Ad hoc research and data silos holding back insight functions

UK – Despite 44% of insight functions being seen as a valued voice in the business, less than one in four are developing insight that is directive and prioritises action, according to a new report from the Market Research Society (MRS).

The report Towards an Insight Driven Organisation is the latest from the MRS Delphi Group – an MRS think tank led by a collection of leading thinkers in the marketing and research sectors.

It is based on the findings of a self-assessment questionnaire, which asked participants from both public and private sectors how effective their organisation is at using insight, and client-side where their insight team sat in relation to twelve key attributes of an insight-driven organisation.


Sixty per cent of participants said they are running structured programmes of research, with 44% building credibility as a valued voice within the wider business. However, much research remains ad-hoc, with data sitting in silos and findings often having a limited impact on decision making. 

The report also builds on the MRS/PwC Business of Evidence 2016 report to include a list of the attributes researchers of the future will need, developed by Jake Steadman, research director at Twitter and Dr Nick Baker, chair of the MRS Delphi Group. 

Jane Frost, CEO of MRS and founder of the Delphi Group, said: “It’s great news that some organisations are using insight to drive decision-making at all levels within their organisations. But there are lessons to learn here too: these findings provide further evidence that the insight function must prove its value by creating a unified vision of qualitative and quantitative research alongside big analytics – a proactive narrative for the board and other stakeholders.”

We hope you enjoyed this article.
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