Key Insights

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  Less than 10% of big corporate decisions are based on research despite the $80-85 billion market size of research industry.

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  Research influence requires understanding the internal culture and language of an organization as much as understanding customers.

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  The metaphor of music—harmony, rhythm, and dissonance—is effective for understanding how to advise organizational leadership.

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  Financial literacy and understanding money flows inside a company are crucial for research to influence corporate strategy.

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  Understanding the internal rhythm or cadence of a company is key to knowing when to introduce changes or new ideas.

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  Introducing new ideas (dissonance) must be done with precision and timing, or they will be dismissed.

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  Presenting insights with memorable hooks or riffs helps executives remember and act on them long after the presentation.

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  Ethnographers and human scientists often focus externally but must devote at least half their attention internally within organizations.

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  Some organizations, such as tech and social media firms, have extremely obscure financial logic, making advising especially challenging.

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  Continuous practice, learning, and business understanding are necessary for researchers to remain credible advisors at the executive level.

Notable Quotes