As part of our annual corporate researcher salary survey (see the June issue for a full write-up), we always include a few open-ends to add a little color to the proceedings. In previous years we have asked respondents about the biggest challenges facing marketing research and about their views of what is needed to improve the reputation and standing of marketing research as a profession.
This year we asked researchers to tell us what they would like to know from their peers at other companies, with the aim of trying to understand some of the issues that shape their views of coming to work each day.
A number of responses centered around the work-life balance (or lack thereof), with respondents wondering about the number of hours worked; how much, if any, telecommuting is allowed; and how often their peers end up bringing work home. Others touched on hiring and professional growth, wondering how others stay current; if they have internal or external mentors; what career paths they have taken, etc.
The bulk of the remaining questions fell into three general categories.
First, internal perceptions of the research function:
“LOL. I could write a book on this. How do you manage internal clients? To what extent do you drive the usage of your reports? How do you collect data faster?”
“How important is research in your organization? Are research employees treated the same as other employees within marketing? Do other groups in your organization get/take credit for the insight generation work that you do?”
“How do you *consistently* show your relevance to the company?”
“Where is market research within the corporate structure? Who controls the market research budget? When was the last time you (or the head of the research unit) discussed research implications with executive leadership?”
“How connected are you to the implementation process after the results are presented? Do you stay on as a thought partner/seat at the table? Or does your involvement come to an end? Also, how PROACTIVE in recommending research are you vs. conducting only research your internal clients request of you?”
“How is the information you provide used by your company? What percent of research is proactive and what percent of research is reactive?”
“What are your best practices for gaining influence among your internal clients?”
“What department does market research/consumer insights fall under (marketing, R&D, sales, etc.)? What department would you prefer that insights/research fall under? Which other departments do you work the closest with?”
Second, the act of doing research in today’s tough climate:
“In the current low-cost bid environment, how do you determine what is ‘good enough’ when delivering research results?”
“How do you manage people who want to do their own ad hoc research?”
“How are other client-side researchers faring, managing multiple projects with minimal staff?”
“What kinds of information are your clients more and more interested in these days?”
“What are you doing that is new and delivers accurate results?”
And third, perennial problems that never seem to change:
“What are the most effective ways of communicating conflicting information streams to senior management?”
“As a corporate researcher, how do you handle the interoffice politics of which projects get done when?”
“What do you do when upper management doesn’t seem to have time for a new study you performed? Do you stop producing independent research?”
Finally, one researcher is seeking the answer to a question that’s top-of-mind no matter what your role in the industry is:
“What really is the next big thing in market research?”