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Beyond data and insights, we seek to understand…

Using Market Research to Create Compelling Thought Leadership and Earn Industry Respect Lisa Huck, Director, Global Research, Plantronics Vickie Cole, Director, Technology Research, Decision Analyst Inc. Beyond data and insights, we seek to understand…. The pathway to thought leadership

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Beyond data and insights, we seek to understand…

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  1. Using Market Research to Create Compelling Thought Leadership and Earn Industry RespectLisa Huck, Director, Global Research, PlantronicsVickie Cole, Director, Technology Research, Decision Analyst Inc.

  2. Beyond data and insights, we seek to understand… The pathway to thought leadership Reacting to industry analysts and thought leaders leaves a company to play “catch up”. Becoming a thought leader allows a company to develop ahead of the curve. The business case for “pure research” Before you can worry about how to develop and market your products, you have to know some basics. There may not be an immediate and obvious project use for the data, but what you learn can guide programs The meaning of an authentic partnership Authentic partnership extends far beyond simple project cooperation and collaboration. What is required for two entities to form a long-term, symbiotic relationship?

  3. Background

  4. Situation And Research Goal • That technological advances in communication have changed our world and our workplace is beyond question. However, some have gone so far as to proclaim that email or text communication is actually preferred over voice, a position we felt should be investigated. • Taking a “pure research” position, we devised a research plan to compare and contrast communication modes, and gauge their relative value to Team Knowledge Workers in both business and personal situations.

  5. Population • Team Knowledge Workers (TKWs) who are communications-reliant • Enterprise employees in medium and large size companies (100+) who typically work within/across teams for business collaboration and communicate in a variety of ways UK Germany China US India • For this presentation, only U.S. results are discussed Australia

  6. Nomenclature

  7. Definitions

  8. Methodology

  9. 3D Approach • Discovery (2 weeks) • Core Team Orientation, Problem Definition, Knowledge Gap Assessment, Analytic Planning • Deployment (7 weeks) • Survey Design & Development, Survey Fielding, Data Analysis • Focus Group Planning, Focus Group Fielding, Insights Development • Data Synthesis, Story Telling, Report Design • Dissemination (5 weeks) • Internal Reviews, Opportunity Workshops, Regional Presentations • External Debriefs, Thought Leadership, Marketing Communications

  10. Architecture

  11. Survey Qualification • All Respondents • At least 18 years of age • Not competitively employed • Employed full-time • At current position at least 1 year • Minimum company size of 100 employees • Part of and work within/across teams—the work output is a team product • Regularly use a computer or mobile device • Use each communication mode

  12. Segmentation Analysis (a priori) Significant statistical differences between these segments, among others, are identified in the detailed findings if they are meaningful (i.e., relevant to the objectives)

  13. Sample Profile

  14. The sample skews toward large firms Company Size Soft Quota: At least 25% of TKWs in the U.S. who work for very large size companies of 1000+ in size Q: Approximately how many employees work in your organization, including all locations? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  15. Managers represent more than half the sample (56%) Job Title Soft Quotas: At least 50% of TKWs are managers or above;At least 10% of the managers are executives – VPs or above Average Years with Company Executives 15% Quota: At least 1 year with the company Managers To Executives 41% Below Managers 44% Q: Which of the following best describes your job responsibilities (even if it is not your job title)? / How long have you held your current position? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  16. A mix of work environments and team types are represented Work Location (Quotas: A mix of work environments and team structures) Proximity To Team Members Q: Which of the following best describes your primary work location? / Thinking of the team you typically work with, are the team members…? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  17. “Remote” Team Knowledge Workers are 16% of the sample Percent of Team Knowledge Workers Who are “Remote" (Soft Quota: At least 15% of TKWs who areaway from the office at least half their time on business) Remote Team Knowledge Workers (R-TKWs) Percent of Time Spent Off-Site See Quota 20% of those working in companies with 1,000+ employees work remotely at least 50% of the time Q: Which of the following best describes how much of your work is conducted off-site, that is , away from your company’s office location? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  18. Quantitative Insights

  19. More than half all Team Knowledge Workers are heavy business phone users Weekly Average Phone Use For Business Light Business Phone Users = 22% Moderate Business Phone Users = 25% R-TKWs and executives spend more time than their counterparts on the telephone for business calls–both for an average of 13 hours per week Heavy Business Phone Users = 53% Q: In an average week, about how many hours do you spend on the telephone for business calls? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  20. Managers & Executives have the highest level of involvement in all types of C&C events; brainstorming/ideation is the most common Involvement in Communication & Collaboration Events Highly/Moderately Involved Summary Involvement is significantly higher among managers and executives for all types of communication and collaboration events Q: How involved are you personally in the following types of communication and collaboration events at work? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  21. More than half all TKWs participate in large meetings (10+ people), cross-team meetings, and remote meetings, most weeks or every week Meeting Participation At Work Every Week/Most Weeks Summary Significantly more managers and above report more frequent participation levels for all the meetings listed Q: In a typical week, how often do you participate in the following types of meetings at work? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  22. VOICE & VOICE PLUS is more important to most TKW’s overall success & productivity than TEXT Importance Of Communication Type To TKW’s Overall Success And Productivity Critical/Very Important Summary T V V More executives (54%) than others say phone calls are critical/very important to their overall success and productivity V+ V+ T T V+ T Q: How important to your overall success and productivity are each of the following types of communication? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  23. TEXT is rarely the preferred method of communication; VOICE is the preferred alternate to in-person in most cases Text is preferred by more TKWs below managerial level Communication Method Most Preferred for Work-Related Collaboration 23% 37% 34% 39% 46% 49% 40% Those Highly Involved In Activities 50% On-site TKWs report higher preference for face-to-face meetings than R-TKWs Mission-Critical Deals/ Decision Making Brainstorm/ Ideation Session Complex/ Detailed/ Technical Dialogs Event/ Project Planning Investment-/ Expense- Related Discussions Strategically Important Dialogs Group Presentations Status Updates Q: For each of the following work-related business communication and collaboration events, please tell us which communication option (in-person, voice, voice plus, or text) you most prefer. Base: Highly Involved With Work-Related Business Communication And Collaboration Events (n=Varies; 161-274); Confidence Interval = +/- 6% Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  24. TEXT is preferred by half all TKWs for brief, personal updates; VOICE is most preferred for long, casual conversations Preferred Communication Options For Non-Work-Related Events Total Respondents 20% 29% 51% Text 46% 47% Voice Plus 49% Voice 37% In Person Brief communications/ updates Event planning (bridal shower, etc.) Long, casual communications Date/Event planning (dinner, etc.) Important/ Urgent communications To resolve a misunderstanding Sensitive communications Even for non-work-related events, text is preferred by more TKWs below managerial level, and voice is preferred by on-site workers Q: For each of the following non-work-related business communication and collaboration events, please tell us which communication option (in-person, voice, voice plus, or text) you most prefer. Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  25. Executive TKWs would give up TEXT over VOICE, if forced to make the choice Preferred Communication Option: Forced-Choice Situation Would Give Up TEXT before VOICE VOICE TEXT Executives are more likely than others to give up TEXT before VOICE Q: If given a choice for personal and work communications, would you rather give up voice or text-based communications for a month? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  26. More than half all TKWs have increased their reliance on email, IM, social media, SMS/MMS, and conferencing in the past 5 years Change In Communications Compared To Five Years Ago Increased Dramatically/Somewhat Summary Net VOICE = 73% Net VOICE PLUS = 75% Net TEXT = 90% Q: Compared to five years ago, how has your usage of the following types of communication changed? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  27. VOICE is perceived to be more beneficial than TEXT in terms of ease of use, comfort, real-time response & assurance Benefits Of VOICE vs TEXT: Top-2-Box Agreement VOICE TEXT More executives (91%) than others agree that voice is the “best way to get an answer in real time” Q: How much do you agree or disagree that the following statements describe VOICE /TEXT communications? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  28. VOICE is perceived to be more beneficial than TEXT in terms of immediacy, attention, clarity & intelligibility Benefits Of VOICE vs TEXT: Top-2-Box Agreement VOICE TEXT More executives than others agree that voice “gets their immediate attention” (94%), gets the attention of others (89%), and reduces uncertainty (87%) Q: How much do you agree or disagree that the following statements describe VOICE /TEXT communications? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  29. VOICE is perceived to be more beneficial than TEXT in terms of connectivity, efficiency, relationship building; TEXT is more “fun” Benefits Of VOICE vs TEXT: Top-2 Box Agreement VOICE TEXT More Gen X-ers and Boomers (63% each) than others agree that text is the “best tool for staying connected with my team” Q: How much do you agree or disagree that the following statements describe VOICE /TEXT communications? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  30. TKWs in distributed teams experience the most email-related communication issues Email Communication Issues Experienced In The Past Year Those in Distributed Teams have more issues with Email than others Q: Which of the following text-based communication issues, if any, have you experienced in the last year? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  31. TKWs in distributed teams experience the most IM/SMS text-related communication issues IM/SMS Text Communication Issues Experienced In The Past Year Those in Distributed Teams have more issues with IM/SMS than others Q: Which of the following text-based communication issues, if any, have you experienced in the last year? Base: Total Respondents (n=302); Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level Source: Plantronics How We Work Study, June 2010

  32. Qualitative Insights

  33. TEXT and VOICE & VOICE PLUS have distinct roles • TEXT • Preferred for tactical, non-urgent information sharing (not exchange) such as updates and scheduling • Considered non-intrusive • Can be composed/read when convenient • Allows careful/accurate documentation to “close the loop” or to “detail instructions” • VOICE & VOICE PLUS • Preferred for important, urgent, and sensitive information • Considered effective for building camaraderie with new and high-performance teams • Allows communicators to ask/answer questions and probe more fully, mitigating risk of miscommunication • Conveys messaging nuances (“vocal cues”) enabling faster communication • Provides assurance that those who require information are “in the know”

  34. Meaningful dimensions of VOICE (driving preference) are Urgency, Complexity, and Emotion Urgency low VOICE Preferred high TEXTPreferred low low Complexity Emotion

  35. Prominent media coverage of results • “How We Work: Communication Trends of Business Professionals” featured in…. …and more!

  36. More on “How We Work” • Multimedia toolswww.plantronics.com/north_america/en_US/howwework • Facebook pollwww.facebook.com/Plantronics#!/Plantronics?v=app_164025026943346 • How We Work conversationhttp://ucblog.plantronics.com

  37. Takeaways

  38. Beyond data and insights… The pathway to thought leadership • Position and empower Research, and expect success • Rigor, quality, and insights are table stakes; the story is the edge • Disseminate collectively • Research + PR, design, digital marketing, channel, sales, and the C-suite The business case for “pure research” • Often overlooked in favor of applied research • Non-obvious short-term payoff but can produce significant gains • Fundamental learning frameworks, revenue opportunities, etc The meaning of an authentic partnership • Alignment on values and beliefs • Empathy and sensitivity to boundaries • Mutual growth goals

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