Views from the Hills by R. E. Stevens, GENESIS II (The Second Beginning) E-Mail views@aol.com
But we have always done it this way.
Consistency has its advantage. Look at all the historical data that
can be compared since we have adopted a consistent way of doing things.
It
certainly makes our job easier and faster. And with the right
computer/software,
cut and pasting we can make the work cheaper and easier. Through cut
and
pasting we can fill jobs with less skilled employees. It is hard to
argue
these advantages. On the other hand, time does not stand still. Look at
all
the changes in the world of market research. We went from door-to-door
to
CLT to telephone to internet research all in a researcher's life time.
Look
at how various test methods have changed. For instant try to find
write-ups
on various methods in text books. I went looking for one of the most
frequently
used methods, the Protomonadic or as some call it the Sequential
Monadic
test design, and could hardly find mention of it in over ten text books
I
have on market research in my library. That method has not been around
too
long and it has gone through a series of changes as companies have
become
familiar with its strengths and weaknesses.
While things are changing we find that like everything in life, there
are
paths you take that lead to false findings. Not everything new is
valid.
While the new & improved can really be new & improved, it can
also
be new and not an improvement. It is our job to sort out the good from
the
bad. It is nor our job to hide our heads in the sand. We have a
responsibility
to our company to know and understand our profession and to adopt the
valuable
and reject the not so valuable. However, all too often it has been my
experience
that companies, or should I say groups within companies, will circle
the
wagons and prepare to fight any change. When the wagons are circled,
people
get hurt and unnecessarily. It is the real professionals that can
approach
a change and evaluate it on its merits. Frequently a change can be
evaluated
with a little amount of time and expense.
One of the most disturbing cases was the response of a market
researcher
when he learned of a bias in the way he was conducting Protomonadic
Tests.
He said that he would not consider changing the way they conduct their
research
because he would have to tell his clients that there was a potential
problem
in the execution of previous studies. He would continue using a
protocol
that introduced bias in his research rather than admitting the research
could
be improved. I do not understand why he would not communicate to his
clients
that there was a possible improvement in the way the tests should be
conducted
and that he planned to investigate the alternative approach. He missed
an opportunity to be seen as a leader, innovator, creative, etc. within
his company.
However, I may need to remind myself that "dinosaurs don't dance."
In the above situation I really missed an opportunity. I should have
recommended
a good book for the researcher. That book is "Sacred Cows Make the Best
Burgers"
by Robert Kriegel and David Brant. Or maybe I should have recommended
Dr.
Stephen Covey's book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." Where
Stephen,
in his first habit, discusses Taking Responsibility.
Sponsor:
Sorensen Associates Inc Portland, OR.
800.542.4321
Minneapolis, MN. 888.616.0123
The In-Store Research Company -- Dedicated to the relentless pursuit of - WHY?
Home | Members | Register | Resumes | Bibliography | Views | S. A. I. | E-Mail