Tiny Teams Insight Series: How Not To Be Lonely
In preparation for this series, I interviewed several Tiny Team leads – many of whom were (or had previously been) the only insight person within their organisation. It re-affirmed the impact these teams can have as an integral part of their decision-making structures: no-one I spoke to described himself as a service provider and they tended to feel genuine ownership for the organisational outcomes they were supporting.
But I wondered; do they ever feel lonely?
Actually, not really. But there was one downside several confirmed: having no-one there in-person to bounce research ideas around with. All those ad hoc, ‘in the moment’ questions that pop up when thinking through a new challenge, from which agencies to approach with a brief or what budget to set, to choosing a subject line for a survey invite. In other words, queries that are either too small, or not appropriate to call up an external company about, and that are too research-specific to talk to a non-researcher about. And beyond those little issues and queries, we all know that when you find a terrific sparring partner, it can be incredibly empowering – ideas are built on and get stronger, and sometimes healthy risks are taken that might not have been contemplated before.
While much of this is about functional collaboration, I felt there could also be an emotional dimension – a missing ability to check in with others who ‘get it’.
Since all those I spoke to were very experienced, they had developed mechanisms to address this, and have permitted me to share their wisdom. If, as a Tiny Team you miss being able to bounce ideas around with other researchers or insight people, here are some ideas you can try:
1. Join AURA. A fantastic value networking community of cross-sector insight people, many from tiny teams. It runs events on best practice and has an online forum for ad hoc queries.
2. Schedule non-project chats. Perhaps once a month, invite an agency to a breakfast chat (or afternoon tea!) outside of a specific project. Most will be flattered to be asked and delighted to connect with you without the pressure of project deadlines. You could also take advantage of being at a conference to connect informally in this way.
3. Find an insight mentor. The MRS and WiRE both run schemes.
4. ‘Borrow’ an insight sparring partner. Use some of your budget to bring on board an experienced freelancer – an extra pair of hands who can project manage your tracker/customer experience programme/whatever and spend time in your office. Insight Angels provides support along these lines or try the ICG. For specific expertise, some find reaching out via LinkedIn to be an effective way to find support.
5. Set up a group for insight professionals within your sector. One person I interviewed had established a group drawn from different organisations within her industry – they met regularly to discuss sector challenges and kept in touch via email. This could also be topic- rather than sector-specific: in my past client-side life, we convened networking sessions on customer closeness and NPS best practice. There is some overlap here with the purpose of AURA, so it’s worth checking first if they offer something similar to what you’re looking for.
6. Connect at the right events. While of course there is a plethora of conferences and training to choose from, tiny teams have to be selective about how they spend their time out of the office. The experienced insight leads I interviewed were complimentary about the Market Insight Forum run by Richmond Events for its great networking vibe and the opportunity to chat with several agencies in a single day.
Perhaps you’ve already tried some of these or used other approaches and tools to achieve that sometimes-missing connection. We’d love to hear what else you do!
With thanks to Ric Tizard, Viv Harrison, Becky Loftus and Ruth Hinton for their valued input.