The Ostrich Approach
(originally posted October 28, 2014 http://www.5oclockreflections.com/the-ostrich-approach/)
We tend to treat anecdotal evidence as research. We reach out to those that know us well, those that will give us the answers we are looking for and validate our beliefs. We then generalize these findings to a larger population, as we walk away patting ourselves on the back, for a job well done.
Good research takes time. Data should be collected with an eye on methodology and we should really reach out to those that will tell us what we need to hear – not what we want to hear. When we take the easy route, our strategies come up short and the outcomes are far from desirable. We then categorize research as being useless, pretty much in the same manner a carpenter blames his tools.
The question remains: do we really seek the truth? Or do we prefer to bury our heads in the sand and seek to confirm our own beliefs? As George Carman eloquently suggested, if one buries their head in the sand, all that’s left to see are the thinking parts……
About Hemant Rustogi