From a dining room table to 25 years of insight: Part 2 - What has stayed the same

What began at a dining room table has grown into a company that has partnered with clients across industries, continents and eras of change. Looking back, we asked ourselves: What has changed? And just as importantly: What has stayed the same?

Even though the last 25 years has seen change with the digital revolution, high-speed fibre connectivity, paper questionnaires to digital platforms, dusty storage rooms to limitless cloud archives, we have seen five fundamentals have remained central to how we work.

What has stayed the same?

1. Deep client understanding

Meaningful research begins with understanding a client’s world — their challenges, their ambitions, the realities of their business and why they need the research. Valuable work is built on good relationships and collaboration.

2. Quality at every stage

Regardless of methodology or approach, the principle remains unchanged: garbage in, garbage out. High-quality data collection and rigorous processes are non-negotiable.

3. Customisation

Even companies in the same sector have unique needs. We’ve never believed in forcing clients into rigid frameworks. Our work has always been customised to our client’s challenges, markets and context.

4. Actionable insights

The language has changed over the years — recommendations, insights, take-outs, implications — but the goal has not. Research must enable decisions, direction and action.

5. Representative samples

Whether studying a community, an organisation or a customer base, representation is critical. Insights must accurately represent the people, issues and environments our clients serve.

The tools, timelines and technologies may have transformed dramatically over the past 25 years. But the heart of research — understanding people, supporting decisions and helping organisations act with insight — has stayed the same.

Here’s to the next 25 years of learning, adapting and partnering with clients on their knowledge and insights journey

Book a consultation to gain actionable insights for your business strategy.

Call Marylou Kneale on 082 807 4043 or az.oc.stcafgnivil@elaenk.uolyraM or Heidi Clowes on 082 562 9111 az.oc.stcafgnivil@sewolc.idieH