Discussion on SCIP Name Change

June 8, 2010 · Filed Under SCIP · Comment 

On Thursday May 20, 2009, the SCIP Board of Directors met to continue the process of developing a strategic plan to grow SCIP. One critical element of their discussion was whether or not to change the Society’s name. The name change consideration supports two goals of the organization:

  • Expand the SCIP membership in both depth and breadth to increase the impact and exposure of competitive intelligence (CI) membership, and to expand the sponsorship opportunities and attendance at our events on a global basis.
  • Develop a wider membership community to include CI clients as well as CI practitioners.

The SCIP Board has proposed changing the organization’s name:

From: Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
To: Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals

The board has asked that we explain the basis of this change you, our members, and invite comments. The proposed name change and reasons for it are noted below. We would like to hear your views on the proposal.

Pros:

  • Significantly expands and broadens our membership reach beyond individuals who are identified as CI professionals.
  • Reflects the reality of our members’ operational titles. The majority of our current membership already does not include “CI” in their title. A review of the SCIP 2010 conference attendees (the largest annual gathering of CI professionals) found that less that 20% had CI in their title.
  • Supports a CI focus on supporting strategic decisions, one of the Society’s principal goals.
  • Includes individuals who both work with and are customers of CI practitioners.
  • Increases the connection of senior decision makers with the competitive intelligence effort.
  • Emphasizes that CI goes beyond competitors (a perception of many people, both our members and non-members).
  • Keeps the SCIP trademark and brand identity built over the last 25 years.
  • Emphasizes both the tactical and strategic orientation of our members.
  • Supports an emphasis on CI’s strategic support, which has been a long-standing goal of many senior CI practitioners, including some of the leading writers on the subject such as Michael Porter, Ben Gilad, and Liam Fahey.
  • Bridges the perception gap between business intelligence and competitive intelligence.
  • Combining Strategy and CI creates a unique value proposition that will appeal to our members in all Countries
  • Removes “Society”, a non-value added word, and substitutes a description of our membership.

Cons:

  • Creates change which is sometimes difficult in its initial stage. (Note, SCIP’s original name was the Society of Competitor Intelligence Professionals), and it was changed to Competitive Intelligence Professionals to better reflect the community it was serving at that time.

I look forward to your commentary on this important issue. My contact points are noted below.


Ken Garrison
CEO SCIP
kgarrison@scip.org
703-739-0696 Ext 105

A SCIP Update

June 7, 2010 · Filed Under SCIP · Comment 

SCIP has taken many important steps in the last twelve months to stabilize our organization and develop effective pathways for growth. The merger with the Frost and Sullivan Institute was a critical first step. The combined effort and skills of all involved led directly to an extremely successful annual meeting in Washington,DC last spring. We continue to look for every possible step both large and small to advance your professional association and enhance your professional growth.

Here’s a brief update on several important decisions made by the SCIP Board of Directors during their May 20th meeting. The Board is committed to evaluating all factors that will provide added growth potential to your Society and will enhance our value proposition for you in the coming years.

One key element of SCIP’s growth strategy under discussion is a name change from Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals to Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals. We will shortly email you a full explanation of the benefits of this change and provide you an opportunity to comment on this proposal. We will also make it available on our website, and an additional SCIP blog posting will allow for your comments.

At the May meeting the Board also authorized several initiatives to enhance the value proposition of SCIP over the coming months:

1) A CI Index to use the talents and knowledge of SCIP members and aid in analyzing and reporting on positive and negative movements in the economy.

2)A new opportunity for intellectual advancement and commentary via short CI Analysis of current issues.

3) A formal program to encourage CI Internships with our members and to work with the colleges and universities to fill those opportunities

4) An increased flow of inquires asking your opinion on a variety of topics. As an example, in the next several weeks we will ask how to best deliver content via our flagship publication Competitive Intelligence Magazine.

As part of the strategic growth and evolution of your Society, the board has defined a new membership classification for those who provide service, solutions, or consulting to the profession. This category will have the same individual membership price as those who function within the traditional corporate setting and provide internal CI direction to their companies.

As you can see from the above commentary, your Society’s Board is committed to taking bold and decisive steps to grow your professional organization. Over the coming weeks and months you will receive an expanded commentary on each of these items. This posting is the first of many reports on the steps the Board is taking to improve your membership experience.

Regards,

Ken Garrison

CEO SCIP

kgarrison@scip.org

703 739 0732 x105