Research has a problem.

It is a problem of value
It is a problem of delivery
It is a problem of relevance

Don’t believe me?

Look no further than the headlines—layoffs and cutbacks disproportionately impacting research teams:

It has also had a large impact on individuals.

As of this writing, Levi, a research leader with a PhD and the Sirius XM logo on his resume, is showing unemployed for almost a year.

It's not that that research has been culled; it's that research isn't rebounding.

But the real problem is that researchers are failing to acknowledge the first order problems.

The problem of value

We are experiencing the wide-spread commoditization of researchers and research tools.

Businesses and stakeholders are conflating the job of research with the role of the researcher.

These two have become synonymous—at our peril ☠️

An illustration...

Say you are in the desert.

It’s hot ☀️

Real hot 🥵

There are two water vendors selling the same size bottle of unbranded water 💦:

One is selling water that is the ambient warm temperature for $1
The other is selling ice cold water for $3

All things being equal, the ice cold water will sell better than the air-temperature water.

Why?

Because people place a higher value on colder water when they are hot.

It is a commonly help belief that water is a commodity.

A commodity is a basic good that is interchangeable with other goods of the same type.

But commodities only exist because we allow them to exist.

Look at the terms used to describe the job of researcher:

Quantitative research
Qualitative research
Mixed Methods
Ethnography
Interviews
Surveys

Now go and look at the sales pages and messaging of research tools.

It's the same.

Researchers have become commoditized with the research tools they use.

But as we know (or should know), the value of research isn’t in the methods the researcher uses or the tools a researcher employs.

The TRUE VALUE of a researcher is in collecting evidence, connecting the dots, and catalyzing decisions that:

📚 Turns data into stories
📝 Stories into strategies
🚀 Strategies into outcomes

It is so important it's worth repeating; the value of research isn't in employing a method to collect data. Yet, that is exactly what researchers have become. Tools to collect data, i.e., data collectors.

The problem of delivery

Research delivery is a function of how insights are heard, understood, and actioned upon.

The problem is that researchers deliver decks and presentations that are neither read, nor heard.

It is a function of the ordering of information. In an attempt to "prove" something, research decks are front-loaded with methodology slides, sampling frame slides, and other "justification" slides. This ordering focuses on how the sausage is made, rather than the decision we hop to influence. It catalyzes the wrong conversation, i.e., "why is your sample size only...," rather than, "what do we do next?"

Researchers are delivering information the way they want to deliver it, rather than how stakeholders want to consume it.

When things fall flat, researchers blame stakeholders and propose bullshit solutions like,

“let’s educate them why…”

Stakeholders don't want the treatise of War and Peace.

They want:

What do I need to know?
What should I do with it?
How does this impact me?

And they want it delivered:

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)
Relevant now
Bite Sized

Researchers continue to ignore this at their peril.

The problem of relevance

Research is becoming irrelevant in the minds of business stakeholders.

They believe they can gather facts and insights faster without a researcher.

I heard a statement about research from a Product leader the other day:

"We don’t need research... I know what we need to build."

Now you are probably shaking your head and wringing your hands and saying, "no you don't."

But the reality is, this is what the Product Leader believes. It is his truth, not yours. And the decisions are being made on his truth, not yours. Your wishing or willing this to be a false statement does nothing more than to pretend it doesn't exist.

He went onto say that any research that needs to be done can be done by PMs or Designers, but that most of the work would be "rapid experiments."

Researchers are not relevant in his mind.

Compounding this issue is that research delivery isn't aligned with how businesses work—or what they care about. The language research uses doesn't resonate or connect with their stakeholder audiences. Researchers speak the language of research; not the language of business.

Research delivers findings and insights on a timeline that works for research—not that works for the business. Research does not operate at the speed of business. If it does where you work, you are in the minority and you are ignoring the larger problem because it hasn't effected you—yet.

The reality is, by the time a product manager is requesting research from a research team, they already needed the answer.

"Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been." —Wayne Gretzky

Research teams need to do research differently. They need to go to where the puck is going, not where the puck is.

To change this, we must first acknowledge and accept it.

Then we can begin building better researchers, and more durable research teams.

Teams that will enable businesses to make better decisions faster.

Researchers will become strategists that collect evidence like a detective, report insights like a news anchor, and broker good outcomes like a hostage negotiator.

Navigating the Research Crisis: Tackling Value, Delivery, and Relevance Challenges

Research has a problem.It is a problem of valueIt is a problem of deliveryIt is a problem of relevan

The all-in-one writing platform.

Write, publish everywhere, see what works, and become a better writer - all in one place.