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The Future of Research: Bridging the Gaps
Summary
During this call, Advancing Research 2021 conference curators invite a special panel of researchers to discuss the future of research. In particular, panelists share their perspectives about the research practice and how they expect the discipline to evolve. To provide additional grounding for our conversation, we discuss, broadly, results from the survey we recently launched, which is designed to learn more about the topics and themes that you, the community, believe will be important to advancing the research and insight industry over the next year. Our esteemed panel of cross-disciplinary researchers, includes: Steve Portigal (Principal Researcher & Rosenfeld Media Author), Dr. Gloria Osardu (Senior Researcher at Amazon), Alba Villamil (Principal Researcher and HmntyCntrd Facilitator) and Sam Ladner (Principal Researcher at Workday). Dr. Jamika Burge (Entrepreneur and Head of Experience Products & Platforms Research at Capital One), one of our AR curators, will be moderating the discussion. Join us!
Key Insights
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Remote research practices evolved rapidly due to the pandemic but lack collective processing of what has been gained or lost.
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Research must move from reactive, evaluative roles to strategic partners influencing long-term roadmaps.
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Building relationships with internal change agents can amplify research impact within organizations.
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A sociological and equity-centered approach is essential to make research inclusive and address systemic biases.
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Organizational cultures often exclude or harm researchers of color, impacting diversity and inclusion.
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Large companies like Amazon align research closely with yearly business planning to anticipate future needs.
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Bridging insights across multiple disciplines (data, marketing, research) creates more influential narratives.
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Claims of research as sole 'human experience' experts risk arrogance; humility and collaboration are key.
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The field is experiencing a tension between professionalization with standards and the need for inclusivity and diversity.
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Training and supporting the next generation of researchers is critical to avoid repeating past mistakes and to sustain the field's growth.
Notable Quotes
"We have to figure out the strategic, unique value to our clients, stakeholders, and customers."
"There’s this inflection point about how research work is done and what the system wants from knowledge workers."
"The pandemic is a message from the universe to pause and rethink who we hire and how we train."
"Our standard research frameworks and tools are often inadequate for addressing complex social problems."
"Strategic positioning means research is a decision-making tool, not just a service to requests."
"I’ve started giving up on product management and focusing more on product strategy and senior executives."
"We see value-based research strategies emerging that center equity and ethics at the highest levels."
"Research tells stories data alone cannot, helping stakeholders understand customer feelings."
"Organizations are racialized and systematically exclude qualified researchers of color."
"If we believe we're the only champions of human experience, then we’re not doing the right job."
Or choose a question:
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