Adeline du Toit

Level of maturity of the competitive intelligence function: Case study of a retail bank in South Africa

Purpose – While competitive intelligence (CI) is a relatively new business discipline, it is evolving in complexity and importance, to maintain pace with rapid business development. It is the aim of this paper to establish the level of maturity of the CI function within a South African retail bank based on key characteristics for different levels of maturity.Design/methodology/approach – The research for the paper is based on an extensive review of literature and application of the grounded theory research approach. Grounded theory is more interested in theory building than theory testing, which makes it eminently suitable for areas of research to which little attention had been paid and in which little exploration had taken place. For the empirical evidence, a survey was conducted among a pre‐selected group of respondents of a South African retail bank by means of a questionnaire and personal interviews.Findings – The results of the survey indicated that the CI function was at a mid‐level of maturity, af...

Academics Leave Your Ivory Tower: Form Communities of Practice.

Institutions of higher education (HE), public and private, are moving through a crisis period of tapped‐out states, funding cuts, tuition increases and layoffs. It makes good sense to rise to meet these new realities with new ways of doing things, and the places that succeed will be the ones that do. A holistic approach is necessary whereby excellence in teaching and learning as well as research should be the ultimate aim. Among the various ways to achieve this, is the promotion of communities of practices (CoPs) among the academics. Therefore, CoPs are to be seen as an “extension” of any programme to achieve excellence, because as it has been shown it is the sharing of the tacit knowledge that makes the difference in any organisation in its pursuit for a competitive advantage. An HE institution should be considered to be at a greater advantage than any other non‐academic organisation since each staff member is a knowledge worker whose mission is to transmit, create and incorporate new knowledge to the existing knowledge. This paper looks at the possible reasons preventing academics from participating in a CoP. It will be shown that CoPs can play a very important role in a university set‐up.

Training competitive intelligence analysts via the web : The university of Johannesburg experience

Internet and Web-based hardware and software are being developed and supported on an international scale. The Department of Information and Knowledge Management at the University of Johannesburg, in cooperation with IBIS Business and Information Services, presented the first-ever course in South Africa on competitive intelligence analysis in 2003. The short course in Strategic Competitive Analysis is described as an example of a successful Web-based distance learning programme.

Sharing Knowledge in Universities: Communities of Practice the Answer?.

The change from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy forced many organizations to change their modus operandi if they were going to survive in a sustainable way. The introduction of communities of practice (CoPs) by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger shed new light on knowledge sharing and dissemination of information. Sharing, interacting, actively participating, collaborating and learning from one another become the central activities in a knowledge society. CoPs are everywhere. We all belong to a number of them – at work, at school, universities, at home and in our hobbies. In this sense everyone has experienced a CoP so it can be considered a common experience. Some have a name, some do not. We are core members of some and we belong to others more peripherally. CoPs are informal, naturally occurring, spontaneously evolving groups and the sense of community comes from defining them in terms of practice. A survey was conducted amongst academics in the Faculty of Management, University of Johannesburg,...

Factors that Influence South African Knowledge Worker Behaviour/Les facteurs influençant le comportement des travailleurs du savoir en Afrique du Sud

Organizations now rely on knowledge workers to take responsibility for their own career development. The demand for knowledge workers is on the increase, yet little is known with regard to their career perceptions and attitudes. This article focuses on exploring the issues and factors affecting the career development of South African knowledge workers. Specialization and dual career ladders are required to ensure that the knowledge residing in the minds of knowledge workers is not lost. A survey was conducted to determine career development opportunities for knowledge workers in South Africa. The results revealed that knowledge workers are motivated through traditional means such as money, awards, and recognition, but place less emphasis on temporary assignments and mentoring than their counterparts from other countries. Organizations should leverage the knowledge contained in the minds of their knowledge workers to create a sustainable, competitive advantage.