" If strategic intelligence is a business process rather than a function, what are the value-creating steps in that process? How are mental models and data converted into information and knowledge that managers can act upon?.
This mainly focuses on the difference between the " process" and " functional" views of .
strategic intelligence. In fact, SI in a functionally oriented company is often confined to isolated pools of data. There are many pools of external and internal data, which are only pools of knowledge of specific groups, applying existing mindsets concerning the company's direction and strategies. Due to these facts there are several barriers ore pitfalls to using and sharing SI. In functional oriented companies many managers have adopted a military model for intelligence gathering and handling, confining SI to the top of the organization, instead of meeting the needs of other levels of managers.
In contrary to the functional view, the process view is based on different assumptions. The challenge of the process view is to distribute SI broadly around the whole hierarchy of the management, in order to enhance SI to become part of the company's fundamental culture. To ensure the effectivity and efficiency of the process, converting data into information and knowledge there are six main activities, with each step helping to add value to the the process of SI. In fact, the first one is the step of sensing and identifying appropriate external indicators of change, which is necessary to make the step of collecting data and information efficient. The step of organizing helps to structure the collected information in appropriate forms and media. In order to process the collected and organized data and information, it is now necessary to analyze the information with appropriate tools and methods. The step of communicating tries to simplify the access to information for users. The last step creating value to the process of SI is the correct use of the information, which concentrates on applying information in decisions and actions.
