strategic red team consulting - an introduction to intelligence preparation of the corporate...

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An introduction to ……

Intelligence Preparation of the Corporate Battlefield


A commercial hybrid of long established and proven military practices:

iCASA (Integrated Complex Adaptive Systems Analysis)

PEMSI Environmental Scanning

JATM (Joint Attack Targeting Methodology)


Competitive Targeting – a fundamental precursor to effective mission analysis

• This has to be more than a SWOT. SWOTs simply don’t cut it. Same thing with non-comparative environment scans. If you are going to gin up a plan – having an understanding of the High Value Targets and possible High Payoff Targets would be a good thing to have in the first place.

• In the military, at tactical levels we call this IPB (intelligence preparation of the battlefield) and STA (Strategic Target Analysis) at higher levels. At all levels its an attack and defence matrix or template.

• We separate the strategic environment into 6 specific and equitable domains:

• Command / Lead• Sense• Act• Shield• Sustain• Generate

• Remember: It has to be attackable or defendable!


• These are equitable domains:• Lead• Sense• Act• Shield• Sustain• Generate

• To be successful on any battlefield (military, business or otherwise) you must perform equitably (not equally, but equitably) in each of these strategic domains. Failure in any specific domain results in strategic failure regardless of how successful you are in the others.



The Strategic Functional Domains

…you have to operate equitably in each of these areas to be strategically relevant!

• Lead: The inspirational, creative and purposeful knowledge-based exercise of legitimate corporate leadership, authority, responsibility and accountability to define missions, execute plans, expend resources, maintain standards, and control activities.

• Sense: The proactive integrated acquisition and aligned processing of information (both internal and external) to enable corporate leadership and managerial authorities to understand the characteristics and conditions of their operating environment in order to enable knowledge-based decision making, or to enable organizational learning by all members of the team.

• Act: The aligned, integrated, coordinated and managed execution of development, operation, production and delivery capabilities in the pursuit of the end state.

• Shield: The comprehensive aligned and integrated risk management dedicated to the protection of tangible and intangible corporate elements and interests through the integrating activities of detection, assessment, warning, defence (active and passive), and recovery.

• Sustain: The aligned, integrated, coordinated and managed provisioning of all support services required to maintain prolonged routine and contingency operations.

• Generate: The aligned, integrated and coordinated activities by which the organization recruits, trains and develops personnel and conceives, designs and builds new processes, products, technologies, services and markets to meet the corporate end state and mission.


• Next, we populate a series of Strategic Attributes for each of those domains that are customized to the nature of the operation and your particular corporate battlefield.

• The example shows some of the more popular attributes common to most businesses or defence and security institutions.

• The key to selecting these is that they are attackable and can represent a distinct competitive advantage to you or your opposition!




• Next, we rate and score each of the attributes / competencies.

• For detailed analyses, we can rate each attribute on how well you Shape, Unify and Operate.

• SHAPE: The condition whereby an organization can proactively react or adapt to change with informed intent, refined mission, aligned purpose and integrated action.

• UNIFY: The condition whereby an organization can effectively lead, communicate and manage with unity of thought, purpose and action towards mission success.

• OPERATE: The condition whereby an organization can execute and sustain its operations with informed intent, maintained mission, aligned purpose and integrated action.

• As an example, your competition may be great at Operating but may be poor at Shaping / Reacting to change.


• Plot your “friendly forces” and establish your strengths and weaknesses


• Plot your “Opposing Forces” and establish their strengths and weaknesses


• You can have multiple “Opposing Forces” or “Opposing Environments”


• Overlay the two! Where are the real opportunitiesand threats?

A strength or a weakness is only an opportunity or threat when have you something to compare it against.


• Establish your possible high payoff targets & critical intelligence requirements

Congratulations! You’ve just reverse engineered how Apple walloped RIM starting in 2008

So, if you were a CEO, what would you do with this kind of information?

What would your competitors do with it?

• INTEGRATED?• COMPREHENSIVE?• ADAPTIVE?• NETWORKED?


• Establish your possible high payoff targets & critical intelligence requirements

This information is critical to your mission analysis

Its fundamental to disciplining the boundaries and objectives of your strategy or plan

It answers the basic questions about what must be attacked and defended

AND THIS IS THE PART THAT MOST GET WRONG BEFORE DOING THEIR MISSION ANALYSIS

It defines your and your opponent’s strategic centre of gravity


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strategic red team consulting - an introduction to intelligence preparation of the corporate...

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