How Successful Companies Create and Develop a High-Value CI Function to Drive Better Business Decisions

This report includes the findings from benchmarking the Competitive Intelligence function at 32 companies in the bio-pharmaceutical industry. It includes metrics and insights that CI leaders can use to evaluate their functions, increase the value of deliverables, and generate greater influence among their stakeholders.

Included in the report are benchmarks for the size, cost, scope, structure, tools, activities, and best practices that drive effectiveness in high-performing CI organizations. This report also identifies 10 Hallmarks of Competitive Intelligence Excellence and presents insights from interviews with veteran CI leaders on how to evolve the CI role from data gathering to providing strategic advice to decision makers.

Best Practices, LLC conducted this study to identify best practices and innovative methods for improving the strategic role and impact of the Competitive Intelligence function within the pharmaceutical and related industries. The study provides health care industry and CI leaders with metrics and insights they can use to increase the value of their function and generate greater influence within the corporation.

Study Snapshot

Thirty-five Competitive Intelligence leaders from 32 companies in the healthcare industry participated in this benchmarking study. Participants represented small, midcap and large biopharmaceutical and medical device companies. Seventy percent work in U.S. locations. The Key topics in this study include:

• Sources & Activities
  • Key primary & secondary research activities
  • When to use primary sources
  • CI source effectiveness
  • CI from social media & internal employees
  • Most effective activities
  • Percentage of work that is analysis
• Budget & FTE Levels
• Uses of Third Party Vendors
• Top 5 CI Employee Skills
• CI Evolution & Trends
• Structure & Leadership
• Best Practices & Lessons Learned

• Use of Advisory Boards to Collect CI Is Shrinking: The use of Ad Boards is down significantly from previous BPLLC studies, where as many as 90% of respondents engaged them to gather intelligence. In this study, only 52% collect intelligence from advisory boards, and only 21% find them highly effective for primary research.

• Experienced CI leaders stress the evolving nature of a new CI function: Their advice for short- and long-term success ranges from the physical proximity of CI to its internal customers, to desirable skill sets for employees, to optimal percentage of primary vs. secondary research.

• Research Objectives & Methodology
• Participating Companies
• Key Findings & Insights
• Hallmarks of Excellence in Competitive Intelligence
• Section 1: Key CI Sources, Activities & Deliverables
  • 1A. Sources
  • 1B. Activities & Deliverables
• Section 2: Use of Third Party CI Vendors
• Section 3: CI Resources, Structure & Operations, Functional Evolution
  • 3A. Resources
  • 3B. Structure & Operations
  • 3C. Functional Evolution & Influence
• Section 4: Best Practices & Lessons Learned