Strategy professionals take on the energy drink industry

PRLog (Press Release) - May 19, 2011 - Business war games are not about war; they’re about learning. You need to know how people think and behave because in real life you’re not up against spreadsheets or PowerPoint -- you’re up against people. Working in teams, experienced intelligence professionals stress-tested their strategies for the companies they role-played in a fast-paced, challenging war game.

Workshop leader Ben Gilad (Chair of the Academy of Competitive Intelligence) along with workshop facilitators from leading intelligence consulting firms -- Leonard Fuld (President, Fuld & Company), Erik Glitman (CEO, Fletcher CSI), David Kalinowski (President and COO, Proactive Worldwide) and Ken Sawka (Managing Partner, Outward Insights) -- led a veteran group of 44 senior intelligence professionals from many industries and countries in a full-day war-game where four teams battled to create the optimum strategy for players in the energy drink industry.

“When I ran my first war game back in 1991” said Ben Gilad, the author of Business War Games “there was no methodology to fall back on. So, I created the one that everyone uses today. After 20 years of running war games in every imaginable industry, I learned one thing – it is not about the methodology! It is about the competitive intelligence manager. The game I created for SCIP this year was all about showing the intelligence managers what personal characteristics and behaviors are truly important in running these games successfully.  I expect that those following my teaching closely will make VP in 5 years. If they do not, they should ask SCIP for a refund.”

“Being involved with SCIP for over two decades, I believe this wargaming workshop was one of the most engaging, interactive and energetic sessions that SCIP has produced for competitive intelligence veterans,” added David Kalinowski. “The passion displayed by the workshop leader, its facilitators and all of the participants resulted in an outstanding educational and entertaining experience.  The takeaways will most certainly assist the participating veteran SCIP members to better understand what elements are essential to run their own war game successfully. It was a privilege to be part of this event and I enthusiastically welcome the opportunity to facilitate additional SCIP programs.”

Participants received pre-conference briefings from the workshop facilitators, and Ben Gilad provided the strategy frameworks applied in a war game, which included reviewing the core principles of superior strategy formulation, and the diagnostics to determine if the strategy is defensible.  In separate break-outs the teams (representing Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle, and Rockstar), assisted by the workshop facilitators, analyzed their companies’ current positions and developed strategies for the near future. At the end of the day, each team defended their strategies before the group and a panel of judges.

“The war game session at SCIP gave participants a firsthand, real world experience in the design, development, and execution of a strategic planning tool,” commented Eric Glitman. “Using well-prepared briefing books on the competitors and sophisticated analysis tools, participants could anticipate how a company would react in the marketplace and build strategy for their company. At the conclusion of the session, it was clear that not only had all the participants had a true learning experience, they had had a fun time interacting with team members and the other teams. This was one of the best sessions at SCIP.”

"The workshop was a success on all fronts,” according to Ken Sawka.  “Participants were able to experience the look and feel of a wargaming exercise in a safe and fun environment, and I believe the learning experience was invaluable.  I look forward to helping to facilitate similar workshops with SCIP in the future."

“I have run many war games around the world and this one truly caught the spirit of this ‘high-energy’ industry,” added Leonard Fuld. “Not only did participants experience a war game but they also anticipated the next moves these rivals will have to make in the coming years.  In the end, this was more than a game; it yielded great insight.”

SCIP will continue to develop focused workshops for veteran competitive intelligence practitioners at its annual conference in 2012. This year we will add the “Wargaming for Veterans” workshop to our upcoming European conference held 8-10 November at the Austria Centre, Vienna. The call for proposals for this conference is currently open (see www.scip.org)

About Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP)

With members in over 70 countries, SCIP (formerly the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals) is a 3000-member global nonprofit membership organization for everyone involved in creating and managing strategic and competitive intelligence. Education and training have been a critical component of SCIP’s member services since the society’ founding in 1986. Many SCIP members have backgrounds in market research, strategic analysis, or science and technology. www.scip.org .

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SCIP is a global non-profit membership organization providing education and networking opportunities for business professionals working in the rapidly growing field of competitive intelligence. Started in 1986, today SCIP has members in 70+ countries.