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Welcome to the latest edition of 5-Minute Insights, the e-mail newsletter from Steve Wills and Sally Webb at Customer Insight Solutions (CI Solutions). We hope that in the few short minutes that it takes to scan the key messages, you will find snippets that are both informative and stimulating. If you want to find out more, we have provided links to longer articles for some of the insights.

INSIGHT IN PRACTICE

PARETO: TALENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT

This month, we turn our attention to how this principle can be applied to our own innate capabilities. The Pareto Principle suggests that many people may be outstanding at 20% of what they do – but may be average in many other areas.

• Could you be more effective if you spent more time focusing on your key areas of strength?
• Identify the key strengths of different members of your team and start playing to them.
• You may even decide to outsource some of those elements in which none of you excel.

Although you want to develop team members with well-rounded skills, it can be better to develop pockets of expertise rather than to expect everyone to be a ‘jack of all trades’. Why not review how much of your time is spent in areas in which you excel? Extend this exercise to the rest of the team as well, and you could end up being more productive, more effective and more fulfilled.
 
To explore how you can apply the Pareto Principle to your team members’ talents, please click here.

 

GROUP DECISIONS: DON'T ALWAYS PLAY 'FOLLOW MY LEADER'

Groups can often come to poor decisions – as evidenced by the disasters that have beset the US space shuttle programme. Social psychologist, Irving Janis, developed a theory of how this happens, called ‘groupthink’. This occurs when a group is isolated from outside influences and ends up following an authoritarian leader. As a result, the group fails to follow up alternative ideas properly and also fails to assess the risks of the options that are favoured by the leader.

This can also happen in companies at board level; in stakeholder teams with whom we work; in workshops; and in focus groups.

The antidote
Group decision-making can be improved by:

• Developing an open and honest environment
• Promoting criticism and scepticism of all viewpoints
• Astute leadership which seeks the opinions of other people

For more information on how to avoid ‘groupthink’, please click here.

SECURING A BUSINESS MANDATE - IN KIT FORM

How do you set your insight agenda and plan? Beware of working on assumptions. Remember these three points:

• You need a mandate from the business – preferably at board level
• You need to support key decisions
• Set up meetings with your key stakeholders to gain a mandate for your insight plan

One useful idea that can be adapted for use by Insight teams is KIT (Key Intelligence Topics – or for Insight teams, Key Insight Topics). Here are two important aspects:

1. Decisions and/or actions
    -   What decisions are coming up and when? What are the available options?
    -   What specific insight do you need? How might it affect your company?

2. Early warning topics
    -   What changes in the marketplace do you want warning of before they happen?
    -   What issues or trends do you want to be kept up to date with?

To find out more about how KIT can help you to gain a mandate for insight, click here.