“Research That Scales” by Kate Towsey: The Seminal, Game-Changing Guide to ResearchOps
Setting up a new research function can feel overwhelming. This enormous task is now easier because Kate Towsey has, quite literally, just written the book on it.
Research That Scales (published September 2023 by Rosenfeld Media) provides a thought-provoking, structured path to building and scaling ResearchOps. Full of real-world examples, it certainly deserves the descriptor of “handbook:” Chapters 1-4 provide a rich foundational understanding, and Chapters 5-12 detail the eight elements of ResearchOps. But this book is far more than a step-by-step guide. Here are three examples:
First, Kate grounds her premise in clear definitions. Any book that begins by defining and not simply throwing out buzzwords has got my attention. Kate makes sure we’re aligned on the weighty concepts of “scale” and “strategy,” in service to the goal of operational maturity. The first chapters situate the task in a broader context, which culminates in the introduction of The ResearchOps Planning Matrix, “a 10,000 foot view of what you'll need to do to deliver operations that are sustainable and, therefore, scalable."
Second, Kate takes a stand on a controversial topic in the research field: How do we measure impact? There’s a popular view that we can base research impact on the increase (or decrease) of strategic business metrics, because research insights were responsible for the decisions to pursue lucrative product launches or tweaks (or scrap the failures). Such an approach leaves out a myriad of other disciplines whose work contributed to these decisions. How can we unproblematically demonstrate our impact? Kate says it best (in Chapter 2): “While you can’t easily measure the point or gravity of research impact, you can measure engagement with your operating systems.” Skeptical? She has a whole chapter on how to do it (Chapter 10, Money and Metrics).
Third, Kate provides eye-opening clarity as to how ResearchOps is situated in the context of other well-established disciplines. There's no need to reinvent the wheel. What we do to make research operational has long traditions in knowledge management (collecting and classifying information), finance (budgeting and metrics), marketing (creating an engagement strategy), and so on. This reminds us to tap into existing expertise rather than start from scratch. In the process, we also hire those who bring the right skills, and build positive working relationships with colleagues in other disciplines.
Had this book existed when I first undertook the task of building a research team, it would have fundamentally changed my experience. I highly recommend this book to anyone facing such a challenge. In fact, any professional - researcher or not - will gain valuable insight into the magnitude of work required to reach operational excellence.
(This review was also posted on Amazon.com)
