01 Competitive Intelligence
Competitive Intelligence
Turn external noise into board-ready intelligence your team can defend.
Register your interest- Duration
- Half day to 2 days
- Delivery
- On-site or online
- Group size
- Up to ~20
- Languages
- Czech or English
- Location
- Across Europe (in-house)
- Investment
- Quote on request
Who this is for
Most teams collect plenty of information yet still can't answer the question leadership actually asked. This workshop closes the gap between data and decision: we build an intelligence cycle around the choices your organization faces, so CI gets used in the room, not filed after it. It's for strategy, innovation and product teams, and anyone standing up or restarting a CI function. No prior background needed.
Key takeaways
- Run the full intelligence cycle, from KIT/KIQ to a delivered brief.
- Translate a leadership decision into answerable intelligence questions.
- Build a balanced source mix across open, human and technical sources.
- Spot and triage weak signals before they reach the mainstream.
- Write a one-page brief executives actually read and act on.
- Stand up a CI function without buying expensive tooling first.
What we cover
- 01
Intelligence cycle & mindset
The CI lifecycle, where teams break it, intelligence thinking vs. information literacy, and the ethical and legal line.
- 02
KIT / KIQ design
Turning leadership decisions into Key Intelligence Topics and Questions that scope the work.
- 03
Source mix & collection
Balancing open (OSINT), human and technical sources; AI-driven semantic search and monitoring.
- 04
Weak signals & analysis
Capturing and triaging weak signals and wildcards; hypothesis-led analysis over data theater.
- 05
The one-page brief (capstone)
Packaging findings into a defensible brief with a clear chain of evidence; team exercise.
Tools we use
How it's taught
Built on adult-learning design: short focused blocks (micro-learning sprints), real sector cases and a team capstone, so the method transfers to your own desk the next day.
About your lecturer
Jan Černý
Researcher & consultant, Competitive & Technology Intelligence
Jan Černý holds a Ph.D. in applied informatics (Prague University of Economics and Business) and a PhDr. in information science (Charles University). He has spent fifteen-plus years advising strategy, innovation and IP teams on competitive and technology intelligence, technology scouting and applied AI, and researches the same subjects academically, publishing in venues such as The Electronic Library, Review of Managerial Science, the Journal of Information Warfare and Online Information Review.
See research & publications- Ph.D., Applied Informatics, Prague University of Economics and Business
- PhDr., Information Science, Charles University
- 15+ years advising strategy, innovation and IP teams
- Peer-reviewed author in CI, OSINT, patent analytics and applied AI
- Delivered with the National Library and the Czech and Slovak Ministries of the Interior
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is Competitive Intelligence, and is it legal?
Competitive Intelligence is the systematic, ethical gathering and analysis of information about the competitive and market environment to support decisions. It works from publicly available and open sources, not espionage. The discipline's professional body, SCIP (Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals), codifies this ethical standard. See also Černý & Potančok, Cogent Education (2023).
How is CI different from market research?
Market research mostly describes the market; CI is decision-driven and forward-looking, organized around specific leadership questions (KIT/KIQ) and often anticipatory through weak signals. Peer-reviewed work frames CI as a dynamic capability that builds organizational resilience under hypercompetition (Černý, Potančok, Novotný et al., Review of Managerial Science, 2026).
Does CI actually improve performance?
Evidence links a mature CI capability to organizational resilience and dynamic capabilities, the ability to sense, seize and reconfigure under fast-moving competition (Černý et al., Review of Managerial Science, 2026, DOI 10.1007/s11846-025-00966-y).
Do we need expensive tools to start?
No. We start with method and free or open sources; tooling follows the questions. Open data and search data alone can drive credible CI analysis (Černý, Potančok & Molnár, Journal of Intelligence Studies in Business, 2019).
Who should attend?
Strategy, innovation and product teams, plus anyone establishing or restarting a CI function. The content is tailored to the group's level, from an introduction to advanced applied practice; no prior CI background is required.
Online or in person, and in which language?
Both. In-person works best for the hands-on capstone; shorter modules also run online. Delivery is in Czech or English, in-house across Europe.
Register your interest
Tell me which track fits and a bit about your team, and I'll reply within 48 hours with formats, dates and a tailored quote.
- jan@cerny.ai
- Phone
- +420 773 482 560
Typical response: within 48 hours.
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