We find that a costly management mistake happens frequently when the attractiveness of some “cool” way to collect data takes precedence over thoughtful consideration of what questions you want to be able to answer. We believe in decision-focused research.
Time and attention (along with dollars) are precious commodities in associations where human capital is a key resource. There is a logical protocol for research design that may provide useful guidance to groups considering such investments.
1. What decision do you want to be able to make or what question do you want to answer?
2. What information will be needed?
3. What will be the source(s) of the information?
4. How will it be collected?
5. How will it be tabulated and analyzed?
6. How will it be interpreted and reported?
We find that associations that answer these fundamental research design questions prior to making an investment are much more satisfied with the return on their investment than these who do not.
Read more about collecting data in our recent publication: Decision Focused Research for Association Executives.
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