Your organization has a problem.  Someone with some authority decides that a survey (or focus group or something else) is needed right now to gather information and solve the problem.  The mandate is everything has to be completed quickly.  Data is collected, analyzed, and interpreted in what seems like a whirlwind.  Recommendations are made; a solution is implemented.  Everything looks good.

However, 90 days later, the decision doesn’t seem as great as facets of the problem seem to be coming back.  Your team is bewildered and frustrated because money was spent but the problem is not resolved.  The research team is called in and asked for an explanation about why money was spent on research that did not work.  The research team is bewildered and frustrated as they delivered what you had asked for and on time and budget.

What’s going on?

Everyone has fallen into the “Right Now” research trap.

What’s the “Right Now” research trap?

It is when your research is done in a vacuum and apart from the context of your organization.  Data is collected, analyzed, and interpreted without consideration to the mission, vision, and strategic objectives of your organization.

“Right Now” research typically happens when:

• Time is an issue.  You feel anxious that the data has to be collected right now because of the urgency of the problem.  You feel like you cannot take the extra day to think about why this problem is arising in this situation at this time.

• You or your research team does not think systemically.  You feel hopelessly fixated on the problem at hand and its immediate context.  There is lack of insight of how this problem, and therefore, the resulting data-driven solution, fits into the bigger picture of your organization.

• The culture of your organization is chaotic.  You often feel like you are going in 10 different directions because your organization lacks a strong mission and vision and clear, measureable strategic objectives.

The Solution:

• Slow down for a minute, an hour, or even a day.  Any time lost will easily be made up by the increased quality of the research and the longevity of the solution.

• Go back to your foundation of mission, vision, and strategic plan.  Plan the research within your organizational context.

• Find a research team who is interested in providing a strategic data-driven solution instead of a “Right Now” solution.  A strategic data-driven solution looks at the problem within the context of your organization and its objectives so the problem is resolved.  If the research team doesn’t ask some who, what, when, and why questions about the proposed research, run away fast!

Interested in collaborating with a research team who believes that the best research is strategic research?  Please drop us an email at Info@SaquiResearch.com and we would be happy to talk about working with you.