Context is King – 3 reasons why Nick Faldo is right!
Research in the Age of Intelligence depends on context. Without it, we gain only insights; with it, research becomes actionable intelligence.
The world of research has entered the Age of Intelligence, and the more context, the more return on intelligence! Context is what makes research meaningful. Without it, we're just left with insights. With it, research becomes intelligence that drives action.
Sport gives us a perfect way of seeing this in action, with over half of US sports fans saying real-time statistics improve the viewing experience. But whilst numbers and models improve enjoyment, do they capture the full picture without context?
Golf has the answers, rich with moments where pressure, history and emotion transform the meaning of a statistic: a six-foot putt is just a six-foot putt on paper, but in the Ryder Cup it becomes a test of nerve, memory and expectation. That’s why a Capgemini algorithm became such a talking point last weekend, and why a comment by none other than Nick Faldo cut right to the heart of the matter.
Let’s play it back
As the sun set over Bethpage Black, the Ryder Cup was on a knife edge. Europe were slipping, and Team USA were on the charge.
Just hours earlier, Capgemini’s ‘Outcome IQ’ (a tool that predicts who is more likely to win) gave Europe an 80% chance of victory. Now, with only three matches left, the odds had narrowed to 55% Europe, 45% USA.
Europe did win in the end, but that’s not important! In fact, it was Nick Faldo’s critique of the algorithm that stole the show: “The data can run the stats, but it can’t feel the weight of the occasion, the crowd rising, the history of the Ryder Cup, or the trembling in a player’s hands.”
And Faldo is right. He was unknowingly making the case that context is what turns raw data into real intelligence:
Context layering – the same putt feels very different on Friday morning than it does on Sunday afternoon
Creative empathy – no statistic can capture the nerves of standing over a six-footer with abuse getting hurled at you by thousands of Americans!
Individual context – every player carries their own scars and doubts onto the course
So, stepping away from the fairways of Bethpage and into the world of B2B research, there are three reasons why he isn’t wrong when thinking about context in market research:
1. Context layering
Decisions aren’t just made in the moment; they’re shaped by yesterday and tomorrow. What’s more is the mix of rational, emotional and impulsive factors that drive why a decision-maker acts one way or another.
In business, a ‘no’ isn’t always the end of the story. More often it means “not right now”, “we’re tied up with another supplier” or “I’m not the right person to decide on this”.
When we layer in the human aspects (cultural, emotional, historical and personal) we start to uncover the truth behind decisions, and how we can help our clients respond in a way that adds value.
2. Creative empathy
Data shows us what’s happening, but it doesn’t show us how it feels for the people making decisions.
Creative empathy means putting ourselves in their shoes. A procurement lead hearing ‘innovation’ might quietly hear ‘risk’. A CEO hearing ‘resilience’ might think ‘extra cost’. When we interpret data with empathy, we turn numbers into insights that reveal the meaning behind them.
Practically speaking, this means going beyond a traditional ‘quant vs qual’ mindset. So, the next time a brief comes in, don’t start by asking which methods to use – start by framing it as a problem to solve, and then pick the methods that best support it.
3. Individual (client) context
True return on intelligence isn’t just about answering a client’s brief. We Live Context talks in depth about digging deeper to uncover the realities behind it. Fundamentally it is about digging deeper to uncover the realities behind the problem:
Understanding how the organisation operates, and its broader strategic pressures
Paying attention to the needs, motivations and risk perceptions of the individuals involved, and how this problem manifests for them as individuals
Knowing who will use the findings, how they’ll be applied, and how they can extend beyond the insights team to support leaders across the business
When we anchor insights in client context, research stops being a deck that gathers dust and becomes a tool for action. It anticipates the commercial, political and human dynamics that matter to the stakeholders making the big calls.
The final stroke
And that’s why Faldo’s throwaway remark resonates far beyond the Ryder Cup. Algorithms and models are powerful, but they don’t feel the weight of history, the swell of emotion, or the personal stakes of the moment. In business, as in sport, those things matter.
Context is what transforms research from numbers into intelligence, from observation into strategy. It’s the difference between predicting outcomes and shaping them. And for our clients, that’s where the real value lies.
