It’s official. Drugmakers have more world-class sleuths than any other industry. At least according to Len Fuld, whose competitive intelligence firm just completed a survey of 141 big companies that operate in shadowy places across the globe.

By contrast, financial services and legal industries doll out the lowest budgets and contain an extraordinarily high percentage of very basic, poorly functioning CI programs. Technology and manufacturing appeared in the middle of the pack, as far as management commitment, budget allocation, and age and maturity of their intelligence programs.

In general, Len adds CI only works if sleuths report to senior managers. In big pharma, 57 percent report to either vp or C-level execs. But only 16 of the cloak-and-dagger types at law firms report to well-situated higher ups.

“This could be in part because law firms are just beginning to explore this function, or possibly because law firm partners, the equivalent of C-level executives, have not yet accepted the function,” Len speculates.

Overall, American companies appear to have less of a long-term commitment to CI than do companies in Europe and Latin America. About one-quarter of both EU and Latin American companies say their intelligence programs have existed for four years or longer, while in the US, only 3 percent report CI has existed for four or more years. Why? Americans are more mobile. There are fewer firings and layoffs in Europe. And Wall Street pressures for more US companies to slash budgets for departments that don’t generate sales.

Not clear if Dan Vasella participated in the survey, but Len says the Novartis ceo has indicated that CI is “a critical component of his thinking process.” Wonder what Dan thinks about Merck’s headstart with its Januvia diabetes pill?

[tags]Corporate Intelligence, Fuld & Co.[/tags]