The power of research

You need to complete an apprenticeship to become a researcher in academia. A key part of that process is learning to iterate. You enter a kind of cycle of expanding your understanding of a particular subject, find ways to test your ideas or assumptions by collecting and analysing data, before refining them in light of the findings. Which you then seek to test again.

Other than the likes of Issac Newton, it can sometimes take researchers decades to arrive at a confident conclusion. But there can be great satisfaction in the enquiry, and it is a great privilege to be able to have the time and space to undertake it.

A great deal of effort by very many talented researchers has expanded our understanding of issues ranging from climate change to how to lead a long, fulfilling life. And there have been great strides, such as in how we educate people to how we treat them when they are sick. This is a testament to the power of research. But it could go further.

Organisations working at the forefront of some of the most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges facing our society do not have the luxury of time and space. They cannot kick back on the chaise lounge, puff on a gauloises, and muse eloquently about how things are or could be. Progress for organisations is measured in months, not years. They have to act, and now.

The same process of iteration instilled in researchers is also valuable to organisations in navigating the issues they are addressing. Drawing on robust research and data, effective (however defined) policy and practice can emerge through learning and reflection that seeks to develop a consensus on the way forward. Which is then tested again. As for researchers, the ability for organisations to iterate drawing on evidence and data takes practice and support.

At Inference, we are continuously testing ways to strengthen research engaged iteration within organisations. We seek to open spaces for collaboration, learning and dialogue around research, its findings, and the potential implications for organisations and sectors. This is to expand engagement both with and in research.

If the ideas in this piece resonate, please do reach out to me at llorenc@inference.org