What is gut? Gut decisions are rooted in experience. It is the instant understanding of something without considering alternatives. The scientific method is rooted in data.
Decisions sometimes are made on-the-fly based on gut. Other decisions need to be ferreted out through data, data science and market research.
Gut and science can blend. Gut can help frame the hypothesis, and data and market research can prove or disprove the assumptions. Once the decision is made to conduct market research, a responsibility of researchers is to apprise management of strengths and limitations of research methods. Marketing leaders need to better evaluate information needs and work along with researchers to define the problem and plan the research. Leadership needs to be involved in the beginning phases. Early involvement and buy-in enhances the likelihood that leaders will accept and act on the research results rather than revert back to gut.
Researchers should understand that leadership are businesspeople first and foremost. Research studies should try to advance business outcomes and profits. Researchers need to understand that sometimes information requested is urgent in deciding on alternatives. On occasion they will have to do quick down-and-dirty studies that may not fulfill all the standards but will provide needed and timely information. Researchers need to discuss the limitations of the design with leadership who may still want the data for directional decisions.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY HEIDI HAMERS IN THE 2023 SPRING EDITION OF GAMING & LEISURE MAGAZINE.