, and what you didn't find. Start thinking and presenting yourself differently.
Define a limited set of intelligence clients. Learn who to serve and how to say no. Start by identifying a core group you already work with who are most likely to use and appreciate information and intelligence reports. Take the initiative and create value-added packages for them.
Work on both strategic and tactical intelligence. Both types of intelligence are needed by the organization and have their own requirements and uses. Become familiar with their different resources, techniques, and reports.
Strengthen writing, presentation, and debate skills. Although most information professionals already have strong written skills, most require additional training in verbal presentations and interaction skills. Develop concise, logical debate skills.
Gain financial and business skills (MBA). Become numerically literate and gain a good command of basic financial analytical skills. An MBA develops credibility and knowledge background, and sometimes functions as a union card.
Just do it. Take the initiative to add analytical insights, implications, and conclusions to the reports you already produce. Do the job you want rather than the job you have.
Have an intelligence-friendly organization. Be part of a company that is receptive to intelligence and tolerates occasional mistakes. If an organization does not accept the processes and discipline of intelligence, it is impossible to function there as an effective analyst.
Work in an environment that encourages change and new skill development. Many interviewees felt it is next to impossible to evolve into an intelligence analyst unless the organization encourages its employees to develop new skills and career tracks. Several said the only way they made that transition was to quit and move into a company that allows this growth.
Summary
Although not yet a common occurrence, information professionals can move themselves into intelligence analyst positions. Based on the experiences of several individuals who 'crossed-over' and the perspectives of the people who helped or hired them, several steps can facilitate this transfer. Some involve a self-assessment of basic personality characteristics against those of successful intelligence analysts; others chart training and education steps. The key action is to understand the processes and goals of an intelligence analyst and take the initiative to apply them to your own work environment.
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