Research Teams: Evolve or Face Extinction in the Corporate Jungle
A lesson in gaslighting.
A company hires a research team.
The CEO “is one of the biggest advocates for the team.”
Then the company lays off the research team. 🤨
Wait, what? 🤔
I thought you valued research?
Gaslighting is when someone tries to trick another person into thinking that what they believe or remember isn’t true. It’s like playing a mean trick on someone’s mind.
But remember this, regardless of what someone says, actions speak louder than words.
Research is not valued when companies lay off the research team — even if the CEO says something different.
When businesses value something, they spend money (or time) on it.
When they don’t value something, they stop spending money (or time) on it.
It really is that simple.
Stop falling for the age-old break-up line:
“It’s not you, it’s me.”
It is you.
You failed to deliver value to the business OR you failed to demonstrate you delivered value to the business.
Either way, businesses don’t get rid of the things they value.
- They still have toilet paper in the stalls — they didn’t RIF that (they value wiping their a$$).
- The CEO still has a fat bonus (they value themselves).
- They still have a myriad of other roles (the ones they feel they need).
If Research wants to be valued, it needs to evolve.
Focus on the things the business cares about:
- 🚀 Experience predictable growth
- 💰 Increase value for the business
- 🔮 Adapt to unpredictable change
- ⚠️ Mitigate risk to minimize losses
- ⏱ Move faster than the competition
And then, conduct research in a way that a business can’t help but see your value:
- 🔎 Collect and interrogate evidence like a detective
- 🎤 Report insights like a primetime news anchor
- ⚖️ Build a case like a trial attorney
The research landscape is changing; are you going to change with it?
