Findings vs. Insights
Earlier in the year I read a post begging researchers to not confuse the terms findings and insights. The premise was spot on: findings are straightforward, insights are interpretations of findings. And both create value.
But today, six months later, I found myself thinking about this distinction as Inquisitive gets ready for our annual leadership planning work. We’re growing the business, facing choices about what to prioritize, which prospects to pursue, and how to evolve our services and deliverables.
Sharing insights with clients is at the core to our identity, services and business model. It is a touchstone for all decision-making.
In order to be considered an insight, the original post proposed that at least five of the following statements be true:
Is this the first time you are hearing it?
Is it meaningful to you and the project?
Is it grounded in actual data?
Does it inspire clear and direct action?
Does it present a new perspective?
Is it simple to understand?
Does it reveal something important about people’s underlying motivations?
Deceptively simple, this list could easily morph into our manifesto here at Inquisitive. We are passionate about doing work that serves our clients at a higher level… not just reporting what we heard, but making sure that we’ve distilled the findings into insights that will allow our clients to move forward feeling both confident and a bit curious. In fact, I’d add something to the criteria above: Does it resolve one set of questions while inviting the next set of questions to be asked?
The reason Inquisitive Insights could never be Inquisitive Findings is that we want our research to add value. We aren’t here to add to your pile of information – we are consultants and strategic partners that help our clients make decisions. It is our job to deliver insights in a simple, sharable format that are meaningful, create clarity and often reveal something new.
When you hire a research partner, you should be looking for more than a resource to gather data and recite it back to you. Invest your research dollars in experts who take the time to understand your business so they can give you the information you need to make better decisions.
