Knowledge Management in the Intelligence Enterprise

by Edward Waltz

If you are responsible for the management of an intelligence enterprise operation and its timely and accurate delivery of reliable intelligence to key decision-makers, this book is must reading. It is the first easy-to-understand, system-level book that specifically applies knowledge management principles, practices and technologies to the intelligence domain. The book describes the essential principles of intelligence, from collection, processing and analysis, to dissemination for both national intelligence and business applications. This unique resource provides a balanced treatment of the organizational and architectural components of knowledge management, offering a clear understanding of the system infrastructure, tools and technologies necessary to implement the intelligence enterprise. You explore real-world applications and get a detailed example of competitive intelligence unit design. Including over 80 illustrations, the book offers a highly practical description of enterprise architecture design methodology, and covers the full range of national, military, business and competitive intelligence.

374 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2003

Reviews

[Stingray · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Knowledge Management in the Intelligence Enterprise“ by Edward Waltz provides a comprehensive and detailed description of how the intelligence process is conducted within an organization and how knowledge management needs to be set up to support it effectively.

Waltz designed his book not as a step by step guide but as a general handbook providing definitions and detailing relations between roles, functions and organizations. He starts out by defining what intelligence work means how it relates to knowledge management. A more detailed description of the intelligence organization makes clear Waltz mainly addresses nation state intelligence organization although the framework he describes can be applied to private intelligence providers as well. Instead of just describing technical or organizational requirements and processes for knowledge management Waltz dives deeper into the socialization, training and mind set of employees to enable and foster learning, collaboration and problem solving. From the processes and practices of intelligence analysis and synthesis he derives how and where knowledge management processes need to be included to be effective. He finally talks about the integration of intelligence and knowledge management processes and the organizational architecture, providing a case study of a business intelligence organization. The final chapter on technology in knowledge management shows its vital function but also subordinate role in relation to processes, mind set and architecture, as technology is changing fast but can only be exploited in the limits set by the factors stated.

This handbook is professionally written as a reference and as such divided into small chapters, easily accessible and well designed with pointed definitions and graphics. Nevertheless this is no easy read but rather a handbook to study and takes time to take in. The average reader may find it overwhelming or confusing. The target group for the author is clearly the professional practitioner of intelligence or knowledge management who will thus have a better understanding of terms and relations than an average reader struggling the masses of information provided.

In summary professionals working in this field will have an easily accessible handbook for reference, whereas the average reader may only find a convoluted gathering of terms and processes.

[TK Keanini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Edward Waltz is a very creative thinker and have read most of what he has published on information technology and security. Lots of very practical sections in this book.

There is a section on abductive reasoning which I had never seen in anyones work other then Gregory Bateson.