Research is conducted to decrease risks associated with decisions and its success is commensurate with the degree it successfully
influenced the outcome. Therefore, the more is shared about the decision to be made, e.g. larger (business) context for a research topic,
decision alternatives, and how real-life results aligned with the research forecast, the easier it will be for other organizations to assess
the applicability of said outcomes in their own context.
While shareable aspect may vary, the following should always be considered.
Choose the research objective with the end in mind: focus on and explicitly state the decisions the research project supports.
Understanding the business impact, for example, will help guide the researcher to ask more relevant research questions, prioritizing
precision, speed, and effort. It will also help link to link the variables research can directly measure (e.g. time saved) to variables derived
(e.g. cost saved)
Equally important is how research results are shared. Reports and other forms of communicating results need to begin with a narrative
that establishes the relevance of results and linking them directly to the business outcomes (e.g. value of scrap decreased expressed in
$). Sharing actionable insights, not just data, that will help answer the “now what?” type of questions is equally valuable. Lastly, tools that
help to tell a story (demos, trying various devices or applications) will further influence the audience for research results.
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