The Challenges & Triumphs of Change with James Wycherley

Each month, in “The Challenges & Triumphs of Change”, I speak with a client-side Insight professional about the realities of using Insight to drive change in businesses. 

This month, I spoke to the Insight Management Academy’s (IMA) James Wycherley. The IMA is an organisation that collaborates with client-side Insight Teams to improve the impact of their work.

Given this remit and the breadth of businesses that are IMA members, James offers a broad and unique view into the realities Insight Teams face regarding change. 

For how much of the IMA’s 21 years has helping Insight Teams make change possible been a priority?

Right from the start. The IMA’s core principle is that Insight, when properly harnessed, can be a massive competitive advantage for an organisation. But to do that, Insight must be a strategic asset – and for Insight to be a strategic asset, an organisation must use it.

If Insight can’t drive activity and change how an organisation acts, there’s no reason for an organisation to invest in Insight. To quote something Helen James said when she was at Boots:

“A great insight badly communicated sinks without a trace. Whereas a reasonable insight, brilliantly communicated, spreads like wildfire throughout the organisation.”

And what do you think this means for how Insight Teams need to behave?

It means there must be an acceptance that the way we share Insight is at least as important as the quality of Insight itself.

I think that’s always been a tough message for researchers and analysts to embrace. Because at heart, most market researchers want to discover interesting things about consumers. And most data analysts like finding clever stuff to do with data. 

Do you think there needs to be a shift in mindset in this area?

Currently, I’m talking about the need for people to shift from being Insight Producers to Insight Activists. That shift involves influencing individuals, having a stronger presence in meetings, and broadcasting Insight through storytelling, visualisation, and planned communications.

Does this mean that you feel we should treat Insight management as change management?

There are two levels. Firstly, there’s the concept of driving change by using Insight to do so.

But secondly, it applies to driving change within an Insight Team. Because if we can’t change how our Insight Teams think and behave, then they won’t be able to evolve in line with what’s needed to make an impact in organisations.

Recent advances in both behavioural science and technology have given more knowledge and tools to drive change. But also, businesses are getting more complex. How do you think both are affecting Insight Teams’ ability to drive change?

You can make several strong cases about this. I feel like Insight communication has plateaued or gone backwards over the last couple of years. But it’s hard to prove.

There was growth in Insight resources between 2021 and 2024, which suggests Insight’s impact was increasing.

But that trend feels like it has reversed. And often that means that people revert to the status quo. That means focusing on delivering projects and spending less time developing and testing skills like consultancy, communication, and calculating the ROI on projects.

And what role has the increased use of Insight tools and platforms had on our ability to influence stakeholders?

Better knowledge management systems have helped because their search functionality has improved, which means we need to spend less time editorialising. 

A notable example is how AI adoption has impacted qualitative research. We can now research a market overnight, or within 48 hours, and with video outputs – which is then fabulous for sharing insights at the other end as well.

One of the most interesting examples of AI adoption I’ve heard about is a New Zealand-based company that has built an AI agent to help prioritise the work that an Insight Team does.

It works by taking inputs from previous pieces of work, population sizes, market pools of value, and people’s different skills. The AI then maps that against how an organisation makes its money, and therefore which Insight work to prioritise.

Have you heard of any cases where AI has helped with the skills you mentioned earlier, such as consultancy and how to wield influence?

Yes. There’s a healthcare company in the UK that’s built AI agents to model stakeholders’ reactions to Insight-based recommendations by considering their communication style and how they might challenge the presenter.

This is great because it reflects what management consultants do. They understand senior decision-makers’ motivations and pressures, and what that means for how they engage with them and try to influence their opinion. 

In terms of other skills that help or prevent Insight Teams from driving change, where else can improvements be made?

Earlier this year, Nick Rich talked to Insight leaders who are currently between roles or have recently moved roles. One thing Nick asked them was which skills they wished, in hindsight, they had. They frequently mentioned commercial awareness, influencing decision makers, communicating insight, and consultancy skills.

A bigger challenge – with relevance outside of our sector – is that people’s default is to continue doing what they were doing yesterday. That means we often focus on improving what we already do, rather than improving by doing something new.

As you think about how the IMA will evolve, what will you be doing to help Insight Teams drive change and be more influential?

Well, our present focus is to cut through the current noise and uncertainty and get people to think about what Insight Teams are here to do.

Part of the challenge is that AI and technology are moving so fast, with no obvious endpoint to how they’ll develop. And naturally, this creates concern about career security. 

But one simple view is this. Whatever happens with AI, there will be organisations that want financial success. And for that success to be sustainable, it’ll have to be based on systematic insight.

This means that Insight Teams need to focus on what they can do for their organisation rather than the other way round.

 I see the IMA’s role in this as two-fold. And in some ways, it’s easier to describe the role that we’ll have in a few years’ time. Because once AI is a bit more developed, I think organisations will want to understand what structure, infrastructure, culture, and capability they need in order to be – and remain – Insight-driven organisations in the future.

The more near-term challenge is to work with Insight Leaders and their teams to help them shape that definition of an Insight-driven organisation, and the development and decisions that follow from it.