Building an insights engine
研究发现，成功企业通过构建由结构、人员和流程组成的“洞察引擎”，将数据转化为可执行的战略，并具备七项关键运营特征和三项人员特质，以消费品巨头联合利华为案例。
The most successful companies don’t just have good products and strong distribution systems—they have a deep understanding of customers. That naturally requires lots of marketing data, but the authors say it also takes an “insights engine”—a set of structures, people, and processes that can translate data into actionable strategy. How do high-performing organizations achieve this kind of customer centricity? Extensive research by the lead author’s firm indicates that seven operational characteristics are critical for a superior insights and analytics group: It must be adept at synthesizing data, independent from other functions, integrally involved in business planning, collaborative, willing to experiment with new technologies and programs, future oriented, and active in strategic decision making. In addition, the people who are part of the insights engine share three key traits: They have a whole-brain mindset (they think creatively as well as analytically), they focus on business growth, and they are effective at getting their messages across with engaging storytelling rather than dry recitations of data. The authors discuss each characteristic in turn, using the consumer goods giant Unilever as a case study. Unilever’s Consumer Markets and Insights group, the epitome of a powerful insights engine, has helped the company generate impressive revenue and sales growth