What is a key illustration of human intelligence in a corporate context?

Posing as a customer to elicit details from sales staff is a key illustration of human intelligence in a corporate context because it involves using interpersonal skills, deception, and social engineering to gather information. This approach allows an individual to interact with employees in a seemingly innocuous manner, gaining insights that may not be available through formal channels. This method relies heavily on the ability to build rapport, read social cues, and ask the right questions to extract valuable information without raising suspicion.

In contrast, employing spyware to gather information relies on technology rather than human interaction and does not demonstrate the nuances of human intelligence. Planting an informant within a rival company, while it does involve human elements, generally has more formal implications and may require insider recruitment rather than direct intelligence-gathering strategies. Stealing documents from a competitor's office is a straightforward act of theft that bypasses the subtleties of human intelligence and interpersonal engagement altogether. Thus, posing as a customer captures the essence of human intelligence effectively by leveraging personal interaction to gain insights.