The players are on the board and the territories are outlined. In what may seem like a massive game of “Risk,” today’s top companies must develop business strategies, anticipate what competitors will do and decide when and how to act. In such an environment, it’s no wonder that about 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies have employees dedicated to competitive intelligence.
At the forefront of this strategic practice is Marriott School Professor Paul Dishman. The Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals recently honored him with their 2005 Fellows Award for his outstanding contributions to SCIP and the field of competitive intelligence. Dishman is one of only three award recipients this year.
Competitive intelligence is a system for gathering, analyzing, and managing external information to increase a company’s competitiveness. It involves surveying the market landscape and studying competitors so a company can make informed decisions and prepare for changes that might affect operations.
“The key to a competitive intelligence process is to know long before you’re surprised,” says Dishman, who teaches CI courses to both graduates and undergraduates. “I want to train every manager who goes through our program to be aware of the CI process and to use it.”
Dishman’s excellence in the field of competitive intelligence qualified him for the SCIP Fellows Award. Candidates may come from any field—including academia, business and government—but must have completed five years recognized service to SCIP.
Dishman served as president of the SCIP Board of Directors for two terms and has helped in other capacities. Additionally, he has published numerous articles on competitive intelligence and frequently presents on the topic to professional organizations.
“Paul guided SCIP through challenging times and is considered by practitioners and academics in the field of CI to be a global thought leader in the field of competitive intelligence,” says Alexander T. Graham, executive director of SCIP. “He is also known for his compassion and decency—two attributes which truly define a leader.”
Dishman will be recognized with the Fellows Award at SCIP’s annual conference April 6–9, 2005, in Chicago.
The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems, organizational behavior and entrepreneurship. The school’s mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School’s graduate and undergraduate programs.
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Writer: Sarah Chamberlin (801) 422-1152
