Source Recruitment Cycle
Turn an information gap into a maintained source relationship
- Difficulty
- Expert
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 97%
Mike Baker describes intelligence collection as a cycle that begins with the client's information need rather than with a person to approach. The collector identifies where the information resides, who has access, and how it can be obtained appropriately. A potential source is then spotted and developed through conversation and repeated contact. The collector listens for interests, motivations, grievances, problems, and other features that explain how the person sees the world. If the relationship progresses, the source may be recruited, tasked, and run. The final stage is not a one-off transaction: the relationship must be maintained, and a handover may be needed when another officer takes responsibility. Baker stresses that access can belong to a senior official, driver, cleaner, secretary, or security guard; usefulness depends on proximity to the needed information, not prestige.
Origin
Baker presents this as the CIA recruitment cycle he used as an operations officer and later adapted to lawful strategic-intelligence and investigations work in the private sector.
Core principles
- 01Start with a precise information need
- 02Access matters more than status
- 03Trust develops across repeated encounters
- 04Motives and grievances differ by person
- 05A recruited relationship requires ongoing care
How to run it
- 1
Define the information gap
State exactly what the client needs to know. Keep the collection effort anchored to that requirement.
Pro tip Phrase the requirement as a decision-relevant question rather than a broad topic.
Watch out Starting with an interesting person instead of an information need can produce irrelevant intelligence.
- 2
Map residence and access
Identify where the information resides and which people can reach it. Consider operational staff and peripheral observers as well as senior figures.
Pro tip Look for people who observe routines, volumes, or changes in activity as part of ordinary work.
Watch out Do not confuse seniority with useful access.
- 3
Spot a potential source
Select a person whose access could answer the requirement and identify an appropriate way to meet. The approach should fit the setting and applicable law.
Pro tip Use a natural context in which conversation is already expected.
Watch out Do not cross legal, ethical, or jurisdictional boundaries to obtain access.
- 4
Develop the relationship
Ask questions, let the person talk, and learn what interests and drives them over multiple encounters. Build a working profile rather than forcing an immediate request.
Pro tip Give the other person room to talk about themselves, then listen for recurring priorities.
Watch out A useful profile rarely emerges from one conversation.
- 5
Create the next encounter
Find a credible reason to meet again so the relationship can continue. Each encounter should make the next one feel natural rather than abrupt.
Pro tip Before ending a conversation, identify a practical follow-up that benefits or interests both parties.
Watch out A contrived follow-up can damage trust.
- 6
Agree, task, and maintain
If the relationship legitimately progresses, agree what information can be provided, use it against the original requirement, and maintain the relationship. Plan a careful handover if ownership changes.
Pro tip Keep the person's motivations and pressures under review instead of assuming they remain fixed.
Watch out Recruitment is not the end of the cycle; neglected relationships and poor handovers can fail.
In the wild
An investor needs to know why a factory is missing production targets. A lawful field researcher defines the missing facts, identifies people who routinely observe plant activity, and conducts voluntary conversations nearby. Repeated observations and corroborated accounts show that the site operates only three days a week and dispatches fewer trucks than represented.
→ The investor receives decision-relevant evidence about actual operating activity rather than relying only on management claims.
A software team needs to understand why users abandon onboarding. The researcher maps who sees the problem, speaks with support staff and recent users, listens for recurring frustrations, and arranges follow-ups to test the emerging explanation. The team separates isolated complaints from a repeated access-permission failure.
→ The product team identifies a specific onboarding obstacle and can test a focused fix.
Common mistakes
Chasing status instead of access
A senior title does not guarantee useful knowledge. Baker notes that drivers, cleaners, secretaries, and guards may observe information directly relevant to the requirement.
Rushing the relationship
Trying to obtain everything in a first encounter skips the development stage. The method depends on repeated contact and a better understanding of the person.
Treating agreement as the finish
The relationship still has to be tasked, run, maintained, and sometimes handed over. Failure after recruitment can waste the access that was developed.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for lawful research, investigations, due diligence, and discovery work where relevant knowledge sits with people.
Not ideal for
It is not appropriate where contact, collection, inducement, or use of information would be illegal, coercive, deceptive, or unethical.
From the transcript
“what information does the client need uh where does it reside who has access to it”
“spotting you know targeting development recruitment running then you've got to maintain that relationship”
“you get that first encounter what do you want well you want a second encounter”
From the episode
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