Human Intelligence Operations – Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals

I will be giving a keynote lecture at the Puget Sound Chapter Meeting of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals. Details are noted below. I look forward to seeing you there…[LINK]

Thursday, October 16, 2008 - 4:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Genie Industries, Redmond, WA

This meeting is open to Non-Members as well as SCIP Members!

Program Description
Based on his recent book, Managing Knowledge Security: Strategies for Protecting Your Company's Intellectual Assets (Kogan Page, 2007), Desouza will describe how human intelligence operations are conducted to ascertain competitive intelligence. Warning his audience of business practitioners that most organizations fail to understand that their core resources intellectual assets are constantly under attack, and that protecting these resources is as important as any other part of the strategic agenda.

Desouza, gives advice on how to recognize dangers of human and technological breaches, hazards of outsourcing and business alliances, implementation of breach prevention measures, and the necessity of working with disaster scenarios. He illustrates his advice with cases from his personal experience working in the fields of competitive intelligence, knowledge management, crisis management, and security operations.

About the Speaker
Dr. Kevin C. Desouza is on the faculty of the Information School at the University of Washington. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Electrical Engineering at the College of Engineering. He currently serves as the Director of the Institute for Innovation in Information Management (I3M) and is an affiliate faculty member of the Center for American Politics and Public Policy, both housed at the University of Washington. He founded the Institute for National Security Education and Research, an inter-disciplinary, university-wide initiative, in August 2006 and served as its Director until February 2008. He has held visiting positions at the Center for International Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier (GSCM) Business School in France, and the Accenture Institute for High Business Performance in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA). In the private sector, he founded the Engaged Enterprise and its think-tank, the Institute for Engaged Business Research. The Engaged Enterprise was a global strategy consulting firm with expertise in the areas of knowledge management, crisis management, strategic deployment of information systems, and government and competitive intelligence assignments.

Book Signing
Dr. Kevin Desouza will be available for a book signing before and after the program. At the meeting there will be a limited supply of Dr. Kevin Desouza's book Managing Knowledge Security: Strategies for Protecting Your Company's Intellectual Assets. The books will be sold at a discounted price of $50 (cash only). The book is also available through Amazon and other retailers for about $65. Please reserve your book for cash only sales as there is a limited supply. Otherwise, please purchase your book prior to the meeting if you would like an autograph.

Location & Parking
Genie Industries, Inc.
18640 NE 67th Ct., Bldg. 18
Redmond, WA 98052
There is a large lot available for parking by the Genie building.

Registration Fees
SCIP Member - $30.00
Non-Member - $35.00
Non-SCIP Student Member - $20.00 (Please contact Dionedra Dorsey for details)
(Amex, Visa, MC accepted via the web) (Amex, Visa MC, Check or Cash accepted on site)
It is very much appreciated if you register in advance so that we make sure to have adequate space and food & beverage.

Directions
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=18650+NE+67th+Ct.,+Redm

Agenda
4:30pm - 5:30pm - Registration, Networking, Food & Beverage
5:30 pm - 6:30pm - Presentation
6:30pm - 7:00pm - Q&A, Networking

Contact Information
Deborah Trainor, Puget Sound Chapter Chair Deborah.Trainor@terex.com, (425) 498-7522.
Dionedra Dorsey, Chapter Relations Coordinator ddorsey@scip.org 703.739.0696
x111.

Interviewed for article in Federal Computer Week - Army Retools Knowledge Culture

I was interviewed for an article in the current issue (Sept 8, 2008) of Federal Computer Week. The article, “Army Retools Knowledge Culture”, by Brian Robinson can be found here [LINK].

A few quotes from the article:

• "Desouza proposed a four-step process to put the guidelines to use:
  - Outline clear processes and technologies to achieve them. - Create a management model to guide how these processes and technologies will be implemented. - Produce evaluation criteria to gauge performance. - Educate Army personnel on all of this. "


• "Moreover, in the Army, like most other branches [of the government], having things in writing and clearly publishing them gives them more credibility."
  
• "Desouza placed it in the top 5 percent of all government organizations for its expertise and in the top 15 percent across government and the private sector."
  

See below for my research papers that examine knowledge management programs of defense organizations:

• Desouza, K.C., and Vanapalli, G.K. “Securing Knowledge in Organizations: Lessons from the Defense and Intelligence Sectors,” International Journal of Information Management, 25 (1), 2005, 85-98. [LINK]
  
• Lausin, A., Desouza, K.C., and Kraft, G.D. “Knowledge Management in the US Army,” Knowledge and Process Management, 10 (4), 2003, 218-230. [LINK]
  

I am currently working on a paper which examines the information and knowledge management challenges in the US Intelligence Community.

Securing Intellectual Assets: Integrating the Knowledge and Innovation Dimensions

I have a new paper accepted for publication - Securing Intellectual Assets: Integrating the Knowledge and Innovation Dimensions. The paper will appear in a special issue on Management of Security Technology and Policy, International Journal of Technology Management

The concept of intellectual asset security has received widespread attention in recent times. Much of this attention can be attributed to the fact that knowledge assets can be used to secure competitive advantages for organizations. Moreover, one might assert that in today’s knowledge-based economies and markets, it is these assets that truly differentiate organizations and are the only true source of sustainable competitive advantages. In order to have a robust program for managing intellectual assets, an organization must account for its knowledge management and innovation processes. In this paper, drawing on (1) a semiotic-based model for knowledge management (Desouza, 2006), and (2) an organizational process of innovation (Desouza et al., 2006), I describe an integrated process framework for the management of intellectual assets. The framework is then used to describe salient security management challenges faced when managing intellectual assets. Executives involved in security management programs in 23 organizations were interviewed to elicit key security management challenges faced by organizations when addressing intellectual assets.

My reflections on South Africa Featured on Brand South Africa Blog

My post on reflections from South Africa is featured on the Brand South Africa Blog.

Very Interesting!!!

http://www.brandsouthafricablog.com/

SA Magic Makes Another Believer

September 2nd, 2008

Kevin Desouza, an Assistant Professor in the Information School at the University of Washington, and blogger, has just wrapped up a stint as a visiting professor at the University of Witwatersrand. Here are his impressions. Be sure to read the section on what he learnt in SA.

Leaving on a Jet Plane - Reflections on South Africa

I am about to leave Johannesburg, South Africa for Frankfurt, Germany. Several people have emailed me during my stay in South Africa curious about my experiences here. I promised many of you that I would write a reflection on my stay here. So, here it is…

I have had the privilege of living in this wonderful country for about 2 months. To put things in perspective, even though my travels have taken me to over 25 countries, I have only stayed in 2 other countries (Qatar and the USA) for 2 months consecutively. So, South Africa has been home away from home. About 90% of my time was spent in, and around, Johannesburg. Of the remaining time, about 8%, was spent in Cape Town and 2% in places such as Pilanesberg (the Game Reserve), Pretoria, etc. While in Johannesburg, I stayed in the Melville area, and was a visiting professor at the Department of Information Systems, School of Economic and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand.

Here is a bullet-point summary of highlights and recommendations:

• South Africa is a humble, warm, and friendly country.
• The city of Johannesburg is a world-class city. People are extremely friendly, great food, and excellent nightlife (especially in the Melville area!)
• Cape Town is a beautiful and tranquil city.
• South Africa has some of the best nature and game reserves in the world (a must see!)

Best things to do in Johannesburg

• Stay in the Melville area (you will find everything in arms reach, food, pubs, nightlife, malls, universities, bookshops….)
• Take a day trip to see the Soweto township (while there, visit the Madenla’s House in Orlando, Regina Mundi Catholic Church, and the Hector Pieterson Memorial Museum)
• Visit the apartheid museum (a very moving experience), Museum Africa, South African Breweries –World of Beer, have dinner at Moyo
• Enjoy the nightlife in Melville (my favorites are Bar Social (if you go there, say hi to Bobby from me), Wish (a nice café, with free wireless internet and excellent steak sandwiches), Ant (a nice NY style Italian Pizzeria), and Nuno’s Restaurant (great Portuguese food, try the Peri-Peri Chicken and the Chouriço)
• Catch a few rugby matches (at Ellis Park, now called Coca-Cola Park, go and see the Xerox Lions play)
• Visit the game reserve in Pilanesberg (go on a weekday as it is less crowded…get there early…). If you have a lot of time to spare, spend a few days at Kruger National Park

Best things to do in Cape Town

• Winelands tour (By far my favorite…lots of great wines to try and indulge in…go with a driver, so that you can actually enjoy the wine and not have to drive!)
• Castle of Good Hope, Greenmarket, Long Street, and the Iziko Museums of Cape Town are great…
• Drive around the Cape Peninsula (simply beautiful…see the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, and the cities on the coast)
• Go up Table Mountain
  

What did I learn from South Africa

• Staying in this country and seeing its present condition and comparing it to its tragic, and dark, past, has taught me to forgive and the power of reconciliation.
• The other key learning has been on the nature of life. A large majority of South Africans do not have an easy life. They work hard to put food on the table, and cloth their families. Yet, I did not meet a single one who was not content and had a smile. I was simply taken aback by the optimism here that things will get better. Moreover, people knew how to have a good time with very little. Which makes you think, should “happiness” or “being content” be a measure of progress in societies?
• People here are motivated to work together, help each other out, and create a beautiful future. People here are friendly and are great hosts. While you do see ruminants of the past, most of the country is moving into a bright future.
• Before I got here, everyone told me how dangerous and how difficult places were. I have not encountered a single difficult situation or felt threatened. If you come here with an open mind, possess street smarts, and commonsense, you will enjoy this place…
• Students here are hungry for knowledge and work extremely diligently on their papers and projects. I have learnt more from the students here than they could have learnt from me…
• Professors and researchers here are equally motivated. My hosts at the various universities (University of the Witwatersrand, University of Cape Town, and the University of Pretoria) took excellent care of me. I have learnt so much from their experiences.
• South African executives are warm and welcoming. I visited several organizations (e.g. First National Bank, Business Systems Group, members of the South African Defense Forces, etc) during my stay here. Everyone greeted me warmly and openly shared their challenges and areas of opportunities.

I can go on and on, but will stop here…If you have more questions, feel free to send me a private email or post public comments….

In summary, I have had a great time here. I will surely be back.

Thanks to everyone who made me feel at home…Cheers!!!

Evolution of my Knowledge Management Research Projects: An Illustration

I am in the midst of preparing my research statement. Basically, a statement that is going to talk about the kind of research I have done over the last few years. The challenge has been to clearly articulate the links and connections between the various research studies. I created the following flowchart to show how my first paper on knowledge management led a series of follow-up investigations…
If any of you have found better mechanisms to depict your research trajectory, please do share…