So, why do employers need research?

I blogged recently about why I enjoy research. All very well, but an employer needs to commission that research before I can get involved, the charitable division of Monteath Consulting being otherwise engaged.

And I believe that employers are increasingly turning to research. It’s an investment, but when every budget is scrutinised, then there’s a need to invest wisely, to advise far larger programmes. It’s those programmes - around engagement, communication, leadership – that will decide the future success of your company. There’s simply no room to step into them without having a very clear picture of the environment you’re working in. And without understanding the most effective way of making the most effective change to that environment.

But can’t employers simply work this out for themselves? What did they do before people like me came along? They made assumptions based on their experience. Gut instinct often, which very often would work.

I think that’s a riskier approach today. Now, employees are less likely to be a simple link in a widget-making chain. They work in service and knowledge organisations and need to apply their judgement, and make decisions for themselves. That means the command-and-control approach to to management is outdated (see here and here). Employees are increasingly customers of their employer, not just a part of the machine.

So employers turn to the same techniques that they use to understand their paying customers. Rare it is that they can make customer decisions based on gut instincts. Apple fanboys will point to Steve Jobs – but he was the exception. And anyway, he made mistakes too…