CIP-III Advanced Certificate A Step Above

Day 1 May 2, 2023

Using Cognitive Biases to Drive Your CI Message
Ben Gilad
Morning 9:00 am – 12:30 pm EST

Most of you know about cognitive biases. We are told they are bad, distort decisions and affect judgments. But they are used extensively in marketing, advertising and government policies to affect behavior. And if they are used to enhance the acceptance of competitive intelligence in an organization, this is much more beneficial than delivering a message/report no one wants to hear, which is therefore ignored. In this course, Ben will explore how Nudge theory can help us deliver important messages to management, and more broadly, how to use management’s cognitive biases when delivering reports and making our recommendations as competition analysts.

What will be covered:

• How framing information can induce mental paralysis
• Confirmatory traps and how to use them
• Putting prospect theory to use
• Using Nudge elements to persuade management to act
• The most relevant 5-6 empirically-proven biases and what they signal about decisions to come
• Sharing experiences and examples of exploiting management biases

Unlike Ben’s other courses, this course is based on experimental psychology, not economic principles, and therefore doesn’t have the same applicability to all situations and every attendee in the same way. Still, the concepts introduced may lay dormant in you for a while, and then, boom, you find a window of opportunity to use them.

“Most people are biased, but I am not.” (former CEO, Fortune 500)

The Practical Application of Tying It All Together – Cognitive Biases in a Real-World Case Study
Jay Nakagawa – Dell Technologies
Afternoon 1:15 pm – 5:00 pm EST

Abstract/Objectives:

This case study will involve a real-world example – none of the names are changed (because nobody is innocent). This case example will tie together principles learned in CIP-I and II with topics presented by Ben in the Cognitive Biases session, including seeing how framing and nudging were applied in the situation to create highly competitive differences to beat an industry leader in 18 months. Putting theory into practice can often be challenging but through the use of this real example, attendees will experience how to drive change and alter market dynamics to the firm’s advantage. Participants will participate in analysis and role-playing as part of the process.

What will be covered (real life example):

• Situational analysis and why selecting the right one matters
• Porter’s Competitive Strategy applied
• Why the obvious solution is often missed in the name of creativity
• How nudging executives works with the right framing (context)

Day 2 May 3, 2023

Competitive Strategy & Competitive Intelligence – How to Play the Right Game and Win in a Changing World
Heather Hallenbeck – Genesys
9:30 am – 3:30 pm EST

Competition analysts are no longer passive information providers of the past. CIPs are playing increasing role in advising decision makers about best moves in a competitive arena. Are you ready to play a way more impactful role?

Competition is changing. Disruption is here to stay. Rivalry is shifting from well-defined Industries to Ecosystems. Competitors are coming from new directions and pursuing different business goals than your traditional rivals. Are you prepared? This course will introduce you to competitive frameworks and strategies to understand disruption and the dynamics of participating in ecosystems.

“Successful business strategy is about actively shaping the game you play, not just playing the game you find.”*

In this course you will learn how to stress test the impact of competitive moves using applied game theory to ensure you can guide your company to identify and pursue their best options by learning:

• Who are Platform Players and how do they conquer and transform Traditional Industries and what we can learn from Real World Disruption examples
• Understanding the Dynamics of Competition in the World of Platforms
• Determine what the emerging competitive environment will likely hold and how to prosper by identifying new opportunities and potential threats
• Use Game Theory Techniques to Analyze your Competition to Make your Best Move
• How do you play Defense? How do you go on the Offensive?
• How do you assess Partnering and Competing with key Players in your Ecosystem?
• Learn to make Actionable Strategic Recommendations that enable your Company to outmaneuver your Competition

*Quote from Adam Brandenburger and Barry Nalebuff

Day 3 May 11, 2023

Driving competitive relevance through VUCA events (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity)
Leo Boulton – Zoom
9:30 am – 2:00 pm EST

The COVID-19 pandemic is arguably the greatest global challenge we’ve faced in nearly a century. All four characteristics of VUCA events are present during this coronavirus pandemic: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.  There is no “best practice” to follow these challenges, but the competitive landscape is still there. Learn how to adjust to such “low control” situations, and capitalize on them to drive change with decision makers.

VUCA events can be described as difficult situations and conditions, often external and without control, applied to the workplace. They could impact all or some levels of the organization, in unexpected ways, for an undetermined of time.

Expect this course to cover:

• What is a VUCA event and how they affect you and others?
• Identify options for capitalizing on the situation to improve our competitive position.
• Techniques to identify, analyze, and operate during a VUCA situation.
• Discuss effective ways to drive value to constituents and decision makers, in such times. Avoid becoming a Cassandra.
• Thinking beyond resolution time when the VUCA conditions dissipate.

This half-day course will heavily leverage experiences and techniques applied during the Covid-19 pandemic as a real-life example of a VUCA event. This includes the acceleration of the hybrid workplace, the rise of virtual events, and the rise of the CHRO as an important constituent to Competitive Intelligence practitioners. It will also combine hypothetical situations with a workshop format, in a highly interactive format.

Day 4 May 12, 2023

Using Competitive Intelligence to Fuel Futurism
Meghan Dewitt Suritz – Memorial Sloan Kettering
9:30 am – 3:30 pm EST

The practice of futurism requires the integration of traditional market research, competitive intelligence, and strategy. This multi-department approach often leads to a vacuum in futurism leadership and thinking. This makes it is all too easy for organizations to fall prey to short-termism, while neglecting longer-term strategic challenges and opportunities. This course will position competitive intelligence as the natural driver of futurism in an organization and help you develop the skills to do it successfully.

Before we go any farther, let’s bust one futurism myth: “Futurism” does not require you to be looking 15+ years into the future. The mindset, and tools, of futurism can be used over any time frame that’s long enough to include uncertainty – and in today’s world, that could be as little as a few months.

In this course you will:

• Learn a variety of futurism tools and frameworks
• Practice applying them to real world situations
• Discuss the various ways in which futurism work can fuel strategic choices as well as future CI initiatives
• Share best practices on communicating with, and influencing stakeholders, in context of the unique challenge that is futurism

If you’re wondering whether futurism should really be part of your CI portfolio – it should! The impact of insights focused on today will always be limited to operation and execution – if you want to influence strategy you must develop insights about the future.

Registration