INTELLIGENCE IS NOT ONLY WHAT YOU THOUGHT, AND MORE

One distinctive trait of CIN/RCR that sets it apart from all other intelligence interested organizations is that we recognize the breadth and depth of the entire generic intelligence function and seek to understand it in all its forms.

My own research view is that there is one fundamental form of intelligence - the human intelligence process, which can be manifest in any number of different ways. Mathematicians, ballet dancers, hockey players and corporate executives are all examples of different ways intelligence can be nurtured and exercised.

Humans are social animals, so when we band together into any form of group and adopt an agenda that reflects group intent, we can see that organizational intelligence is simply the human attempt to replicate the human intelligence process in a purposeful social group. If we understand how the human intelligence process works, we will be better able to design, develop, build, exercise, evaluate and exploit an organizational intelligence process, such as the ones found in governments and military establishments. Humans can do no better than nature allows.

What makes intelligence intelligence? When we think about intelligence, it is necessary to go back to first and fundamental principles, to the common ground of all intelligence practices and identify the essential aspects common to all intelligence practices. Doing so leads to this fundamental, and simple, definition of intelligence:

Intelligence is the capacity for reasoned foresight that enables advantageous action.

We can apply this basic definition to any number of purposeful organizational endeavours, whether it be military intelligence, law enforcement intelligence, national security intelligence, competitive intelligence, human intelligence, to determine if what people are doing is really intelligence at all. Real intelligence is intent-driven, future-oriented, adversarial-interested, presenting a limited range of prioritized probabilities, all aimed at the pursuit of advantage. It is the assessment of prioritized probabilities enabling advantage that makes intelligence intelligence.

The many ways in which intelligence can be exercised provide interesting and exciting fodder for true intelligence studies across many academic fields - psychology, philosophy, international affairs, military arts and sciences, criminology, border security, business and corporate leadership, and public health security, just to name a few.

CIN/RCR embraces the broadest and most profound study of intelligence possible and accordingly welcomes a wide range of intelligence thinking, research, study, discussion, and writing.