Summary
Researchers must adeptly navigate a dual remit in organizations. The initial challenge involves delivering insights that matter. The subsequent task requires discerning the necessary adjustments the organization must undertake to effectively act upon those insights. In this presentation, we’ll talk about a model of change and a theory of power to enable researchers to embrace and fulfill their dual mission. It is at this intersection of meaning and action that research can impact lives.
Key Insights
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Research impact should be understood beyond immediate business metrics to include organizational learning and mindset shifts.
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Changing entrenched minds in fast-paced organizations is challenging because stakeholders often resist unwanted insights.
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The Wells Fargo sales scandal illustrates how organizational culture and leadership blindness enable unethical practices despite research findings.
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Dr. Timnit Gebru and Frances Haugen’s cases show the personal and organizational risks of exposing controversial research truths.
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Jake Galbraith’s star model of organizational design helps researchers identify where insights may trigger resistance or change.
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Culture acts as the ‘water’ in which organizational design operates, shaping what knowledge is accepted or ignored.
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Power cores—functions or outcomes leadership prioritize—are critical barriers or allies in applying research insights.
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Double-loop learning enables organizations to question underlying assumptions rather than just correcting errors superficially.
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Building alliances with senior executives aligned with the power core improves chances of research impact.
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Researchers must adopt a consultant mindset: communicating clearly, anticipating resistance, and acting ethically with courage.
Notable Quotes
"We are thinking about impact too narrowly; it’s much more than the next big thing or making more money."
"The only thing we can control is how quickly we learn and adapt based on that learning."
"Great research doesn’t automatically have the impact; you’re often trying to change minds that don’t want to be changed."
"I was sitting across from a senior executive who said branches harken back to the old West general store — and I thought, what? That interpretation isn’t making it to customers at all."
"When people just internalize your research and say, I always knew that, that is the highest compliment."
"Organizations are designed, and design is not how it looks, it’s how it works."
"Culture is the water we swim in; it’s the technology of learning inside an organization."
"In many companies, the primary seat of power is the shareholder, which drives short-term thinking."
"You have to think like a consultant: build a communication plan, be explicit about your intention, and anticipate resistance."
"Trust your gut. You all have a moral center to act from, even if you can’t see the whole picture yet."
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