Summary
No topic within the insight industry has drawn as much impassioned debate and existential questioning about our future, value, and craft as that of research democratization. It raises fundamental questions about our practice and raison d'etre: Should knowledge be owned or controlled? Is research art, science, or craft? How much research is too much? Can anyone ever not be biased? What does it even mean to be a researcher anymore? Join us for a head-to-head debate between a passionate defender and a fervent detractor of democratization. They'll engage in strong but respectful dialogue about the rights, wrongs and pitfalls of democratizing research.
Key Insights
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Democratization of research is already widespread but the term carries problematic cultural and emotional baggage that hinders productive discussion.
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The value of research lies primarily in professional researchers’ expertise, not in just the methods or tools used.
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Allowing non-researchers to conduct research carries opportunity costs and context-switching burdens that reduce overall organizational effectiveness.
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Researchers are often devalued and invisible in organizations, exacerbated by layoffs and cutbacks despite research's strategic importance.
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Effective researcher positioning as senior consultants, like McKinsey or BCG advisors, can increase research’s impact and visibility inside companies.
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On-the-job training of non-researchers is often shallow, creating artificial guardrails and hindering long-term research skill development.
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Startups particularly benefit from democratization efforts but still require coaching and governance to maintain research quality.
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Informed consent about the risks and trade-offs of DIY research should be a norm for businesses adopting democratized research approaches.
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Researchers should avoid exclusionary heroism aspiring only to high-level strategic research and instead embrace all levels of impactful research.
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Demonstrating research impact is better focused on qualitative storytelling and strategic alignment than on traditional metrics or ROI frameworks.
Notable Quotes
"Democratization is the Trojan Horse that poses as fairness for all but is really a cover for the devaluation of professional researchers."
"Researchers should be senior consultants who help businesses make more informed and less risky decisions."
"Opening the gates and allowing everyone to conduct research is a slippery slope that can lead to the relegation of researchers to service providers."
"The value of research isn’t in the delivery of the method alone, it’s in the researcher."
"Good research is an investment; a good tattoo is not cheap and a cheap tattoo is not good."
"We need to reposition researchers from invisible to invaluable, just like top-tier consultants."
"Training others on the job is not the same as formal training; sometimes we create tight guardrails to contain damage, which isn’t true training."
"If you’re in the wrong box in an organization, just do the research and create value to show the organization what you’re capable of."
"Consensus is the process of abandoning all beliefs and values in search of something to which no one objects."
"Researchers must build the story from data before they can tell it, connecting insights explicitly to business outcomes."
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