I don’t know about you, but I have never considered myself a qualitative or quantitative researcher. This may be because I started my career client side but I have always thought of myself as a business person, trying to work in or with companies and government to make better decisions (with their customers/constituents in mind). Often, how we collect the information required to make better decisions has not mattered (primary and secondary), as long as it is collected ethically, accurately, with quality in mind and has more than a sprinkling of analysis and thinking added in.

This has led me (and many of you I am sure) to all sorts of information and data collection methods including ‘desk research’ (a term now only used by those of us that can remember work before the internet). I am excited at the opportunities for our profession operating in the so-called ‘Google age’ because the potential appears endless (or, in other words, I am finding it hard to keep up J), as long as we choose to evolve and be part of it.

The world we are living in includes new potential competitors and contributors to primary research – along with new applications like Pinterest, Gentlemint and Instagram that may well play a role in research, given that they show us photos and imagery people all around the world choose to represent a word or a brand. The problem is we don’t exactly know who thinks what and why they think this and geographic boundaries rarely exist.

Google and the many new competitors may need our help in making sure these new tools are useful not only as methods of collecting data but also provide the analysis and thinking that I mentioned above. New companies and professionals need our advice and input to ensure ethics, quality and privacy are considered, so that long term they can continue to be useful. They don’t know what they don’t know yet, but our profession knows very well how to collect information in a reliable and high quality manner. 

I recently completed a business-to-business survey that was sent to me from one of the new competitors in primary research and believe me when I say they could do with some advice on the principles of basic questionnaire design.

One important consequence of the Google world in which we live is the expectation of speed. We are expecting everything faster than ever before but I am not sure that commercial decisions are being made at the same pace.

Leading from the front

Sir Gustav Nossal, a great Australian leader, scientist, thinker and our Y2K Australian of the Year defined strong leadership as having “the courage, creativity and capacity to inspire participation, development and sustainability for a strong community."

During my career, I have been lucky enough to witness inspiring people such as John Shanahan, Angus Reid, Sally Joubert, Greg Wayman and Derek Leddie set up, lead and then take on the world and win showing amazing leadership qualities including courage and creativity (mentioned above). I am enjoying watching the Australian Research Client Advisory Board demonstrate client leadership.  I have watched Jason Buchanan and Brian Fine in Australia show leadership in the online panel space, bravely challenging traditional thinking and inspiring participation in online research. I have watched Jem Wallace, Bala Rajan and Jane Chapman continually reinvent qualitative research.  All of this makes me feel proud about our profession and inspires me to do the same. 

Having watched and learned from those that I have worked with or watched from afar, I would add to Mr Nossal’s list my own top 5 leadership qualities; integrity, self awareness, delegation skills, a strong sense of vision and above all a good sense of humour (especially the ability to laugh at yourself when it counts). 

There appears no set, agreed criteria for being a good leader and people are always quick to criticize from afar however, if you want to be a leader be sure to grow some think skin and be confident in your ability to meet the challenges that will come your way, but also know when it’s time to listen and learn yourself.

Everyone has a different idea of what makes a good leader so who are the most inspiring leaders that you have worked with and what did they teach you?

Is anyone feeling crowded out there?

If your local pub, shopping centre, streets and roads are feeling a little crowded lately, it may be because the world has just ticked over to a new era.  As of October 31^st 2011 there are now 7 billion people sharing the Earth’s land and resources (Source: UN Population Fund).  According to demographers, the earth hit 1 billion people in 1804 (how did they count?), and then it took 123 years to hit the 2 billion mark before the pace accelerated, 5 billion in 1987 and 6 billion in 1998.  We all know how hard forecasts are to make, however the UN are forecasting 8 billion people on the planet by 2025.

The majority of population growth since the 1950’s has come from so called “developing nations” which is everywhere except, Europe, North America, Japan and Australia/NZ.  There are obviously massive social implications of population growth including strains on energy, food prices, environmental stresses and almost 1 billion under-nourished. But let’s be self absorbed  for a minute and think of the impact of this on the market and social research profession.

Will there be a greater demand for social research and polling?

Will there be more opportunities for sharing our technique expertise in other countries?

Will there be opportunities for quality and ethics information transfer?

Will there be even more data collected and needing analysis?

Will segmentations that identify key motivations and drivers exist across geographic boundaries or at all?

Will there be more or less roles for market and social researchers that can brief, design, collect, analyse, interpret and communicate impactful stories in this new era?

What challenges lie ahead of our profession in making sense of the data, big or small?

Your guess is as good as mine here however it is clear that the overarching population trends will impact marketing, consumers, citizens and therefore research.  The global shifts in GDP power, technology and digitization, a more empowered consumer and escalating privacy concerns will continue to throw up challenges and we need to continue our evolution as a profession working closely both locally and keeping connected internationally.

In 2004 when James Surowiecki published The Wisdom of Crowds he caused quite a stir within market and social research; a stir that is still being debated seven years later. In the book, Surowiecki argued that ‘the many' are smarter than ‘the few'. He presented case studies to show how collective wisdom shapes business and economies. In short, he proposes that the aggregation of information from groups results in better decisions being made that those made by any single member of the group. I don't want to debate here whether this is right or wrong for research, but I do believe that getting input from lots of AMSRS members on a range of topics is leading to better decision making for the Society as a collective.

Our strategy is to listen, discuss and consider how far our finances can stretch - and then act with all of our members' best interests in mind. We are working to get more members' voices heard and examples of this include:

• The QPMR review in August was undertaken by a fresh set of members with both clients and suppliers represented. Thank you to Kathy Benson for getting that ball rolling with her simple post on LinkedIn.
• We involved members in a discussion about the key messages we should present on massive banners to promote the profession, which will be displayed on the exterior of the Sydney Town Hall this week.
• Members also have a chance this month to have your say on the new draft constitution. The draft will be emailed to all AMSRS members in September and we are hoping for wide-ranging member feedback.
• There has been member feedback on the structure of the Research Effectiveness Awards, which has resulted in more award categories. Check out both the news story and double page spread in this edition of Research News (http://www.amsrs.com.au/index.cfm?a=detail&id=8512&eid=402), which pre-empts the launch of 2012 Awards at the conference. I am particularly excited about the new Young Researcher's Award. Mark your calendar now on 24 May 2012 for the Gala Awards night in Sydney.
• We are taking action on the request for more educational features in Research News and the theme of next month's edition is ‘continuing education'.

Listen, discuss and consider what we can do, make sure you have a say.

If you didn’t see the Gruen Transfer last night, you should check it out - http://www.abc.net.au/tv/gruentransfer/theshow.htm

For a while now, I have been whining about the fact that the Advertising Industry is not listening to research as its considered boring and gets in the way of creativity.  Last night my 2 favourite panelists, Todd and Russel showed me may be wrong or things are changing.  Both these guys lead major Ad Agencies in Australia and they really spoke about how valuable research can be in the marketing process, ROI, avoiding costly mistakes etc etc.  They disagreed with other panelists that started down the well worn track that research stifles creativity and just tells you what you already know. 

I thought that was great and good on you Todd Sampson and Russel Howcroft for helping the cause of those that know.  Research done correctly is a great investment and working in partnership with Ad Agencies is productive!

If you didn’t see the Gruen Transfer last night, you should check it out - http://www.abc.net.au/tv/gruentransfer/theshow.htm

For a while now, I have been whining about the fact that the Advertising Industry is not listening to research as its considered boring and gets in the way of creativity.  Last night my 2 favourite panelists, Todd and Russel showed me may be wrong or things are changing.  Both these guys lead major Ad Agencies in Australia and they really spoke about how valuable research can be in the marketing process, ROI, avoiding costly mistakes etc etc.  They disagreed with other panelists that started down the well worn track that research stifles creativity and just tells you what you already know. 

I thought that was great and good on you Todd Sampson and Russel Howcroft for helping the cause of those that know.  Research done correctly is a great investment and working in partnership with Ad Agencies is productive!

Like many others, I spend lots of time travelling, something I feel extremely lucky to do.  Last month I was lucky enough to fly between Toronto and Chicago and by chance I was introduced to Porter Airlines.  Being an ignorant Australian J, I had never heard of Porter, who I understand is a Canadian privately owned Airline who are really having a go and providing a different airline experience. 

I could not believe how pleasant it was.

1.       Purchasing the ticket online was easy and the flight was fantastic value

2.       You leave from downtown Toronto so close from work to the airport.

3.       You take a 3 minute pleasant ferry ride to the terminal

4.       You walk into the terminal and it looks like the Qantas Chairmans lounge but less stuffy. Food, drinks, lounges, fast wifi and very comfy

5.       You walk on to the plane, met by really well presented staff

6.       Once they take off, they come and give you a neat snack and offer a drink in a glass (all free of charge)

7.       They ask if you want a refill

8.       They take away the rubbish without grumbling

9.       You land at Chicago Midway, luggage appears within minutes and you are in a cab and almost in downtown Chicago quickly.

In a time when Airlines are going bust, making cuts, trying to achieve loyalty, spending $ on everything, I wonder if anyone has stopped and really tried to understand the business traveller experience.  Porter are doing an amazing job and I would bet their customer sat scores reflect this.  Everyone I spoke to after that flight told me that Porter were great.  Great experiences, leading to great word of mouth, leading to great loyalty.  Simple – right?  

Like many others, I spend lots of time travelling, something I feel extremely lucky to do.  Last month I was lucky enough to fly between Toronto and Chicago and by chance I was introduced to Porter Airlines.  Being an ignorant Australian J, I had never heard of Porter, who I understand is a Canadian privately owned Airline who are really having a go and providing a different airline experience. 

I could not believe how pleasant it was.

1.       Purchasing the ticket online was easy and the flight was fantastic value

2.       You leave from downtown Toronto so close from work to the airport.

3.       You take a 3 minute pleasant ferry ride to the terminal

4.       You walk into the terminal and it looks like the Qantas Chairmans lounge but less stuffy. Food, drinks, lounges, fast wifi and very comfy

5.       You walk on to the plane, met by really well presented staff

6.       Once they take off, they come and give you a neat snack and offer a drink in a glass (all free of charge)

7.       They ask if you want a refill

8.       They take away the rubbish without grumbling

9.       You land at Chicago Midway, luggage appears within minutes and you are in a cab and almost in downtown Chicago quickly.

In a time when Airlines are going bust, making cuts, trying to achieve loyalty, spending $ on everything, I wonder if anyone has stopped and really tried to understand the business traveller experience.  Porter are doing an amazing job and I would bet their customer sat scores reflect this.  Everyone I spoke to after that flight told me that Porter were great.  Great experiences, leading to great word of mouth, leading to great loyalty.  Simple – right?  

This never-ending thirst for learning by people within our profession is something that continues to amaze me. Our profession is coming out of a tough few years in business and yet our professional development program (PDP) and conference numbers have never been stronger. The AMSRS Winter School last month comprised of eight different workshops and they were all near sellouts. We work hard at AMSRS to continue to innovate and improve the scope and quality of professional development and my thanks always to PDP gurus Bob White and John Scott for their great work in improving things constantly.

I recently watched an interview with Lindsey Buckingham, legendary guitarist and male lead singer of the musical group Fleetwood Mac, during which he was asked how the band had remained so popular for so long, despite all the turmoil, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle. He responded by saying ‘if you are any good at all you know that you can do better'.
And maybe that is the reason we continue to come to together to learn.

Long live our thirst for learning and wanting to do better. It will assure us a role in the future of business.

We have another opportunity to learn coming up with Conference 2011 being held at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney 7-9 September. There is an amazing line up of speaker and papers: six keynote speakers including Sheila Keegan and Matt Church; seven invited speakers including Iggy Pintado and the amazing Caz Tebbutt; interwoven amongst a host of fantastic papers written by our members from around Australia. The icing on the cake will be Dr Karl's breakfast hangover cure session on the final morning and Wil Anderson's closing session. Conference Chair Suz Allen and her committee have done a wonderful job again this year so if you have not already done so, check out what's in store at http://amsrs2011.sb4.com.au/