The practice turn within strategy: Competitive intelligence as integrating practice

Abstract

Background and aim: This article investigated the positioning of competitive intelligence within the field of strategy. Methods: Publications on strategy and competitive intelligence were reviewed through thematic content analysis based on an extended literature review to determine their respective contents and how strategy as practice related to the crystallised competitive intelligence themes. Results: The research demonstrated that strategy and competitive intelligence are inextricably interwoven. Competitive intelligence was shown to be not merely an activity or sequence of activities within the broader strategic management process, but a significant strategic practice. Conclusion: We argued, based on a comprehensive literature review, that competitive intelligence is an integral practice within strategy that should be explored further for its contribution to emergent and deliberate strategies and the linkage between intra-organisational and extra-organisational activities. We proposed a framework to position competitive intelligence within strategy as practice and in relation to the process view of strategy. The conceptualised framework contributes to the corpus of strategy research as it formalised competitive intelligence as a critical part in the thinking about and the practice of strategy. It moved competitive intelligence from a position on the periphery of strategic management literature, where it was regarded as a mere activity, to an integral practice of strategy to be recognised by strategy scholars and worthy of further research.

Competitive intelligence practice in liquor retailing: evidence from a longitudinal case analysis

“…Competitive Intelligence (CI) has been seen as a crucial tool that enables organizations to make beneficial strategic decisions (Samat et al, 2018), since it helps them to detect the potential threats and opportunities in the market (Dishman and Calof, 2008;Muñoz-Cañavate, and Alves-Albero, 2017;Strauss and du Toit, 2010;Zha and Chen, 2009), and thus to have better performance than their competitors. Therefore, it becomes a necessity for the strategic management process and planning (Maritz and du Toit, 2018). Especially in today's globalized, dynamic, uncertain and vulnerable environment, well-planned and -executed CI can be the differentiating factor in the marketplace (Johns and Van Doren, 2010;Talaoui and Rabetino, 2017).…”

Competitive Intelligence and Strategy Formulation: an Evaluation from the Game Theoretical Perspective

“…Strateji ve rekabet istihbaratı birbirinden ayrılmaz biçimde içiçe geçmektedir. Rekabet istihbaratı sadece, geniş anlamda bir stratejik yönetim süreci içerisinde bir faaliyet veya faaliyetler dizisi değil, aynı zamanda önemli bir stratejik uygulamadır (Maritz ve Du Toit, 2018). Rekabet istihbaratı sürecinde sağlanan bilgi ve veriler, bu süreci strateji oluşturma ve uygulamanın önemli bir parçası haline getirmektedir.…”

Determinants of Innovative Performance: The Case of an Emerging Country SMEs

“…The CI's utilization can also help the organization understand how competitors build their exclusive capabilities and assets, access competitors' ability to duplicate others and assess bundle resources to create value to the stakeholders uniquely. One important aspect of CI is that it is an integral practice within the strategy (Maritz and du Toit, 2018). This strongly suggests that CI status as a rent-producing asset can be proven in many ways.…”