In a highly competitive environment like this, systematic innovation in SMEs is crucial. Competitive Intelligence is particularly relevant to the promotion of an effective strategy of innovation in SMEs, for the early detection of competitive advantages, opportunities and market threats, in combination with a deep analysis of the value chain of the company, would bring the needed innovations. For the generation of them, there must be mechanisms to detect Competitive Intelligence in order to detect systematic and continuously opportunities to sustain and enhance their competitive priorities based on an innovation strategy. Such mechanism must take into account the special characteristics of SMEs, which usually are not aware or the importance of the CI and its scope, nor the resources requested to the creation of a specific CI, nor information management culture.In this paper we will lay the groundwork for a proposed new methodology for classifying and categorizing the CI proposals, that considers the enabling factors and barriers to innovation and implementation of CI in SMEs, deducted from the associated literature. The objective of this methodology is to allow the selection of the more suitable tools and techniques for each case, so that the CI selected for SMEs in particular will allow to meet the initial intelligence targets, to be implemented successfully, and to generate the pursued elements for successful innovation in the organization.

Peer Reviewed