What is the difference between “investigation” and “research”?

          I was about to describe the intelligence technology we use in crisis management, but I suddenly realized that one important topic may remain untouched and undisclosed.

Have you ever wondered what the fundamental difference is between “investigation” and “research”? Which is easier and which is harder, where the path is much shorter? The topic may not seem serious, but it is very important! It has a significant impact on better matching and subsequent recruitment and selection of candidates for intelligence work.

You remember one of the key requirements of intelligence where - the tasks to be solved determine their specific performers, not vice versa. This allows the tasks themselves to be solved more quickly, completely and effectively. In a word – “creativity” rules the process.

So, we'll start with an “investigation”...

Let's imagine that some criminal or accidental precedent has occurred! No matter in what sphere, where and when, we are considering a hypothetical case of an accident.

An incident has occurred! We start investigating and, first of all, we start gathering information (remember this is important), and we already have on hand:

·         The fact itself is the event or occurrence;

·         Visible or invisible damage;

·         Place and time of the event;

·         Whether something like this has already happened or whether this event was an accident;

·         The likely direct participants in the event (if they have not fled);

·         Accidental or non-accidental witnesses to the accident (eyewitnesses);

·         Various material and non-material traces of the incident (opened containers, traces of the accident, signs of arson, vehicle brake marks, what was stolen/destroyed, etc.) that already allow us to draw some conclusions.

By the way, the goals of the investigation may be different, but, as a rule, much of the above will be available to you! You have an idea of what to look for, where and who to look for, who may be, one way or another connected with the event, finally, following the Roman principle “Look for who benefits”, you can outline a potential circle of suspects.

This is what you are dealing with when you start and investigate an incident. Not everything is listed here, of course. There will probably be information on similar or similar events, personal motives if they are found in the case (revenge, animosity, etc.). All this will also help the investigator who wants to get to the truth.

So, you got something to work with?

And now, let's imagine that none of the things described above exist – at all! Now, we have before us a case of pure “research”! Applied to crisis management:

No event has NOT happened yet!

There is no event, no place where it happened, no traces of the event, no witnesses and eyewitnesses, and finally, there are no, even hypothetical, persons interested in the incident! In your field of activity, nothing similar or analogous has ever happened.

What is there? The only thing available so far is a list of hypothetical risks that are likely and possible! This is, of course, only if you are prudent and have made such predictions.

How's it going? Ready to get down to business? You have to detect something that hasn't happened yet! And not only to detect, but also to take concrete measures to minimize the consequences of what is happening, in case the risk itself actually occurs.

What is “Risk”? It is not an event, or rather, it is a forecast of an event that may occur and be realized in the future, but may not occur at all, if there are not some phenomena/events that contribute to the maturation and realization of risk in the current reality. Intelligence knows how to work with such objects!

Crisis management always arises at the moment of making or not making a “Decision” about further actions and operates throughout the practical realization of the decisions made (or from something not made).

As can be seen even from our hypothetical example, “investigation” is a predominantly “reactive” course of action, arising as a reaction to some event that has already occurred.

While “research”, in crisis management, is a proactive course of action aimed at pre-empting events that have not yet occurred.

When you are recruiting for your commercial intelligence team, there is nothing to stop you from conducting selection tests and, for example, asking potential candidates to write a short essay or answer this, already discussed question - how and how do they think “investigation” differs from “research” and where is the greater complexity present?

After all, when we begin to train intelligence analysts or operatives, we start by telling them what “information” is, because in the future they will have to work with information and its sources.

By the way, during selection tests, you will usually see at once which of the potential candidates can think and express their thoughts and opinions clearly, and who can't. Select for the job - creative and smart!

The practical tasks of crisis management are fairly straightforward:

·         Tracking already predicted risks;

·         Identifying and setting real risks that have a high probability and potential for realization;

·         Promptly informing management of impending risks;

·         Accompaniment (monitoring), in informational terms, of the occurred risks, for deeper understanding of the scenario of development of real events;

·         Accompaniment (monitoring) of risk until the risk loses its significance or conditions for its practical realization disappear;

the whole difficulty is that we're looking for something that doesn't exist yet and that has to be taken into account.

The main purpose of crisis management is to “keep management informed” and nothing more! If management for one reason or another is not interested and does not want to be aware of current and developing risks - do NOT even try to create an intelligence unit. Your efforts will never be appreciated and your information will simply be neglected and disregarded! Value your own time, effort and knowledge.

The following article will describe how an “exploration plan” is made. We search for the non-existent according to a schedule and some set parameters that are fairly easy to control. You're in favor of controlled exploration, right? Don't miss out!