Put in another way, if management cannot see the competitive information set forth separately, it may have no guarantee that those preparing the plan have actually taken it into account or that they have even looked into it. Also, by seeing the CI that the unit has developed, management can evaluate its appropriateness and adequacy and suggest additional sources.

A second step would be to require that the individual plan not only indicate the current competitive environment but also show how the unit perceives the future environment. From there, management can insist that the specific unit indicate how it intends to respond to changes in its competitive environment.

CI can be successfully injected in a similar manner at many stages other than the planning processes. When you consider fundamental corporate decisions, such as an acquisition, divestiture, major capital investment, or introduction of a new product, management can require that those involved, both in considering and in advocating the transaction, prepare a competitive analysis. The analysis should indicate how the planned action will assist your firm to respond to its competitors and how the affected competitors may be expected to respond.