Let me make the case for intelligence-led operations. I believe that direction, priorities, outcomes, resources and security need to be determined and coordinated by command decisions driven by quantified and assessed intelligence.
Running around looking busy is an often used form of misguided reassurance that something useful is being done. How many press conferences do you hear that dozens of our top officers are working tirelessly on a complex investigation? How many insurance fraud investigations attract ‘intelligence’ reports, running to hundreds of pages, regurgitating UK Accelerator, 192.com and Facebook profiles? How many databases are fed endlessly, but with what and for what purpose?
Such examples, in addition to saying ‘all that can be done is being done’, often seek to justify the status quo of an organisation and its operational capability, the bills to the client or the financial budget. They use quantity over quality to keep things as they are and to start building a justification, from the very beginning, in defence of any future failure. This is usually accompanied by a lack of clarity on what questions they are trying to answer and why? This is not a great position to be in and looks professionally incompetent.
It would be unfair to say that is the full story as some organisations are using intelligence to excellent effect, but as these organisations realise there is an accompanying risk; it means standing out from the crowd, making predictive assessments and having no fall back onto ‘looking busy’. However, the benefits are many; the most prominent of which will be an increase in successful outcomes.
Assuming that you accept the premise above, let me now offer my views on ways to enhance the use of an intelligence team to drive operations. I have deliberately avoided training and personnel selection issues; clearly if you are employing people without the aptitude or skills to complete the given task, the chances of success are slim. So, here are my top ten tips:
– Decide which is the most important – filling in timesheets or developing the assessment?
– Are all your analysts’ tasks relevant to the job at hand?
– Who are the least motivated, most jobs-worth and probably the most unappreciated people in your organisation? Are they a barrier to your team’s success and how can that be changed?
– Is the boss getting in the way of effective analysis? [/accordion] [/accordion_set]
– Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but are these relevant to the assessment?
– It is likely only the intelligence team will know all the facts – it is their opinions that need to be heard.
– If it is beneficial to seek wider views, harness these in a structured efficient way.
– The boss’ view, despite their rank and position, is no more significant than anyone else’s.
– Seek expert advice when necessary. You cannot, and should not attempt to, know everything.
– Is the chain of command influencing the team’s freedom of thought? [/accordion] [/accordion_set]
– Delegate responsibilities and decision-making to the lowest level possible.
– Support and praise the team’s actions and decisions.
– Are all the analysts contributing effectively to the team’s success?
– Are the best and the worst analysts’ workloads comparable?
– Trust in the manager stems from dealing with commitment and aptitude issues before they affect results. [/accordion] [/accordion_set]
– All ideas generated within the team should be shared, respected and considered. Inspiration is no respecter of rank and experience.
– When was the last time you stopped dealing with the detail and thought about the problem? [/accordion] [/accordion_set]
– Do your collators understand the mission, the indicators and warning matrix and their role in the team effort?
– Is your thinking clouded by doubts over the accuracy of the recorded information?
– The adversary works hard to cover their tracks, are you working equally hard to record accurately all available information in a retrievable manner that aids, rather than hinders, thought? [/accordion] [/accordion_set]
– Creative thought is stymied by process, monotony and repetitiveness.
– Ownership of a problem is good – exclusivity is bad.
– Life is all about change – is your team able and willing to change to meet circumstances? [/accordion] [/accordion_set]
– A worthy adversary is difficult to defeat – enjoy the challenge.
– Intelligence work is not easy and not everyone can do it – enjoy the status.
– Take credit for the intelligence output – enjoy the praise. [/accordion] [/accordion_set]
– Withholding knowledge is not power, but small-mindedness – keep everyone informed.
– Intelligence is a recruitment exercise – who can tell you something useful when needed?
– Everyone in the team liaises – no exceptions. [/accordion] [/accordion_set]
– Media operations, psychological operations and deception are great if coordinated and don’t compromise operational security
– Sources and methodology will be needed again – who is protecting them?
– Threat, risk and vulnerability assessments are not box-ticking exercises.
– Collectors are more effective if well informed – factor in this risk. [/accordion] [/accordion_set]
-Procedures, guidelines and principles are aids to dealing with large volumes of uncertain information; they are not a substitute for logic, thought and analysis.
-Deal with biases – they are everywhere.
-Good analysts understand what happened yesterday; great analysts know what will happen tomorrow. [/accordion] [/accordion_set]
To be continued…
Do you want to understand better the business dynamics in your sector? Are you looking for options to drive forward your business in a challenging environment? To find out more about what QRO Global could do to assist your business or to learn more about the types of projects that we have worked on in the past, see our Services Page or email us today – info@qro-global.co.uk
Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them.
Albert Einstein
Leave A Comment