When data is not enough: Why even well-designed research sometimes fails in practice
For years I have been saying that “properly designed research does not mean that it will bring the right decision.”
I had research in my hands that was methodologically flawless. Clear goals, a representative sample, perfect outputs. But – clients took only what suited them. They pushed aside unpleasant conclusions or reshaped them to fit into the existing strategy. And the research actually lost its meaning.
It is not enough to have good data. You also need to have the courage to listen to them, the openness to change direction – and the humility to admit that reality may be different than we expected.
What follows from this? Research is not supposed to confirm our assumptions. It is supposed to test them. And when it shows something uncomfortable – that is perhaps the most valuable thing it could have brought.