Briefing: Information Management Best Practices: The Skinny On CI

As traditional library and information management (IM) functions increasingly strive to move up the value chain in their organizations, one path is to focus more deeply on competitive intelligence or information (CI). This Briefing examines the current state of CI within IM functions, considers models and methods for developing a CI component, and offers a best-in-class case study of transformation from a traditional IM function to a high-impact CI team. It points to the growing opportunity that lies within CI, based on Outsell research and analysis showing that competitive information is increasingly seen as an unmet need among knowledge workers of all kinds. The case study provides a detailed account of how one organization successfully introduced a full product line of CI services, and offers specific, actionable advice on how to build such an organization. The Briefing concludes with Outsell's Imperatives for Information Managers.