Intuition versus data
Jeff Bezos said, “If it comes down to intuition, then mine wins. If you want to change it produce and provide data to shift the argument.”
Every day we make decisions based on ‘gut feel’ or intuition. We see things that look like what we’ve seen before and we act in a way that we believe will lead to the right outcome. It’s how we’ve always operated (and survived!). There are a lot of times when this sort of decision-making will win out. And it’s expedient.
However, complex situations aren’t always easily interpreted and answers aren’t easy to predict. Data and insights are required to come up with great strategies that go against a leaders or managers intuition. It’s important that within your own teams you work out how to come up with data and insights that validates, supports, or contradicts your ideas and work so that it explains to others why your approach is the right one or needs changing. Operating without this tends to lead to decisions being made solely by someone with greater hierarchical power. It doesn’t make it right.
Consider
Where do you need more data to support your current idea? Who needs to see the data and what decisions need to be made?
Additional Insights
A probabilistic perspective
Use your data to be more agile
Beforecasting
