Abstract:

The early research industry was experimental, experiential and built around key individuals' skills. It is now far too often a 'process' with rules and procedures, resulting in a commoditised context for purchase, use and evaluation. The process has become the product, and the essence of the industry's offering - valid, valuable and insightful/actionable research findings - has been superseded by a blind belief that regulation is the measure of quality and that compliance is more important than creativity. Using the phraseology of neuro-linguistic programming, the map has become the territory.