Although Arab Revolution is a great story, in a sense I would like to invite you to change sides. Due to the so called asymmetric warfare finding the enemy has become a more complex task than in former conventional wars. Clear and reliable targeting requires quite difficult operation procedures, particularly extensive use of intelligence analysis, while insurgents are aware of the aphorism of Mao Zedong: "The guerilla must swim in the people like the fish swims in the see." Not only using "hit and run" tactics and operating from safe houses and hiding places, the general and vital precondition for sustainable success of terroristic groups and insurgents is collective action and therefore the communication and coordination via clandestine networks.
Therefore you can find a certain relation between intelligence analysis in the military and SNA in the business world. Also in the business world recognizing personal relationships and their impact on the community of all stakeholders has become a more complex task due to the digital revolution and its social media. As the military has to understand enemies' SOP, business leaders have to disclose unwritten rules and hidden social networks, that have an impact on employees behavior, not to beat the enemy, but to improve communication, the capability to be innovative, and the willingness to change.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
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This is an informative and thoughtful post. The great thing about being in the SNA field (if you can call it that--lots of discussion amongst practitioners as to naming it) is that you find examples from other disciplines that fit your own. At Fletcher, we have CIA analysts working alongside political scientists, for example.
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